Yes, but you have to pay for the data from companies unless they tweet it out. And timed possession does not correlate as directly to wins.
- L_B_R

Obviously, but it sure tilts the ice in favor of the team that can sustain it.

Interesting point here...and JJ makes the initial one - that the Hawks since they traded Soupy in 2011 have missed the QB back there on the PP...the question is where to find one or does one of the kids develop into that player. Meanwhile the stagnant Hawks PP continues to not work any magic.

Seabs will be here for a while and he's been a heck of a player here...yes long term ramifications with cap hit and another overpay by Bowman, but we should be used to that by now.

I said before the season began the Hawks will need another forward and another dman to make a run. It's still way too early. This team needs to find out who it is.
Offense - big concern is that unless we have Schmaltz - we're a one line team or so it looks.
Defense - overplaying 2 and 7 too much during the regular season. Love what Rutta has brought so far, but all the young guys need to have more minutes and game experience as it were. Tough to balance when you're trying to bank points.
- DK002

I don't know that that unique skill is one Rutta possesses. I think if he did, he would have had maybe better numbers in the Czech league and we'd have seen him getting PP time (maybe a lot of it) in Chicago by now.

I still think it's crazy that Jack Johnson didn't at least get a call for his head hunting on Schmaltz
- kinigitt

Welcome to the WWE.

Did you say Seabrook has been fine?

WOW just WOW!
- Goalie-33

Q said it. I reported the quote. See the difference?

Some a yous gm wannabes are quite mental. 6 games in and you see nothing but problems. I'm not sure you understand that it's not a video game. It's real people. I'm sure when bowling season starts, you're all at the top of your game.

GO LANCELOT BAOUMA

As I suspected, Kane self-selected his linemates for the upcoming year. He does have quite a hockey brain, and the two games they had together pre-Schmaltz takedown were electric.

https://theathletic.com/1...uld-be-his-new-linemates/

Belfry seems like a great coach - figure out how to fine tune someone like Kane's individual skills each year + able to get best collectively out of multiple players on a line.

But it gets more complicated when you look at it like this:

The things we've seen in these first 6 games that have been worrisome(not that there haven't been plenty of good things too, but for the sake of this debate...) are the same things we've seen surface more and more over the past 2 seasons, thus the trend can technically be considered much longer than 6 games, with a much larger body of evidence to take into account. These things include our decline in puck possession and other advanced metrics, the decline of our Dcore as a whole, and the decline of Seabrook (and Keith to a lesser extent) individually. So...idk what I'm trying to say exactly, other than I'm somewhat worried and hope we improve. And I think we can and will improve those things when we A. Get Schmaltz back and gain chemistry with a 4 line rotation and B. At some point this season make a move using our cap space to add a defenseman and upgrade the blueline.
- SimpleJack

Get Schmaltz back and assume/hope he drives line 2 like he was in the preseason and the first 70 minutes of the regular season.

I touched on this in the Shoutcast last night. Best defense in hockey can be a good offense. Keep the other team on their heels and running around in their end.

All due respect, I think it's a little off to make an issue of zone time not correlating to wins/goals whatever.

IN an aggregate sense . . . in terms of common sense . . . the more time you spend in their end, making them defend, the more goals you're going to get and the less chances (and goals) they're going to get. See the 2014-15 Hawks for a good example.

NO ONE was complaining about or hyper-focusing on the blueline corps in games 1 and 2. Why? because they werewn't having to defend as much.

So, while another experienced NHL d-man is a nice to have, I stand by the blog, good luck fiunding one at an affordable price that is an upgrade over what you have.

And I believe, as I have for the last two years, the REAL issue is an occasional (and at times lengthy) lack of a 2-3 line threat on offense that can get push up the ice and into the o-zone, and maintain pressure there.

So I will also say Schmaltz' emergence/step up this season is a HUGE and very pleasant surprise.

AND, if Schmaltz were to go down again for an extended period, I think you are on the market for someone who can center that line with elite speed and skill, say, a . . . Matt Duchene.

Because Kero and Anisimov are not the answer. Hartman may be in a pinch. But I think ideally they like him better at LW on that line.

Lancelot Bouma, secret chimp.

You ain't seen nothin yet.

Canada and the world mourns the loss of Gord Downie, Tragically Hip, gone at 53. Thanks Gord, you were awesome. R.I.P.

Some a yous gm wannabes are quite mental. 6 games in and you see nothing but problems. I'm not sure you understand that it's not a video game. It's real people. I'm sure when bowling season starts, you're all at the top of your game.

GO LANCELOT BAOUMA
- hocktock

Congrats on making a true statement of fact.

But as you know anything less than 76-0 for the balance of the season is unacceptable, and it will be Seabrook's fault mainly because of his wages.

Congrats on making a true statement of fact.

But as you know anything less than 76-0 for the balance of the season is unacceptable, and it will be Seabrook's fault mainly because of his wages.
- RickJ

Even a broken squirrel can find his nuts twice a day.

Do you think it says Lancelot on his birth certificate? That would be cool.

Q said it. I reported the quote. See the difference?
- John Jaeckel

He was talking to me, because he's a troll. I have to remember not to feed him.

Not usually a fan of Rosenbloom, but just a few games into the season, perhaps truer words never spoken about the 2017-18 season:

“Nick Schmaltz’s absence because of an injury a week ago has suddenly created the narrative that Wayne Gretzky is finally and blessedly coming back to the Blackhawks lineup tonight.”

Amen

I agree Seebs is far from a problem .This board always seems to need a whipping boy ,it started with AA now Seebs or Franson .
- oldduffman

Don't forget Toews and Cro.

Get Schmaltz back and assume/hope he drives line 2 like he was in the preseason and the first 70 minutes of the regular season.

I touched on this in the Shoutcast last night. Best defense in hockey can be a good offense. Keep the other team on their heels and running around in their end.

All due respect, I think it's a little off to make an issue of zone time not correlating to wins/goals whatever.

IN an aggregate sense . . . in terms of common sense . . . the more time you spend in their end, making them defend, the more goals you're going to get and the less chances (and goals) they're going to get. See the 2014-15 Hawks for a good example.

NO ONE was complaining about or hyper-focusing on the blueline corps in games 1 and 2. Why? because they werewn't having to defend as much.

So, while another experienced NHL d-man is a nice to have, I stand by the blog, good luck fiunding one at an affordable price that is an upgrade over what you have.

And I believe, as I have for the last two years, the REAL issue is an occasional (and at times lengthy) lack of a 2-3 line threat on offense that can get push up the ice and into the o-zone, and maintain pressure there.

So I will also say Schmaltz' emergence/step up this season is a HUGE and very pleasant surprise.

AND, if Schmaltz were to go down again for an extended period, I think you are on the market for someone who can center that line with elite speed and skill, say, a . . . Matt Duchene.

Because Kero and Anisimov are not the answer. Hartman may be in a pinch. But I think ideally they like him better at LW on that line.
- John Jaeckel

That is very likely if they lose Toews or Schmaltz to an injury that is longer term. They'll need a guy to pick it up. That's why I'm fine with banking the cap space they have for now. Injuries happen. Like Kaner in 15 that got us Vermette. If it is Schmaltz that goes down, his cap relief, were he placed on LTIR, is minuscule.

Canada and the world mourns the loss of Gord Downie, Tragically Hip, gone at 53. Thanks Gord, you were awesome. R.I.P.
- walter34

#RIPGORD

The Hawks are 7 NHL defenders deep. That is pretty cool. Obviously far from perfect group but other than someone slow getting turnstyled or Kempny or Forsling doing something overambitious with the puck - that's probably not going to be the whole why of why they lost.

I don't think the forward corps is that bad either. Obviously not having anyone to open up space for Kane except for Dinglecat is a little irritating but otherwise they're not terrible and I think most of the lads have shown something redeeming. Hayden being one of those guys.

Biggest thing is figuring out how to exit the zone efficiently and sustain pressure. The first line has been OK at that (still under water fancy stat wise though) because either Saad or Panik can skate real good and grab that deep pass. They are also large strong men who can muscle guys off the puck or rub them off on the boards (haha). javascript:emoticon('')

I don't think a lot of the other guys have figured each other out yet so I think you'll see the deck shuffled until Q finds some guys with chemistry together and then maybe we start to see improvement.

Otherwise its the Crawford show and that is fine for now. Points are points and there have been enough positives to build on and, in my opinion, not an excessive amount of red flags to hit the panic button.

Adding a player like Duchene if he's available would probably push them into clearer favorite position, but even if nothing like that happens, I think they're in a good spot to be very competitive and make noise in the off season as the guys figure each other out.

Nah.....Seabs is definitely part of the problem(not the entire problem, but deserves blame for his regression and how much $ he's making). "the problem" IMO is our defense. He's one of our defenseman, and his play has slipped, so the whipping is justified IMO. But only to a certain point. Those claiming he's completely done and useless are going too far. But most posters that i see are just saying he's no longer a #2D and not worth the $ he's getting paid.
- SimpleJack

4-1-1...what problem?

The Hawks are 7 NHL defenders deep. That is pretty cool. Obviously far from perfect group but other than someone slow getting turnstyled or Kempny or Forsling doing something overambitious with the puck - that's probably not going to be the whole why of why they lost.

I don't think the forward corps is that bad either. Obviously not having anyone to open up space for Kane except for Dinglecat is a little irritating but otherwise they're not terrible and I think most of the lads have shown something redeeming. Hayden being one of those guys.

Biggest thing is figuring out how to exit the zone efficiently and sustain pressure. The first line has been OK at that (still under water fancy stat wise though) because either Saad or Panik can skate real good and grab that deep pass. They are also large strong men who can muscle guys off the puck or rub them off on the boards (haha). javascript:emoticon('')

I don't think a lot of the other guys have figured each other out yet so I think you'll see the deck shuffled until Q finds some guys with chemistry together and then maybe we start to see improvement.

Otherwise its the Crawford show and that is fine for now. Points are points and there have been enough positives to build on and, in my opinion, not an excessive amount of red flags to hit the panic button.

Adding a player like Duchene if he's available would probably push them into clearer favorite position, but even if nothing like that happens, I think they're in a good spot to be very competitive and make noise in the off season as the guys figure each other out.
- fattybeef

Drives me nuts. Want guys to develop some chemistry? Don't shuffle the lines so much. Let them get used to each other. Hated when coaches did that to me.

Building a line is like a bartender making a cocktail. A little playmaking, a little speed, and a guy who is good at pulling the trigger. Then LET THEM PLAY ffs. The line blender is like a reset button going back to square one.

Drives me nuts. Want guys to develop some chemistry? Don't shuffle the lines so much. Let them get used to each other. Hated when coaches did that to me.

Building a line is like a bartender making a cocktail. A little playmaking, a little speed, and a guy who is good at pulling the trigger. Then LET THEM PLAY ffs. The line blender is like a reset button going back to square one.
- 6628

He's actually been pretty good about not blending the lines. He's only really moved line 2 after Schmaltz went down, and tonight they are back to normal.

But it gets more complicated when you look at it like this:

The things we've seen in these first 6 games that have been worrisome(not that there haven't been plenty of good things too, but for the sake of this debate...) are the same things we've seen surface more and more over the past 2 seasons, thus the trend can technically be considered much longer than 6 games, with a much larger body of evidence to take into account. These things include our decline in puck possession and other advanced metrics, the decline of our Dcore as a whole, and the decline of Seabrook (and Keith to a lesser extent) individually. So...idk what I'm trying to say exactly, other than I'm somewhat worried and hope we improve. And I think we can and will improve those things when we A. Get Schmaltz back and gain chemistry with a 4 line rotation and B. At some point this season make a move using our cap space to add a defenseman and upgrade the blueline.
- SimpleJack

It cannot be considered longer than 6 games.

First, it's just not the same team. 2016 to 2017 weren't the same teams. Hockey can be thought of kind of like math equations - the coach is always trying to balance the lines, defense, and system to get the best results. If you change a variable in from a past equation, the result is typically different. There are too many radical changes from the previous two years with the base team / equation for there to be a direct correlation.

Second, you're incorrect that the shot metric possession has been declining year over year. 2016 was a lower point but 2017 saw an uptick again. The final 20-25 games, they ended top 10 CF%. For the overall season, they were the team with the most timed possession in the OZ, and they were one of the best transition teams. Just because they got beat by a better team in an embarrassing manner does not mean that the team last year was bad - they just performed poorly in a 4 game spread.

Drives me nuts. Want guys to develop some chemistry? Don't shuffle the lines so much. Let them get used to each other. Hated when coaches did that to me.

Building a line is like a bartender making a cocktail. A little playmaking, a little speed, and a guy who is good at pulling the trigger. Then LET THEM PLAY ffs. The line blender is like a reset button going back to square one.
- 6628

Eh, when they're getting shelled though its probably time to start tossing guys together to see if there's some kind of spark. If they were treading water it would be one thing and it stayed pretty consistent for the first few games. After a handful its probably time to try some different combos and see if they can catch any lightening.

It provided a lift in the Nashville game. Schmaltz coming back hopefully gets them back on track.

Well i hope Schmaltz is what line 2 has been missing, it'd be nice to have 2 lines that can maintain ozone pressure.

Everyone more aggressive in front of the opponents net.

Read, recognize, and exit the zone based on what the opponents defenseman are doing.

Kane on the power play without Keith.

If Keith were out there Sharp or Schmaltz at RW since they both are right handed shots.

Canada and the world mourns the loss of Gord Downie, Tragically Hip, gone at 53. Thanks Gord, you were awesome. R.I.P.
- walter34

Amen to that. RIP Gord.

It cannot be considered longer than 6 games.

First, it's just not the same team. 2016 to 2017 weren't the same teams. Hockey can be thought of kind of like math equations - the coach is always trying to balance the lines, defense, and system to get the best results. If you change a variable in from a past equation, the result is typically different. There are too many radical changes from the previous two years with the base team / equation for there to be a direct correlation.

Second, you're incorrect that the shot metric possession has been declining year over year. 2016 was a lower point but 2017 saw an uptick again. The final 20-25 games, they ended top 10 CF%. For the overall season, they were the team with the most timed possession in the OZ, and they were one of the best transition teams. Just because they got beat by a better team in an embarrassing manner does not mean that the team last year was bad - they just performed poorly in a 4 game spread.
- L_B_R

^^This^^ Good teams can play some bad hockey at times. It happens and winning in the playoffs is more about being hot at the right time.