God I miss Teuvo.

Dude is just the smartest one around.
- BINGO!

I forgot what a smart hockey player he is, Bowman was a moron

I just don't understand why they refuse to play Kurashev with Bedard? Unless I'm wrong LA but i haven't seen those 2 together much this year.

Another thing that kind of bothers me is why do i see Bedard on the right wall on the power play?

I'm really beginning to think SFG is right.
- BetweenTheDots

The whole point of getting 86 here was to play with 98. 98 needs high end skill to play with and while I love Kurashev he's a pseudo Versteeg-ish where can float up and down the lineup but isn't a LT answer in your top 3. Likely a solid top 9 guy on a playoff team.

They also need a big body to play with Bedard to help retrieve pucks down below the red line and be a deterrent when teams go hunting for him.

Who is going to trade for him with that cap hit? 4 x $5.5. He signed a one year contract last year with Toronto because nobody wanted to give him what he wanted. Toronto decided between Domi and Bertuzzi after last year and decided to resign Domi.
- LAHawk

I am not worried about them trading him.....I just hope he starts to show up and make a difference. Just show some effort and engage.

I also can see why Boston let us have Taylor Hall, he's done
- BetweenTheDots

You realize he’s coming off a pretty serious injury? Let’s give him a month or six weeks. Skating ability is usually the first thing to go on an older player and Hall still skating well especially considering he’s coming back from a serious knee injury.

THey didn't "Let us have him" it was a cap dump to get compliant.

He's also coming off an ACL surgery and that takes time. I think he's been far more noticeable in a good way (Creating chances, getting shots) vs Bertuzzi who just floats around like a disengaged beer leaguer refusing to come off the ice. You could say has been their worst forward so far early this season from the eye test alone. He has 0 points...and guessing he's 1 of very few left on the F side of things to get on the scoresheet. Be one thing if he were injecting himself on a physicality/pest scale but I dont' recall seeing much of that either. Expected a LOT more from this guy.

Again, 4 games in....and could be finding himself on a new team, but lets hope we aren't rehashing this convo after 20 games.
- SteveRain

I like what KD has done so far, however I wish Bertuzzi had been given a two year contract vs four years, would much rather have TT on a four year contract than Bertuzzi. Teravanien is one of those guys that will probably age well, and would be a very serviceable 3rd liner in his mid thirties.

I like what KD has done so far, however I wish Bertuzzi had been given a two year contract vs four years, would much rather have TT on a four year contract than Bertuzzi. Teravanien is one of those guys that will probably age well, and would be a very serviceable 3rd liner in his mid thirties.
- Angotti

I do as well......I am sure 59 will be fine long term. 86 throwing up pretty steep numbers playing with 98 was a genius move by his agent. 100% will get another big payday when it's time.

I forgot what a smart hockey player he is, Bowman was a moron
- BetweenTheDots

Bowman made mistakes but I don’t think under the circumstances moving TT wasn’t one of them. It was a pretty complex situation trying to keep the championship possibilities open while trying to move a player, Bickell, who had completely lost his game due to an undiagnosed illness and was forced to get rid of the cap hit by including TT. It’s a shame the Hawks weren’t able to determine Bickell had MS because they could have placed him on IR and not lost TT.

Speaking of Bickell I saw him on Tuesday at Garnet Rickard arena in Bowmanville coaching against my granddaughter’s hockey team.

Bowman made mistakes but I don’t think under the circumstances moving TT wasn’t one of them. It was a pretty complex situation trying to keep the championship possibilities open while trying to move a player, Bickell, who had completely lost his game due to an undiagnosed illness and was forced to get rid of the cap hit by including TT. It’s a shame the Hawks weren’t able to determine Bickell had MS because they could have placed him on IR and not lost TT.

Speaking of Bickell I saw him on Tuesday at Garnet Rickard arena in Bowmanville coaching against my granddaughter’s hockey team.
- paulr

Agreed for all the cup runs, all the times they were "all in" trying to win more, they had very few players who burnt them in trades.

Teuvo
Danault

I have zero issues with either of those trades. Same with reacquiring Ladd when people were melting down about trading Dano.

Going all in and adding proven depth NHL forwards to build around the core at the time was what was necessary. The Bickell trade was unfortunate for exactly what you mentioned but even more so....who were they dealing instead? There wasn't many options back then.

Think what NHL gms have learned from the Hawks run is to limit the NMCs and NTCs to everyone in your core LT. That's where Bowman routinely tied his hands behind his back and that to me, from a pure hockey job standpoint, was his biggest detriment.

I would be hesitant to shake up the 3rd line if it's working. Give them time to keep building what they are doing and they just might start finding the back of the net occasionally.

Our 4th line has been pretty bad, so I hope they shake things up a bit there. Would be nice to get back to the days of having a 4th line that could get up ice, get you offensive zone faceoffs for scoring lines to come out, win a draw and have a chance to score. AA is just as useless as last season so far, he does a lot of nothing really really fast. Imagine if he found a way to use that speed to steal a puck on the backcheck for once.

TT and Bedard on a line together is fantastic, which is what I had been hoping for, when all media would talk about is Bertuzzi playing with Bedard, I was saying I think Teuvo is the one we will appreciate playing with him. I know Foligno isn't the perfect fit, but I think it works right now, that line is a positive at 5 on 5 and TT/Foligno are scoring goals.

A Reichel sighting


Scott Powers
@ByScottPowers
Blackhawks lines in the morning skate
Foligno-Bedard-Teräväinen
Hall-Kurashev-Bertuzzi
Mikheyev-Richardinson-Anderson
Maroon-Reichel-Smith

Well anyways thanks for letting me rant, i hope they come out tonight and finish their checks and play sound defensively. And get a good signal with my antenna. Danny should be embarrassed by not doing his due diligence and providing quality service to his fans, what an a sshole
- BetweenTheDots

This isn't new, or strictly a Hawks issue per the Sun-Times:

This isn’t a unique challenge for the Hawks, considering the landscape for regional sports networks has descended into chaos nationwide in the past few years. Altitude, the network that airs Avalanche and Nuggets games, hasn’t been on Comcast in Colorado in five years. The Panthers, Penguins, Capitals, Ducks, Stars, Kraken and Golden Knights have all experienced recent changes to their RSNs, as well.

NBCSpors network shut down and NBC Universal had been scaling back a lot of their RSN's in recent years anyway. The Hawks had to do something, and this was apparently the best option. Maybe the best idea would have been to join Marquee with the Bears and Cubs, but I have no idea what that all entails either.

Or Viktor Stahlberg.
- SC116

At least he used his size and went into the corners.

Buffalo has 2 overall #1’s, a #4, #29. And #32 on defense, and they suck again defensively
- LAHawk

They could have had Phillips and Boqvist.

I also can see why Boston let us have Taylor Hall, he's done
- BetweenTheDots

He blew out his knee with us.

A Reichel sighting


Scott Powers
@ByScottPowers
Blackhawks lines in the morning skate
Foligno-Bedard-Teräväinen
Hall-Kurashev-Bertuzzi
Mikheyev-Richardinson-Anderson
Maroon-Reichel-Smith
- LAHawk

Considering what Smith and Maroon (especially) have shown thus far, I actually don't think this is a bad line. Maroon has shown he can make good plays to spring guys out of the zone, not to mention retrieving . Smith has a good shot for when Reichel inevitably passes. Who knows. Maybe good things will happen??

Bowman made mistakes but I don’t think under the circumstances moving TT wasn’t one of them. It was a pretty complex situation trying to keep the championship possibilities open while trying to move a player, Bickell, who had completely lost his game due to an undiagnosed illness and was forced to get rid of the cap hit by including TT. It’s a shame the Hawks weren’t able to determine Bickell had MS because they could have placed him on IR and not lost TT.

Speaking of Bickell I saw him on Tuesday at Garnet Rickard arena in Bowmanville coaching against my granddaughter’s hockey team.
- paulr

TT was also due a new contract and really hadn't showed that much.

A Reichel sighting


Scott Powers
@ByScottPowers
Blackhawks lines in the morning skate
Foligno-Bedard-Teräväinen
Hall-Kurashev-Bertuzzi
Mikheyev-Richardinson-Anderson
Maroon-Reichel-Smith
- LAHawk

I smell a Reichel hat trick.

I smell a Reichel hat trick.
- rpeters01

3 shifts for the game?

I do not know how to do red font. You failed to see the sarcasm in my post.
- LAHawk

RED Font is easy Bracket [ , color=red]. and when finsihed, [ , / , color]

A Reichel sighting


Scott Powers
@ByScottPowers
Blackhawks lines in the morning skate
Foligno-Bedard-Teräväinen
Hall-Kurashev-Bertuzzi
Mikheyev-Richardinson-Anderson
Maroon-Reichel-Smith
- LAHawk

They have to play the kid, give him a 20 game tryout, then decide his path forward.

3 shifts for the game?
- LAHawk

3 turnovers.

They have to play the kid, give him a 20 game tryout, then decide his path forward.
- Angotti

His path is likely to include a drive up I-90.

I kid, I kid.

I forgot what a smart hockey player he is, Bowman was a moron
- BetweenTheDots

Just hangs out in the weeds and pounces on pucks. You can go the whole game not noticing him but then you go back and watch film and realize he was in the right position defensively all night long and never got burned.

Never as fast or as flashy as you think he should be, but rarely makes a mistake and gets the puck where it needs to be more often than not.

They have to play the kid, give him a 20 game tryout, then decide his path forward.
- Angotti

It's frustrating for sure. I don't know what the answer is, I've said before I'd take a different approach, just leave him on Di ckinsons line and let the player lead him. But if he's not putting the effort him how do you play him?

Considering what Smith and Maroon (especially) have shown thus far, I actually don't think this is a bad line. Maroon has shown he can make good plays to spring guys out of the zone, not to mention retrieving . Smith has a good shot for when Reichel inevitably passes. Who knows. Maybe good things will happen??
- Chunk

Read today that Martinez is out tonight and Allen is in. I believe Martunez has an injury. And Rickford plays next on Friday