As a Wings fan clearly not a Hawks supporter - but figure you guys would have a laugh…

Oilers folks saying that Ekholm/Bouchard is comparable to Keith/Seabeook!

Team Canadian Top Pair dman calibre HoF stud beauties on the backend - are comparable to those 2 the oilers have.

Insane eh.
- Big23Questions

That's a very good defensive pair, but nowhere near Keith & Seabrook. Ekholm/Bouchard could be good enough to win a Cup, but they are certainly not HoF defensemen, at least not yet.

That's a very good defensive pair, but nowhere near Keith & Seabrook. Ekholm/Bouchard could be good enough to win a Cup, but they are certainly not HoF defensemen, at least not yet.
- DarthKane

I've had a little back and forth with the Pens fan who states that Bouchard is easily better than Seabrook. I said they are different types of defensemen, but laid out the argument for why I like Seabrook better.

I should have just asked why he is comparing Bouchard to Seabrook instead of Keith.

Wow that was positively brutal, unless of course you've played hockey before -then its like ok what happened to this sport? I feel like I must be Don Cherry or something now.
- SC116

I am wondering if they addressed all the teams in the tourney and said if the principal point of contact is the head we are assessing a major and kicking you out of the game? It was really the only thing i see on the play.

If that's the case i think it's a good rule myself.

I've had a little back and forth with the Pens fan who states that Bouchard is easily better than Seabrook. I said they are different types of defensemen, but laid out the argument for why I like Seabrook better.

I should have just asked why he is comparing Bouchard to Seabrook instead of Keith.
- Chunk

Fans love the long ball, in this case they love dmen who can score.

There isn't many defenseman who played better defense than Seabrook he is our Pietrangelo, doesn't get much notoriety but was one of the best in his own end.

If true that's quite a deal for Draisaitl, 8 years $13.8 per, Bowman doing his thing

If true that's quite a deal for Draisaitl, 8 years $13.8 per, Bowman doing his thing
- BetweenTheDots

Someone was going to pay him that money. The question will always be: how many guys like that can you have on the same team and still be competitive?

Hopefully for the Oilers the cap has another bump of at least the same degree next year.

When is the CBA up again?

If true that's quite a deal for Draisaitl, 8 years $13.8 per, Bowman doing his thing
- BetweenTheDots

You don’t think Draisaitl’s contract was discussed with Jackson before Bowman was hired?

You don’t think Draisaitl’s contract was discussed with Jackson before Bowman was hired?
- LAHawk

Pretty sure Jackson had that deal in place before Stan was on board.

I think he's going to do well just like he did here in Chicago, inheriting a good team.

The Hawks were one playoff loss away from a deep run against the Blues in the 2015-16 season (Keith sat in a game one loss due to a suspension). The Hawks won the West in 2016-17 season and in the next summer lost Panarin, Hossa and Hammer. Keith rapidly declined between those seasons, going from 53 points, plus 22 in 2016 to 32 points, minus 29 in 2017. Seabrook had a decline too although not as steep.

That was an impressive period of success from 2009-2017. Playing What If's, maybe they would have played better under a different coach than JC. Perhaps his greatest failure was not replacing Keith, Seabrook and Hammer when they went out of their prime, but he tried with the Murphy trade, drafting of Jokiharju and Mitchell, drafting of Boquist, Beaudin, signing of deHaan and Maatta, Jones trade and McCabe signing.
- Popsghostly

He was hired because he has experience getting jobbed by two players taking all the money 💰.

Pretty sure Jackson had that deal in place before Stan was on board.
- SaskHawkFan

That doesn't fit our narrative.

Someone was going to pay him that money. The question will always be: how many guys like that can you have on the same team and still be competitive?

Hopefully for the Oilers the cap has another bump of at least the same degree next year.

When is the CBA up again?
- Chunk

While Kane and Toews got most of the press, Hossa was truly our best player. Edmonton doesn't have that guy nor do they have "playoff Bickell."

I've had a little back and forth with the Pens fan who states that Bouchard is easily better than Seabrook. I said they are different types of defensemen, but laid out the argument for why I like Seabrook better.

I should have just asked why he is comparing Bouchard to Seabrook instead of Keith.
- Chunk

Bouchard’s points already dwarf Seabrook, but his defensive play isn’t nearly as good as Seabrook’s was in his prime. We’re all somewhat anchored to his last couple years here where he was too slow and sprawling out way too often. In his heyday Seabrook was a puck battle machine and a nearly automatic keep in at the opposing blue line. I miss the luxury of having the league’s best pair for a decade.

While Kane and Toews got most of the press, Hossa was truly our best player. Edmonton doesn't have that guy nor do they have "playoff Bickell."
- rpeters01

Playoff Bickell was a thing for one of Bickell’s multiple playoff runs. The other ones were mediocre, or worse. Guy isn’t in the top ten Blackhawks for those three cups.

Bouchard’s points already dwarf Seabrook, but his defensive play isn’t nearly as good as Seabrook’s was in his prime. We’re all somewhat anchored to his last couple years here where he was too slow and sprawling out way too often. In his heyday Seabrook was a puck battle machine and a nearly automatic keep in at the opposing blue line. I miss the luxury of having the league’s best pair for a decade.
- ObeseOprah

Well, they have about 47 possible options to recreate that with the guys they have in the system.

https://x.com/RinksideGen...tatus/1818285247483752493

In depth X thread on Boisvert.

Pretty sure Jackson had that deal in place before Stan was on board.
- SaskHawkFan

No doubt Stan added the NMC for LD and 5 of his best friends.

https://x.com/RinksideGeneral/status/1818285247483752493

In depth X thread on Boisvert.
- 35Tony0

Read this thread. Was an awesome read.

No doubt Stan added the NMC for LD and 5 of his best friends.
- DarthKane

Ok 2 minute minor for using an acronym for a name on a hockey site that is also the even more common acronym for Left Defence.

Get in the box, you mongrel. Any lip, and you'll get a 10 minute time out to think about it.

Playoff Bickell was a thing for one of Bickell’s multiple playoff runs. The other ones were mediocre, or worse. Guy isn’t in the top ten Blackhawks for those three cups.
- ObeseOprah

Is that the one where he was fine and had 9 goals and 17 pts and was in the convo for CS?

In 2014 he had 7 goals and 10 pts so would that be considered mediocre or worse. Revisionist history is fun!

Is that the one where he was fine and had 9 goals and 17 pts and was in the convo for CS?

In 2014 he had 7 goals and 10 pts so would that be considered mediocre or worse. Revisionist history is fun!
- HawkintheD

Worse than mediocre. Bickell wasn’t a top 20 player on the Hawks.

That's a very good defensive pair, but nowhere near Keith & Seabrook. Ekholm/Bouchard could be good enough to win a Cup, but they are certainly not HoF defensemen, at least not yet.
- DarthKane

This year it was. Bouchard pretty meh before this big year. Also disappeared late in the playoff run.

https://twitter.com/SEllisHockey/status/1817999338011852800?t=CNB8vZ37miLX-rSFMNneKg&s=19

Uh oh, AJ got kicked out of the game
- BetweenTheDots

Wow that was positively brutal, unless of course you've played hockey before -then its like ok what happened to this sport? I feel like I must be Don Cherry or something now.

Who will want to watch hockey when they ban checking? I'm sure the guy in white was a DEI appointee. That wasn't even a bad hit.
The players seem to want to ban checking. Any time you hit anyone you have to fight to justify the hit.but the first one is



I do not see why these points would change your minds but. A J didn’t come into tis international competition without great fast feet or a combative spirit. I might have disagreed, that the call should have been made if AJ Spellacy had come away with the puck, or had his stick near it after his speed pasted foreheads with the Finnish player.

He's so good, and so fast, he plays both

- vabeachbear

Imagine the speed and compete style KD is building and would Nazar, Moore, Bedard be on seperate lines?.

Imagine the speed and compete style KD is building and would Nazar, Moore, Bedard be on separate lines?.
- jhawk59

Obviously it depends on how they develop and where they end up skill wise. If I had to guess, Moore ends up at wing, and we'll see, but i think Bedard may end up at wing.

Nazar is a center so I imagine two of them end up on the same line.

Montreal re-signed defenseman Kaiden Guhle for 6 years @ $5.5 million AAV.

That Vlasic deal is looking better and better every day.