I could see one last asset grab this TDL if the team is out of contention for a playoff spot, which I think likely. My hope is Hall, AA and Martinez are having decent years and stay healthy. Individually they each may be worth just a 3rd or B prospect. Maybe KD can package a couple of them for more. Donato, Smith and Maroon would probably get you 4ths, 5ths or 6ths. Trading 2 or 3 guys would open the door for some Icehogs to be promoted for the last 20 or so games.
- boilermaker100

Has to be a strong consideration for KD
Youth is the future youth is the essence n rebuilding . There may continue to be a stronger desire to pluck another dman with the ‘25 #1 but certainly will look at best player available when our turn comes up. We di have some forward prospects likely turning pro after next season. We would do well to wind up drafting an elite talented forward. Would like to add a large size boards forward type even if a third or fourth line calibre

I could see one last asset grab this TDL if the team is out of contention for a playoff spot, which I think likely. My hope is Hall, AA and Martinez are having decent years and stay healthy. Individually they each may be worth just a 3rd or B prospect. Maybe KD can package a couple of them for more. Donato, Smith and Maroon would probably get you 4ths, 5ths or 6ths. Trading 2 or 3 guys would open the door for some Icehogs to be promoted for the last 20 or so games.
- boilermaker100

Sure, I don’t doubt that, but I don’t think they really have the roster space, or motivation to take on more garbage contracts now.

What if KFC wants those guys to play together all year. He will have a better idea of who to promote for the following season. On another subject, the Blackhawks are going to pick a captain for next season. Foligno is the natural assumption. But do you want a guy who is playing on the fourth line to be your captain? It is too early for Bedard, so who else would make a good captain? Also hearing rumors, none, I think, have a rat's patooty of coming to fruition, that the Hawks might be interested in Nick Cousins. I think we might have had discussions on this before.

What if KFC wants those guys to play together all year. He will have a better idea of who to promote for the following season. On another subject, the Blackhawks are going to pick a captain for next season. Foligno is the natural assumption. But do you want a guy who is playing on the fourth line to be your captain? It is too early for Bedard, so who else would make a good captain? Also hearing rumors, none, I think, have a rat's patooty of coming to fruition, that the Hawks might be interested in Nick Cousins. I think we might have had discussions on this before.
- bjphawkfan

they don't need cousins and if Davidson takes on a bad contract in a trade first it be a hockey trade and something that would make sense now and the future. Just my opinion would l I keep to see more offersheets going forward and would like to see Davidson offersheet mercer from the Devils. 3 or 4 years at 4 to 4.5 million per year believe that would only a 2nd rounders going back.

What if KFC wants those guys to play together all year. He will have a better idea of who to promote for the following season. On another subject, the Blackhawks are going to pick a captain for next season. Foligno is the natural assumption. But do you want a guy who is playing on the fourth line to be your captain? It is too early for Bedard, so who else would make a good captain? Also hearing rumors, none, I think, have a rat's patooty of coming to fruition, that the Hawks might be interested in Nick Cousins. I think we might have had discussions on this before.
- bjphawkfan

S. Jones...

What if KFC wants those guys to play together all year. He will have a better idea of who to promote for the following season. On another subject, the Blackhawks are going to pick a captain for next season. Foligno is the natural assumption. But do you want a guy who is playing on the fourth line to be your captain? It is too early for Bedard, so who else would make a good captain? Also hearing rumors, none, I think, have a rat's patooty of coming to fruition, that the Hawks might be interested in Nick Cousins. I think we might have had discussions on this before.
- bjphawkfan

It's early for Bedard, but the kid has been in the spotlight already and he could handle it if they go for the hype and give it to him.

Saw this and LOL'd

Titled; Matthews, 30 mins after being named Leafs Captain.......

https://scontent-iad3-2.x...-GnILyDhKITYg&oe=66C71845

It's early for Bedard, but the kid has been in the spotlight already and he could handle it if they go for the hype and give it to him.
- breadbag

If you give Bedard the C, does Foligno go without a letter, or do you take one away from Jones or Murphy?

I confess I was wrapped up in the crop of 2025 and spent no time watching much of others, but I have gone back and watched a lot of Rinzel, and there is much to like. He keeps filling out and getting bigger and stronger, and he is all around good with lots of surprising offense at his size.
- wiz1901

Rinzel is the most improved prospect this last yr IMO. .... During his draft yr I saw a good bit of him with the Waterloo Black Hawks, and besides was given a heads up on the kid before the yr started, so I watched him kinda closely.

You could see his size and skating right away but the kid had a low work rate, floated in his own zone, slow to react, in the Ozone tons of costly coughs on the blue line, not quite river boat gamblin but got caught deep in the Ozone (along the end wall) too often, didn't play physical, didn't show real hockey IQ.

Of course some of those gambles paid off as he showed skill in his hands in the Ozone and skating it up. ...... His skating/size/better than average skill in his hands is the reason he was drafted. Although the list of things I didn't like was long I could see why he was drafted, thought it was a good late 1st swing and liked the pick.

If I squinted could see a Paryako his draft yr. SMARTLY stayed in WTL in his draft +1 yr before going to U of MN last yr. By yrs end he showed poise he never did. Going the slow path the kid absorbed enough where the game slowed down for him allowing better decisions/awareness to make plays and use his skills.

Now we see a kid with some poise/awareness to go along with his considerable skating/size with very good skill in his hands (the reason for the swing on him).. Don't have to really squint anymore to see a possible Paryako.

Yep, IMO the most improved prospect and if he hits you have a considerable 2nd pairing guy with a lotta traits to make a difference.

Mr Richochet:
On vacation?
Enjoying time off with family/grandkids I hope and or maybe gone fishing too

Looking forward to your insight again this upcoming season. Hopefully the rookies tournament in St Louis has a broadcast
- jhawk59

Hello, J. Hope you and yours are well and you are gearing up for what looks to be the most fun season for a Hawk's fan in way too long.

Oh, I'm around just haven't been contributing. There are some here whose contributions I value so I always check in....... Been watching baseball for the first time since the Sosa-McGuire 70 home run fraud. I'm seeing bunts, steals, speed, putting pressure on the defense and the pitch clock is a God send.

The sport doesn't look like 16 inch softball like it did 30 yrs ago where it was a homer or nuttin by juiced guys hitting juiced balls in bandbox new stadiums. Looks like baseball again so I'm watching.

I could give you half of Whitey Herzog's Cards, Earl Weaver's Orange Birds or Leiland's Tigers lineups off the top of my head today but can't name more than 2-3 guys on any team.... Like coming back from a time warp. Baseball is a damn fine sport and I'm thrilled it's back.

I thought KD said the Hawks were on to the next phase of the rebuild, and not looking for using cap space for bad contracts, unless the Hawks believe the bad contract actually helps the team. In fact he is now willing (supposedly) in trading his draft capital for the right player(s).
- LAHawk

Hay, LA....... Some funky stuff last yr with teams taking bad contracts. When Minnesota, with 20ish mil in dead cap space, took on a bad contract I thought wow, things are changing.

Don't remember the context but there was a space/window for MN to take on a bad contract, so they did and got a draft pick for their trouble.

My point is it seems there are circumstances where non tanking teams will take on a bad contract for a draft pick. And, why not?

Hello, J. Hope you and yours are well and you are gearing up for what looks to be the most fun season for a Hawk's fan in way too long.

Oh, I'm around just haven't been contributing. There are some here whose contributions I value so I always check in....... Been watching baseball for the first time since the Sosa-McGuire 70 home run fraud. I'm seeing bunts, steals, speed, putting pressure on the defense and the pitch clock is a God send.

The sport doesn't look like 16 inch softball like it did 30 yrs ago where it was a homer or nuttin by juiced guys hitting juiced balls in bandbox new stadiums. Looks like baseball again so I'm watching.

I could give you half of Whitey Herzog's Cards, Earl Weaver's Orange Birds or Leiland's Tigers lineups off the top of my head today but can't name more than 2-3 guys on any team.... Like coming back from a time warp. Baseball is a damn fine sport and I'm thrilled it's back.
- Mr Ricochet

I have always been fascinated by pitchers who throw knuckleball. I love to watch pitchers strategy with their repertoire and pitch location. And I am
Blown away so many pitchers throw even 95mph +
But hey all you say does make a statement You might have noticed trend with so many who hit or have potential to hit HR but fewer good ba. hitters. Which is too disproportionate IMHO

I have always been fascinated by pitchers who throw knuckleball. I love to watch pitchers strategy with their repertoire and pitch location. And I am
Blown away so many pitchers throw even 95mph +
But hey all you say does make a statement You might have noticed trend with so many who hit or have potential to hit HR but fewer good ba. hitters. Which is too disproportionate IMHO
- jhawk59

It is a joy to watch those who create chaos on the bases. Elly De Le Cruz and Witt Jr are worth the price of admission. Anything to get out of the doldrums of the three outcomes.

Hay, LA....... Some funky stuff last yr with teams taking bad contracts. When Minnesota, with 20ish mil in dead cap space, took on a bad contract I thought wow, things are changing.

Don't remember the context but there was a space/window for MN to take on a bad contract, so they did and got a draft pick for their trouble.

My point is it seems there are circumstances where non tanking teams will take on a bad contract for a draft pick. And, why not?
- Mr Ricochet

My point is the Hawks should be beyond picking up a bad contract for picks, unless the bad contract fills a need on the team (like Mikhayev) rather than a body solely to get to the cap floor ( like Zaitsev that everyone knew was not an NHL player anymore )

I have always been fascinated by pitchers who throw knuckleball. I love to watch pitchers strategy with their repertoire and pitch location. And I am
Blown away so many pitchers throw even 95mph +
But hey all you say does make a statement You might have noticed trend with so many who hit or have potential to hit HR but fewer good ba. hitters. Which is too disproportionate IMHO
- jhawk59

Advanced stats in baseball favor an Ian Happ over the old .300 slap hitters. You don’t see very many Matty Alou’s playing any more.

Advanced stats in baseball favor an Ian Happ over the old .300 slap hitters. You don’t see very many Matty Alou’s playing any more.
- LAHawk

Which is the very reason I walked away from the sport and it seems I wasn't alone. Maybe 5 yrs ago the stat came out that a ball was put into play every 6 MINUTES that season!!!! Uh, yea, no thanks. Reinhorn had a lot to do with it but I'd guess I was one of the early defectors from MLB and that was 30 yrs ago ....... I can dig the beauty of a sport without a clock but a ball put into play every 6 minutes and the fraud that the league allowed, encouraged, from the Sammy-McGuire era sent folks like me to minor league parks or HS fields.

Earl Weaver was the first I ever heard say, "we play for the 3 run homer" (was he 40 yrs ahead of his time?). Well, I watched his Orioles beat the hell outa my Sox (can still remember the smell of the room when Landrum took Burns into the upper deck in the 10th to win the pennant) and that was with Dempsey, Belanger, Daur and Bumbry up the middle and they were all slap hitters who could field, bunt, advance a runner, hit to the other side, run the bases with IQ and set the table (you know, play baseball) for a 3 run blast from the great Eddie Murray, Singleton and the platoon of Lowenstein/Roenicke. ......

No, not many slap hitters I've seen this yr but the sport looks more like 1983 than 2000-2022 to me. Looks like the pencil neck fancy staters who say striking out 250 times in a yr,, no idea what choking up with 2 strikes means, can't field, can't run, can't bunt, can't hit a cut off man is cool as long as you hit 35ish bombs didn't quite win out after all.

Looks like some managers figured out pressuring those kinds (enforcers who can't skate a shift) with Ty Cobb baseball will indeed get you some wins.

Which is the very reason I walked away from the sport and it seems I wasn't alone. Maybe 5 yrs ago the stat came out that a ball was put into play every 6 MINUTES that season!!!! Uh, yea, no thanks. Reinhorn had a lot to do with it but I'd guess I was one of the early defectors from MLB and that was 30 yrs ago ....... I can dig the beauty of a sport without a clock but a ball put into play every 6 minutes and the fraud that the league allowed, encouraged, from the Sammy-McGuire era sent folks like me to minor league parks or HS fields.

Earl Weaver was the first I ever heard say, "we play for the 3 run homer" (was he 40 yrs ahead of his time?). Well, I watched his Orioles beat the hell outa my Sox (can still remember the smell of the room when Landrum took Burns into the upper deck in the 10th to win the pennant) and that was with Dempsey, Belanger, Daur and Bumbry up the middle and they were all slap hitters who could field, bunt, advance a runner, hit to the other side, run the bases with IQ and set the table (you know, play baseball) for a 3 run blast from the great Eddie Murray, Singleton and the platoon of Lowenstein/Roenicke. ......

No, not many slap hitters I've seen this yr but the sport looks more like 1983 than 2000-2022 to me. Looks like the pencil neck fancy staters who say striking out 250 times in a yr,, no idea what choking up with 2 strikes means, can't field, can't run, can't bunt, can't hit a cut off man is cool as long as you hit 35ish bombs didn't quite win out after all.

Looks like some managers figured out pressuring those kinds (enforcers who can't skate a shift) with Ty Cobb baseball will indeed get you some wins.
- Mr Ricochet

DH had a lot to do with it also. Getting rid of the shift means more openings for hits to fall in. Also advanced metrics work for the pitcher’s also, Instead of a feel for a hitters weakness, they have data on every at bat to know the hitters weaknes.

Which is the very reason I walked away from the sport and it seems I wasn't alone. Maybe 5 yrs ago the stat came out that a ball was put into play every 6 MINUTES that season!!!! Uh, yea, no thanks. Reinhorn had a lot to do with it but I'd guess I was one of the early defectors from MLB and that was 30 yrs ago ....... I can dig the beauty of a sport without a clock but a ball put into play every 6 minutes and the fraud that the league allowed, encouraged, from the Sammy-McGuire era sent folks like me to minor league parks or HS fields.

Earl Weaver was the first I ever heard say, "we play for the 3 run homer" (was he 40 yrs ahead of his time?). Well, I watched his Orioles beat the hell outa my Sox (can still remember the smell of the room when Landrum took Burns into the upper deck in the 10th to win the pennant) and that was with Dempsey, Belanger, Daur and Bumbry up the middle and they were all slap hitters who could field, bunt, advance a runner, hit to the other side, run the bases with IQ and set the table (you know, play baseball) for a 3 run blast from the great Eddie Murray, Singleton and the platoon of Lowenstein/Roenicke. ......

No, not many slap hitters I've seen this yr but the sport looks more like 1983 than 2000-2022 to me. Looks like the pencil neck fancy staters who say striking out 250 times in a yr,, no idea what choking up with 2 strikes means, can't field, can't run, can't bunt, can't hit a cut off man is cool as long as you hit 35ish bombs didn't quite win out after all.

Looks like some managers figured out pressuring those kinds (enforcers who can't skate a shift) with Ty Cobb baseball will indeed get you some wins.
- Mr Ricochet

Whitey Herzog got a guy named Willie McGee for a song from the Yankees. Those 1982 Cardinals, man o man. McGee was the one fastest person I ever saw going from 1st to 3rd. And he did it a LOT.

Whitey Herzog got a guy named Willie McGee for a song from the Yankees. Those 1982 Cardinals, man o man. McGee was the one fastest person I ever saw going from 1st to 3rd. And he did it a LOT.
- 35Tony0

He was a PIA that entire team was. Those wieners signed my favorite closer of all time.

https://twitter.com/BenPo...oW6rAtkqD7vg_1vVocHQ&s=19

Halls rehab stint and he's excited about the Blackhawks signings this offseason.

Which is the very reason I walked away from the sport and it seems I wasn't alone. Maybe 5 yrs ago the stat came out that a ball was put into play every 6 MINUTES that season!!!! Uh, yea, no thanks. Reinhorn had a lot to do with it but I'd guess I was one of the early defectors from MLB and that was 30 yrs ago ....... I can dig the beauty of a sport without a clock but a ball put into play every 6 minutes and the fraud that the league allowed, encouraged, from the Sammy-McGuire era sent folks like me to minor league parks or HS fields.

Earl Weaver was the first I ever heard say, "we play for the 3 run homer" (was he 40 yrs ahead of his time?). Well, I watched his Orioles beat the hell outa my Sox (can still remember the smell of the room when Landrum took Burns into the upper deck in the 10th to win the pennant) and that was with Dempsey, Belanger, Daur and Bumbry up the middle and they were all slap hitters who could field, bunt, advance a runner, hit to the other side, run the bases with IQ and set the table (you know, play baseball) for a 3 run blast from the great Eddie Murray, Singleton and the platoon of Lowenstein/Roenicke. ......

No, not many slap hitters I've seen this yr but the sport looks more like 1983 than 2000-2022 to me. Looks like the pencil neck fancy staters who say striking out 250 times in a yr,, no idea what choking up with 2 strikes means, can't field, can't run, can't bunt, can't hit a cut off man is cool as long as you hit 35ish bombs didn't quite win out after all.

Looks like some managers figured out pressuring those kinds (enforcers who can't skate a shift) with Ty Cobb baseball will indeed get you some wins.
- Mr Ricochet

Rico, you just described my kind of baseball, I hate all the strikeouts now days, and guys making the third out at 3B, and so on, but hey, preseason is almost here, can’t wait.

If you give Bedard the C, does Foligno go without a letter, or do you take one away from Jones or Murphy?
- LAHawk

You don't need to, they can also rotate, which happens in the league with multiple teams today. Either 1 C and 3 A who rotate or a team without a captain who rotate 4 A.

I'm not advocating for making Bedard captain, but it seems like he wouldn't be hindered by it at all. He can handle it for sure.

I just wouldn't be surprised if the Hawks want to give it to him to keep the hype train going, since he is the teams most important player.

He was a PIA that entire team was. Those wieners signed my favorite closer of all time.

https://twitter.com/BenPo...oW6rAtkqD7vg_1vVocHQ&s=19

Halls rehab stint and he's excited about the Blackhawks signings this offseason.
- BetweenTheDots

That was an interesting read, thank you.
At the end, Taylor Hall states he looks forward to playing with this team's back end much improved.

You don't need to, they can also rotate, which happens in the league with multiple teams today. Either 1 C and 3 A who rotate or a team without a captain who rotate 4 A.

I'm not advocating for making Bedard captain, but it seems like he wouldn't be hindered by it at all. He can handle it for sure.

I just wouldn't be surprised if the Hawks want to give it to him to keep the hype train going, since he is the teams most important player.
- breadbag

If they are going to make Bedard captain, this season will be the year to do it with Foligno around to guide him.

That was an interesting read, thank you.
At the end, Taylor Hall states he looks forward to playing with this team's back end much improved.
- 35Tony0

Oh for sure this is one of the storylines for the upcoming season. The back end improved and Hall plays more, produces more. It is no secret however this Colton awry as the two new dmen are older on the downside of their career and not more than meh ok more or less average. And Hall playing a full season without some games missed is an easy bet to win

I see the Nazar and Reichel second line making two legitimate offensive lines as hopeful but don’t bet too heavily on it happens; no not yet too early too many tribulations could be ahead

That said about the second line, somewhere some point in the season I expect Hayes can make a debut as a scoring capable forward

And if Nazar comes up roses and even if Reichel and Hayes are not producing right away (maybe after X-mas they find and keep a spot), I do believe that Athensieu is dealt

I would like AA and Murphy to go even if we recoup not too much. Heck I would accept an exchange of second and third round picks insofar as to be able to dump those two veterans

The Oilers acquired Podkolzin from Vancouver for a 4th round pick.