IMO Allen was better than any of the prospects that played in the preseason, so if he continues to play well, and Kaiser played like he did at the end of the season, we shouldn’t see KK unless and until a couple of injuries, and the TDL, but in reality, I only see Martinez (again if healthy) as a tradeable chip.
- LAHawk

I think Murphy is tradeable (if healthy) also.

You never know with D. Forsling is obviously a great example, 2 teams gave up on him before he blossomed into a top pairing D-man. Look at some of the other past Hawk d-man in the league. Jan Rutta is a top pairing D-man, although its on arguably the worst D group in the league in SJ. Zadorov is currently slotted in the top pair in Boston. Detroits bottom pair is Gustafsson and Maatta. C. Jones is 7th/8th d-man with the Kings, Jokiharju is top pair with Dahlin in BUF, YVR is 3rd pair in WSH. Boqvist getting a shot on 3rd pair at Panthers and maybe PP1. deHaan is 6/7/8 in Colorado.

What does all this mean? Pretty much nothing, though I agree with the recent article in the Athletic that the league as a whole has a shortage of truly high-end blueline and even the best are not complete but missing something, while a whole lot of teams are meh.

The Hawks have the opportunity if developed correctly to at some point have an elite D. With Vlassic, Levshunov, Korchinski, Rinzel possibly dominating, and guys like Kaiser, Allan and DelMastro having top 4 potential. Heck, if S.Jones at some point slots in as your #4D, youre doing OK.

Yeah and then Reichel ends up on the Oil as one of Bowman's reclamation projects and puts up 75 points on line with McJesus or Draisaitl.
- Popsghostly

Possibly.......or he's the next iteration of Alex Nylander. A kid with plenty of talent that just can't consistently put it together.

Finally reaching the point we have waited for.

I will be watching from Los Angeles; it just so happens we had another trip to celebrate movie star grandchild Nolan River's birthday, before someone planned a surprise attack on my St. Petersburg house as current impact spot.
Think good thoughts for my casa.
It sorta like the old Godzilla movies were everyone wondered were Godzilla would emerge and fire up.

Expect more interesting play than we saw last year, but I have to think Kyle will be ahppy if the ease into a 2025 pick that is closer to the top.
- wiz1901

Douse your house in Gorilla glue and you should be fine. Crossing my fingers.

Yeah and then Reichel ends up on the Oil as one of Bowman's reclamation projects and puts up 75 points on line with McJesus or Draisaitl.
- Popsghostly

There's a saying in bowling, "you can't get a strike if you don't hit the headpin." What does he have, one shot in the entire preseason?

Blackhawks Live Practice Stream

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwjAdth9mek

Blackhawks Live Practice Stream

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwjAdth9mek
- breadbag

Phillips is practicing with the extra skaters, so he hasn't been officially sent down.

Blackhawks Live Practice Stream

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwjAdth9mek
- breadbag

Practices more available than future games on that CHSN station?

Even though I can get CHSN on DirecTV, I feel for the fans that can't watch it.

Even WPWR, channel 50, a normal Chicago UHF station available on Comcast and DirecTV is broadcasting 30 Chicago Wolves AHL games while Hawks games have to be viewed on those other 2nd rate channels requiring the antenna. Piss poor marketing of the team and Bedard, but they still have a few days to cut a deal with Comcast which would increase viewership.

Phillips is practicing with the extra skaters, so he hasn't been officially sent down.
- LAHawk

Yep. They don't technically have to send him down right now, so he was out there with Reichel and AA.

I'm one of the more critical of him, but it would be nice to see him turn things around a bit, even if there is the possibility he doesn't fit with the Hawks, if he can elevate his value, maybe he goes from a guy who clears waivers to a piece they can trade in a package to improve the team in the long run.

If he's not doing the things that they told him he needed to improve on why give him a spot in the lineup. If he can prove to be responsible with the puck and more assertive with his shot, then maybe he gets back in. They gave him 23 games two years ago and multiple opportunities (most of the season) last year. At some point the kid has to put his big boy shorts on and do what is required of him.

He's had plenty of opportunity to not only play, but take the coaches advice and implement changes. At what point do you just say he's not good enough? It's not like they don't have an army of forwards coming up right now, and guess what, there won't be room for all of them.
- Chunk

From the outside looking in, what i see is a kid that is mentally paralyzed with all the coaching in his head, didn't they last year all of a sudden move him to center and play him there for a while and kill his confidence? Then they put him back to wing but then keep having him play with different linemates? Then they send him down because they can see he's so confused with all the voices in his head?

Personally i would put him on Jason's wing and just let him be and let Di ckinson mentor him. I really hope they do something like this.

I know I've said this once before so I'm going to just let it go and hope they have some kind of plan like this in place.

From the outside looking in, what i see is a kid that is mentally paralyzed with all the coaching in his head, didn't they last year all of a sudden move him to center and play him there for a while and kill his confidence? Then they put him back to wing but then keep having him play with different linemates? Then they send him down because they can see he's so confused with all the voices in his head?

Personally i would put him on Jason's wing and just let him be and let Di ckinson mentor him. I really hope they do something like this.
- BetweenTheDots

Before last season, he was the one saying that he was most comfortable at center. He poop the bed at center, so they gave him another shot playing wing. He poop the bed playing wing. At some point you have to stop making excuses and say, he has to figure it out.

How many times last year did we hear LR say, we can only give him so much encouragement and direction. At some point the player has to take it upon himself to do the right things on the ice.

He still floats. He still defers when he has open shots. He still skates himself out of position. There were some mild positives the last game against basically an AHL team. Maybe that's his ceiling.

I say this after being a staunch defender of giving him a bunch of patience over the last two years. At some point you have to realize when a guy is Ian Mitchell.

Practices more available than future games on that CHSN station?

Even though I can get CHSN on DirecTV, I feel for the fans that can't watch it.

Even WPWR, channel 50, a normal Chicago UHF station available on Comcast and DirecTV is broadcasting 30 Chicago Wolves AHL games while Hawks games have to be viewed on those other 2nd rate channels requiring the antenna. Piss poor marketing of the team and Bedard, but they still have a few days to cut a deal with Comcast which would increase viewership.
- boilermaker100

Try onhockey.tv.com

Before last season, he was the one saying that he was most comfortable at center. He poop the bed at center, so they gave him another shot playing wing. He poop the bed playing wing. At some point you have to stop making excuses and say, he has to figure it out.

How many times last year did we hear LR say, we can only give him so much encouragement and direction. At some point the player has to take it upon himself to do the right things on the ice.

He still floats. He still defers when he has open shots. He still skates himself out of position. There were some mild positives the last game against basically an AHL team. Maybe that's his ceiling.

I say this after being a staunch defender of giving him a bunch of patience over the last two years. At some point you have to realize when a guy is Ian Mitchell.
- Chunk

Kurashev was a floater and he's turning into a decent hockey player, but he had to play the games to get there.

Like i said gonna let this go but for me it's to early to give up on a 22 year old kid who could be a nice piece for this team in the future.

I think Murphy is tradeable (if healthy) also.

You never know with D. Forsling is obviously a great example, 2 teams gave up on him before he blossomed into a top pairing D-man. Look at some of the other past Hawk d-man in the league. Jan Rutta is a top pairing D-man, although its on arguably the worst D group in the league in SJ. Zadorov is currently slotted in the top pair in Boston. Detroits bottom pair is Gustafsson and Maatta. C. Jones is 7th/8th d-man with the Kings, Jokiharju is top pair with Dahlin in BUF, YVR is 3rd pair in WSH. Boqvist getting a shot on 3rd pair at Panthers and maybe PP1. deHaan is 6/7/8 in Colorado.

What does all this mean? Pretty much nothing, though I agree with the recent article in the Athletic that the league as a whole has a shortage of truly high-end blueline and even the best are not complete but missing something, while a whole lot of teams are meh.

The Hawks have the opportunity if developed correctly to at some point have an elite D. With Vlassic, Levshunov, Korchinski, Rinzel possibly dominating, and guys like Kaiser, Allan and DelMastro having top 4 potential. Heck, if S.Jones at some point slots in as your #4D, youre doing OK.
- TheTrob

Like your post a lot, T. Simply said you don't have to be a fan boy to think there is a real chance the Hawks will have a top 5 defensive group that are young and will be here awhile until the cap wrecks that. A top 5 defense with legit depth that goes 8-9 deep.

We're only in yr 3 of KD and his plan. This is the first yr his draft picks outa Major Junior will turn pro. And the following 2 yrs will see a group that were high picks that will turn pro.

It's fair to get a bit over your skies even if you're not a fan boy.

Kurashev was a floater and he's turning into a decent hockey player, but he had to play the games to get there.

Like i said gonna let this go but for me it's to early to give up on a 22 year old kid who could be a nice piece for this team in the future.
- BetweenTheDots

I could make the argument that the only reason Kurashev is still on the team is that their prospect pool was a puddle when he was coming up, but yeah, we're just peeing in the wind at this point.

How would they know if they don't play them.
- BetweenTheDots

He has played enough to have had a chance to establish himself as a NHL regular.
He hasn't played well enough.
He had another chance in this year's pre-season.
He hasn't played well enough.

Seems to be a trend developing.

Like your post a lot, T. Simply said you don't have to be a fan boy to think there is a real chance the Hawks will have a top 5 defensive group that are young and will be here awhile until the cap wrecks that. A top 5 defense with legit depth that goes 8-9 deep.

We're only in yr 3 of KD and his plan. This is the first yr his draft picks outa Major Junior will turn pro. And the following 2 yrs will see a group that were high picks that will turn pro.

It's fair to get a bit over your skies even if you're not a fan boy.
- Mr Ricochet

The potential for this D is definitely there. I think the Vlassic contract was great. To get a top pairing D-man for under $5m for the next 6 years is fantastic. It will be interesting to see how much time Allan gets, as well as Martinez and Brodie. Maybe Allan takes the next step and is "Vlassic like" and blossoms as a quality defensive d-man.

The potential for this D is definitely there. I think the Vlassic contract was great. To get a top pairing D-man for under $5m for the next 6 years is fantastic. It will be interesting to see how much time Allan gets, as well as Martinez and Brodie. Maybe Allan takes the next step and is "Vlassic like" and blossoms as a quality defensive d-man.
- TheTrob

If Allen can turn into a Slavin/Pelech/Tanev, the Hawks will have a solid piece for a decade.

He has played enough to have had a chance to establish himself as a NHL regular.
He hasn't played well enough.
He had another chance in this year's pre-season.
He hasn't played well enough.

Seems to be a trend developing.
- scottak

This year's preseason was a big fat 0.

New blog posted.

I could make the argument that the only reason Kurashev is still on the team is that their prospect pool was a puddle when he was coming up, but yeah, we're just peeing in the wind at this point.
- Chunk

Yeah but that bubble year without Toews and mostly without Dach due to the preseason injury, Kurashev, Hagel, Kubalik and Lankinen tricked us into thinking the future was bright in maybe a 20 game span.

Kurashev was a daily whipping boy until last season. Hopefully he continues being a top 6 player. It did seem like it all came together last year for him save the horrendous plus/minus numbers.

Boqvist is runnin the #1 PP in FLA, some Czech is runnin the 2nd unit and Ekblad is the 3rd option. ...... Korpisalo is still a bum. He's the one I wanted in the trade with CLB, not Foresberg. Time proved it didn't matter that much and quite possibly Korpi went on a 2 month hot streak and they give em 5 yrs. Careful what you wish for.