Also, Crawford was tremendous. Again.

I hear you ! Kane looks like he has symptoms of withdrawals since the bread man left. He definitely looks unhappy! Keep DCat on his line and he just might get his mojo back..... Let's hope for the best.
- spanky

Except of course when Schmaltz was playing with him in those first games

31 team salary capped league and half way thru October you haven't seen anything that makes you believe they are real contenders? How about the fact they have only given up 13 goals so far with basically 6 new defenceman plus 2 washed up has beens (2&7) on the roster and a new D coach.

There is no team in this league that is a chalk favourite, virtually every team has a couple of holes in their roster makeup, even Pittsburgh and the incredibly unbelievable Edmonton Oilers lead by McDavid who just happened to be watching a lot from the bench in the 3rd period as the Senators kicked ass last night and the night before in Calgary.

And if you believe Hammer is so great, tune in to a few Coyotes games - guess what, he hasn't been, at least so far. And maybe that's because the players around him are not of the quality level he is accustomed to playing with.

Patience required - the team is collecting standings points which is all that matters right now in an extremely tough division. If the Hawks were playing like the Rangers, Canadiens, Sabres and Coyotes you would have something to worry about.
- RickJ

Spot on
Finally a post worth agreeing on

As for Kane
He slows down every corner that smells
contact

I hate how it looks but a healthy Kane to score and set up goals beats injuries that occur chasing pucks in corners

Kane played 24 minutes last night & 7 minutes on PP and "0" shots on goal.

Effort was less than stealer for a guy who refuses to play any defense.

And Seabrook should be on waivers. BRUTAL!
- Goalie-33

Should Hawks trade them both? Get Duchene for Kane, and Kruger for Seabrook, and many on this board will be happy!

So there you see it, #2 & #7 washed up has beens. I question if those two will approach the level they once played. In a couple years if the team is better maybe their performance is better. Even now they have a lot of wear and tear over their career. I just believe, however, that it will take a game by game boost from forwards playing responsible defensively.

Should you have faith in #2 & #7 remaining as good as they once were? That thought seems to be creeping into blog commentary.

I say also that you have to wonder who will suffer a concussion on this team. Each team gets a few each year. DeBrincat plays dangerously for a small guy in a league of giants (compared to his own size). I seriously question if Toews and possibly Seabrook recover from severe jolt. Toews has maybe more concussions than anyone on this team. I do not know if there is a recording of concussions somewhere, but Toews must be the leader or close to the leader on this team.

Since team success can quuckly be judged by how well the defense plays, after the goaltending this youthful defense is just not going to become much better by season end. A lot of youth. The notion that defensemen often need 300 gp before they are good....It has a lot of truth to it. Samuelson tutelage helps but honestly young defense has to play to get better and it takes time.

Here is anither concern: team speed is not good enough considering some teams are outskating us (out playing us too). What about whether Q's defensive coverage is just not the best choice or the players, overall, do not stack up to most teams .......maybe it is some of both. Q coaches in the year 2009 mode still....a reference to man to man coverage....is a remark made in one of JJ blogs...does that cause concern?



Clearly we are no where close to the level of team we had. We were witness being outplayed badly in most of our games this season and are fortunate to pull out this record so far. If you think the goals against and goal differential will stay looking good as games are played, then you are dreaming. Time will tell. I believe time will tell specifically how tough it is to win each time out.


- jhawk59

For a team who has started the season against 4 quite formidable opponents and is 4-1-1 that's a lot of analysis and worrying for so early in the season.

Will only comment as follows:

1) There are really 3 separate sections to an NHL season as it relates to pace and the level of competition - Games 1-12 in October where teams are really getting to know themselves; November to late December when the pace ratchets up and a lot of games get played and the teams understand who and what they have and how good their division competitors are; and then the stretch run in January when the competition and drive for playoff spots really heats up.

So being so apprehensive on October 15 is a little premature it seems to me. Sure the Hawks don't have the star power they used to have but there is now some roster depth, youth and cap money available to work with.

2) Playing defence - with the new rule on stick work and slashing, playing shut down defence is so much harder this year. Matchup defenceman can't use their sticks anymore or they are heading to the penalty box. Even the very best guys have to re-learn things - body and stick positioning first and foremost. That means a time consuming learning curve.

And those just aren't words I'm spewing - one of the very best shutdown guys in the NHL Alex Pietrangelo said it.

And that's what has me wondering about Cody Franson - tough new rules for a player who is a lumbering, weak skater and needs his stick to defend.

So there you see it, #2 & #7 washed up has beens. I question if those two will approach the level they once played. In a couple years if the team is better maybe their performance is better. Even now they have a lot of wear and tear over their career. I just believe, however, that it will take a game by game boost from forwards playing responsible defensively.

Should you have faith in #2 & #7 remaining as good as they once were? That thought seems to be creeping into blog commentary.

I say also that you have to wonder who will suffer a concussion on this team. Each team gets a few each year. DeBrincat plays dangerously for a small guy in a league of giants (compared to his own size). I seriously question if Toews and possibly Seabrook recover from severe jolt. Toews has maybe more concussions than anyone on this team. I do not know if there is a recording of concussions somewhere, but Toews must be the leader or close to the leader on this team.

Since team success can quuckly be judged by how well the defense plays, after the goaltending this youthful defense is just not going to become much better by season end. A lot of youth. The notion that defensemen often need 300 gp before they are good....It has a lot of truth to it. Samuelson tutelage helps but honestly young defense has to play to get better and it takes time.

Here is anither concern: team speed is not good enough considering some teams are outskating us (out playing us too). What about whether Q's defensive coverage is just not the best choice or the players, overall, do not stack up to most teams .......maybe it is some of both. Q coaches in the year 2009 mode still....a reference to man to man coverage....is a remark made in one of JJ blogs...does that cause concern?

Crawford shines. Forsberg plays well. Great. But no one is going to expect them to carry the team to a playoff spot

Sure, lots of teams have holes. But those teams are going to balance out bad outings with impressive streaks because they are capable of breaking out. How many stars or top players on Chicago.

Kane, Saad maybe Schmaultz and Toews if healthy. Some average players like AA or tweeners who continue to have up and down moments like Hartman. The great core is a past term on Chicago.

Also in past tense terms is Coach Q. He was a good coach who won despite often a ridiculous looking pp and lack of net front presence. Past teams had a Hossa and Sharp playing well and a strong #3 dman

Clearly we are no where close to the level of team we had. We were witness being outplayed badly in most of our games this season and are fortunate to pull out this record so far. If you think the goals against and goal differential will stay looking good as games are played, then you are dreaming. Time will tell. I believe time will tell specifically how tough it is to win each time out.

You cannot trade your future stars when you keep moving your #1. Potentially future stars, to be clear, and most in the league were first round picks . Yet how much help, really, can you get if you did trade a #1. How much better would the team be in the short term ....enough to make playoffs. Because I happen to feel that Bowman really does not want to trade more #1's.

I think you recall a Fortin and hope DeBrincat and some young defensemen perform well. Others at Rockford may be nice pieces but Fortin is the scorer we could use. I would be curious how this blog feels about Dineen or Samuelson as head coach.

It is getting to become a stretch the way we get outplayed, to realisticly expect to make the playoffs. Go over the other NHL rosters. Do you really believe we are at best middle of the pack. We have fallen and it will take time to get back into the upper echelon. Also, concussions could really, really hurt this team badly.
- jhawk59

WOW

JJ
You do a fantastic job writing-

However
Seems a dark following this year.

I Think I’ll look for other reading options.

JJ
You do a fantastic job writing-

However
Seems a dark following this year.

I Think I’ll look for other reading options.
- Colbyboy

C’mon, guys - ya want different kinds of posts - write some.

So...someone thought that Hammer was traded because the team was thinking get a young upgrade?

Maybe getting two players for one could’ve tipped you off....or when very shortly after the trade I said the kid Murphy looked lost his first two seasons, but seemed to calm down last year.

Best thing is he understands exactly what is his primary responsibility at every moment and where he is supposed to be positioned.
Best thing for him is to be on acte and in an organization that has the luxury OF benching him as a “learning device” to get him to fit the style,know the job and FEAR of loss of ice time is a great motivator.
Murphy’s salary is reasonable enough they can wait as Dauphin’s.

In a non Cap era,you could think of “hammer for a return” as reality.

Don’t fool yourself Murphy was just a young top 4 guy in the return until he IS...
- wiz1901

Big, skates good, has shown some flashes of being a solid player. I think he needs to play. But it seems like Q found a blankie with Franson which may be good or bad.

Best case scenario is he can watch some games and figure it out in his time. Since the team is winning and Saad is making everyone forget about Panarin that Hammer trade has been ignored and no one is calling for a head yet.

Either way, they appear to be 7 NHL defenders deep which is better than what anyone could have expected. If they could get the forward situation sorted out then I think they'll be in really good shape for this year and next.

Should Hawks trade them both? Get Duchene for Kane, and Kruger for Seabrook, and many on this board will be happy!
- BMWChiFan

So Kane played hard for 30 seconds in OT great.

That is not going to cut it for this team. Has 8 points & is ONLY a +1. Go figure.

Needs to play hard for a whole game.

And any trade right now for Seabrooks contract is a DONE deal.

JJ
You do a fantastic job writing-

However
Seems a dark following this year.

I Think I’ll look for other reading options.
- Colbyboy

What? Compliment followed by a negative comment about the same thing......

Hard to see where Bowman and Quenneville are on the same page even though they put on their happy faces for the fans and media. We traded arguably our best pure defenseman in Hjalmarsson for Murphy and six games into the season he has been healthy scratched twice already. Seems to me there continues to be a big divide between what kind of players Bowman and Quenneville want on this team. Team played well against Pittsburgh and Columbus, but was dominated for the majority of the games against Toronto, Minnesota and Nashville and even though they won in Montreal, a lot of that was Crawford's doing, as the Hawks were holding on for dear life in that third period. Haven't seen anything YET, that makes me think this is a Stanley Cup contending team. If their offensive game has gone south because Schmaltz have been out, that's a huge issue because what happens if another key player, like Crawford, Toews, Saad or Kane get hurt. Plus Schmaltz has already had two concussions in his short career, which does not bode well long term. It'll be interesting to see if Bowman makes any moves before the end of the year, or decides to wait until the trade deadline. Obviously their place in the standings will probably dictate that, but that would be a mistake in my opinion as we saw what their gaudy regular season meant in the end last year. If they have the chance to improve the team regardless of record, Bowman needs to do so.
- RetiredGoalie

I totally agree with this. It all sounds like a Trevor Daley situation again. This time I would hope Q and Bowman have learned their lesson, but I fear the Hammer trade was the last straw. Two nights Murphy is a healthy scratch? What message is Q trying to send? I do not believe that they need to get all 8 defensemen into a game (the alleged reason for making Murphy a healthy scratch) ...if that is true, then your supposed second pair defenseman should not be getting press box seats two out of the first 6 games. They need to find a deal for Murphy before the Hawks are stuck with another Daley for Scuderi deal. It looks like this will just escalate. JJ...thoughts???

So Kane played hard for 30 seconds in OT great.

That is not going to cut it for this team. Has 8 points & is ONLY a +1. Go figure.

Needs to play hard for a whole game.

And any trade right now for Seabrooks contract is a DONE deal.
- Goalie-33

So Kane played hard for 30 seconds in OT great.

That is not going to cut it for this team. Has 8 points & is ONLY a +1. Go figure.

Needs to play hard for a whole game.

And any trade right now for Seabrooks contract is a DONE deal.
- Goalie-33

You keep stating that seabrook is horrible slow and worthless.
If this is true (which I do not believe) who would trade for him.
Come up with a realistic trade don't just spew he needs to be traded it most likely won't happen and if it is you will just complain about the return

I just finished watching the movie Ice Guardians on Netflix. Although the movie was probably 40 minutes longer than it needed to be, and spent too much time interviewing Kevin Westgarth, it was very good. At the end it was hard to come to a conclusion as to whether or not fighting should be taken out of the game. The movie did a good job of explaining how concussions come from high speed collisions more than fighting, and how eliminating the 2 line pass infraction has increased the speed.

One opinion in the film that I took issue with was the belief that if you took fighting out, the rats would be out of control. From what I've seen, whenever Marchand bridges somebody, or Perry gets away with a spear, they don't answer the bell directly. Instead, 2 enforcers will stage a fight within a few shifts. I think that there are ways that the NHL can discipline rats like Perry, and I'd like to see the players association foster a sense of brotherhood and mutual respect among it's members. We'll see. The movie leaves the fans of the sport with a lot to think about.

Crawford - only 3 goals allowed in 5x5 play, I think.

Call the stick incident on Hartman - ok - but the call the interference on Irwin first.
- StLBravesFan

craw has faced 35 sog/game with a .960 save%...that can't continue,
the hawks shot suppression better improve or the GA will rise...

- L_B_R

Remember what Lisa Simpson and Paul Anka say about monstrous advertisements come to life and moronic Hockeybuzz trolls:

I just finished watching the movie Ice Guardians on Netflix. Although the movie was probably 40 minutes longer than it needed to be, and spent too much time interviewing Kevin Westgarth, it was very good. At the end it was hard to come to a conclusion as to whether or not fighting should be taken out of the game. The movie did a good job of explaining how concussions come from high speed collisions more than fighting, and how eliminating the 2 line pass infraction has increased the speed.

One opinion in the film that I took issue with was the belief that if you took fighting out, the rats would be out of control. From what I've seen, whenever Marchand bridges somebody, or Perry gets away with a spear, they don't answer the bell directly. Instead, 2 enforcers will stage a fight within a few shifts. I think that there are ways that the NHL can discipline rats like Perry, and I'd like to see the players association foster a sense of brotherhood and mutual respect among it's members. We'll see. The movie leaves the fans of the sport with a lot to think about.
- Dieselhead

Knowing full well those losers in the NHLPA will never become a brotherhood, Gary Bettman signed off on a far better idea for his NHL Dept. of Player Safety - let's hire another ex-player who throughout his very memorable NHL career spanning nearly 500 games, exhibited great skill and grace on the ice to accumulate 36 fabulous points and 1100 PIM's - the great George Parros. Now there's a guy who will really understand concussions and the strategy behind fighting in the game.

31 team salary capped league and half way thru October you haven't seen anything that makes you believe they are real contenders? How about the fact they have only given up 13 goals so far with basically 6 new defenceman plus 2 washed up has beens (2&7) on the roster and a new D coach.

There is no team in this league that is a chalk favourite, virtually every team has a couple of holes in their roster makeup, even Pittsburgh and the incredibly unbelievable Edmonton Oilers lead by McDavid who just happened to be watching a lot from the bench in the 3rd period as the Senators kicked ass last night and the night before in Calgary.

And if you believe Hammer is so great, tune in to a few Coyotes games - guess what, he hasn't been, at least so far. And maybe that's because the players around him are not of the quality level he is accustomed to playing with.

Patience required - the team is collecting standings points which is all that matters right now in an extremely tough division. If the Hawks were playing like the Rangers, Canadiens, Sabres and Coyotes you would have something to worry about.
- RickJ

Salary capped league means patience especially for a team that has won 3 cups in 7-8 yrs. .....

With an old dog like Q I'm always looking at deployment and usage. Q loves his predictable Dmen like Sopel, Rozy and Franson types and I understand and agree, but what I see is Q understands the game has changed and that not only can you use inexperience at D but you have to with a hard cap and make it work. You can have a security blanket or two in a 7-8 man group (Sopels/Rozys/Fransons) and a blend of Forslings/Kempnys speed, pressure, push and the mistakes that come with them, aggressive mistakes.

Including forward usage in the above context, and not killing Sharp with 18 mins a game, I like usage, blend, speed, results, attempt at balance the group has shown.

Most would not have thought this group would start with a 4-1-1 record working in, as you mention, FIVE new Dmen in the rotation. It could be argued that the way they're winning is not sustainable but you can't argue with 4-1-1 as this group "develops".

Nothing earth shattering here but a good read from the guys at The Hockey Writers focusing on young, small puck moving Dmen: https://thehockeywriters....r.com&utm_campaign=buffer

Salary capped league means patience especially for a team that has won 3 cups in 7-8 yrs. .....

It could be argued that the way they're winning is not sustainable but you can't argue with 4-1-1 as this group "develops".

Nothing earth shattering here but a good read from the guys at The Hockey Writers focusing on young, small puck moving Dmen: https://thehockeywriters....r.com&utm_campaign=buffer
- Mr Ricochet

Nice article, thanks for sharing... but as for the bolded... Hockeybuzz says "hold my beer- trade everyone"

Coming into this season we all knew face offs and penalty killing were 2 things we really needed to fix.

So far the Hawks are 15th in FO% and 10th in PK%. Not the best, but both major improvements on where we were last season. At least so far...
- SimpleJack

Should also note every game the Hawks have played thus far has been vs 2016 playoff teams

JJ
You do a fantastic job writing-

However
Seems a dark following this year.

I Think I’ll look for other reading options.
- Colbyboy

"dark following"?

Please elaborate if you can, PM is fine or here. Sorry you need to go elsewhere, but it is allegedly a free country.

C’mon, guys - ya want different kinds of posts - write some.
- StLBravesFan

Salary capped league means patience especially for a team that has won 3 cups in 7-8 yrs. .....

With an old dog like Q I'm always looking at deployment and usage. Q loves his predictable Dmen like Sopel, Rozy and Franson types and I understand and agree, but what I see is Q understands the game has changed and that not only can you use inexperience at D but you have to with a hard cap and make it work. You can have a security blanket or two in a 7-8 man group (Sopels/Rozys/Fransons) and a blend of Forslings/Kempnys speed, pressure, push and the mistakes that come with them, aggressive mistakes.

Including forward usage in the above context, and not killing Sharp with 18 mins a game, I like usage, blend, speed, results, attempt at balance the group has shown.

Most would not have thought this group would start with a 4-1-1 record working in, as you mention, FIVE new Dmen in the rotation. It could be argued that the way they're winning is not sustainable but you can't argue with 4-1-1 as this group "develops".

Nothing earth shattering here but a good read from the guys at The Hockey Writers focusing on young, small puck moving Dmen: https://thehockeywriters....r.com&utm_campaign=buffer
- Mr Ricochet

So here's sort of where I am.

And how easily some forget. I LIKE most of the offseason moves. the team IS faster and more physical.

But, and since it's my job here to ask questions, is thie team of the last 4 games, the same one that steamrolled the first two? It doesn't seem to be? Why not?

Valid questions.

And yes, 2 games and 4 other games are snapshots early on in the season. Nothing to overly freak about.

But . . . when the shot totals against climb close to or over 40 game after game, and you view that through the lens of that trend the previous two seasons, sorry, that's something to be a little concerned about.

Also, nothing wrong with acknowledging, on one hand, how ADB makes a difference from the opponent's blue line in (as I've said going back to the summer) but from their blue line back (and in the corners) he is a flawed product at this point.

Dark, negative, OK, that's like your opinion, man. Great. All good.

Also, on Murphy, I agree, he has the raw physical package you want in a dman. Dmen take time to develop. But Q seems to be treating him like Daley or maybe Kempny last year. Why? is that just a process, or is Q really sour on him. And why? Seems worth at least asking.

Should also note every game the Hawks have played thus far has been vs 2016 playoff teams
- Assman22

Also worth noting... 4 home games, and 2 of which were the back end of Back-to-Backs for the opponents (Pit and Cbus) and the game vs Montreal was their 3rd in 4 nights.

Dont me wrong, I'm not nay saying or anything (take point where you can get them), but the schedule has been favorable considering we have played "better teams".

We get our own 3 in 4 nights run this week, so we will see. @Stl is always a dog fight, vs EDM/McJesus is no easy task, then @AZ has trap written all over it as the 3rd game of that stretch. We will see how it come up. We could very well lose 2 of those 3 games. 3 points would be a victory for that in my book. 4 is better. 5+ would be amazing.