Would love to see them put him with 98 and 86 or 23 and 59. Either move Hall up but either way move Foligno back down to the 3rd line.

He’s been ok with Bedard and Teravainen but obvs isn’t a long term top 6 answer.
- HawkintheD

Hall would be my first pick to play with Teuvo and Bedard. I'd like to them try and pair up 2 decent forwards with 98 to see what he can do. If not Hall,then at least give Reichel a chance to see if he can play or not.

Lazerus had a pretty good article on letting Reichel play for an extended period of time on 1 of the top 2 lines.
In general I think LD has handled his players well these 1st two years,but I think he is handling the Reichel situation terribly.

I'm just impressed with the minimal minutes that Reichel got, he was an effective hockey player. I wish he would of come up with the puck in the dzone that went by him and ended up a ping ping goal against. The game winning goal against was a pick play which really sucks cause we are the home team who's doesn't get those calls. Blatant slash on Bedard in the game no call.

Hall stinks, i think i saw him make one good pass last night, strolls back defensively, so this guy gets more minutes than Reichel?

Does LR watch tape?

That was 100% a pick play and should have been blown dead.
- breadbag

Glad you and Dots saw this. Thinking the same thing. The PP advantage at that point was already 3-1 Sabres on a few questionable calls so I'm surprised they didn't call it.

Hall would be my first pick to play with Teuvo and Bedard. I'd like to them try and pair up 2 decent forwards with 98 to see what he can do. If not Hall,then at least give Reichel a chance to see if he can play or not.

Lazerus had a pretty good article on letting Reichel play for an extended period of time on 1 of the top 2 lines.
In general I think LD has handled his players well these 1st two years,but I think he is handling the Reichel situation terribly.
- captainserious

We can rationalize all we want why he hasn't been good but the bottom line including preseason(s) against lower competition speaks for itself.

Don’t look now, but Reichel is a PPG forward. In all seriousness, I would give him a bit more TOI. I didn’t see the game, however he did put up two points in only ~8 minutes of ice time. There’s a fine line between trying to be more competitive and developing young players, LR needs to figure out how to do both, but at this stage of the rebuild, to me, developing the youngsters should be top priority.

Don’t look now, but Reichel is a PPG forward. In all seriousness, I would give him a bit more TOI. I didn’t see the game, however he did put up two points in only ~8 minutes of ice time. There’s a fine line between trying to be more competitive and developing young players, LR needs to figure out how to do both, but at this stage of the rebuild, to me, developing the youngsters should be top priority.
- Angotti

That fourth line looked pretty good. I'd go with it for another game or two.

I know it's early but if the Blackhawks were going to be a fringe playoff team they needed to win or at least tie that game last night.

I know it's early but if the Blackhawks were going to be a fringe playoff team they needed to win or at least tie that game last night.
- BetweenTheDots

You really think Bertuzzi played well enough? Hall probably has the lowest hockey I.Q. of anyone on the club. Kurashev being a wussy as the second man in after a clean hit that could have been a lot worse.
- Dieselhead

Nah man. Bertuzzi missed a goal he could have buried, but he wasn't terrible. Hall did a lot of good things. Kurashev going after him I have no problem with, it was Bertuzzi that shouldn't have stepped in, that resulted in the PP for Buffalo.

In the end they played well and lost more on bad bounces and a GWG on a blown missed call on a pick play. They were very competitive and should have won.

Glad you and Dots saw this. Thinking the same thing. The PP advantage at that point was already 3-1 Sabres on a few questionable calls so I'm surprised they didn't call it.
- Popsghostly

The calls were kind of weak in that game, like incidental stuff more than anything.

What's Taylor Hall doing there, watching these 2 games between Reichel and Hall, Reichel should be getting more playing time. Maybe KD prefers the guy who's the worse passer and won't hustle back on defense.

Even the give aways support what i see in Taylor Hall.
- BetweenTheDots

Hall has always been a "dumb" hockey player. He used to be physically gifted enough for it to not matter as much. But not now. He continually throws the puck to no one instead of just dumping it i9n when he has no room

- boilermaker100

We can rationalize all we want why he hasn't been good but the bottom line including preseason(s) against lower competition speaks for itself.
- rpeters01

If Reichel has his nose over the puck he's an NHLer. If he doesn't have his nose over the puck he's not an NHLer....... It really is as simple as that.

Beginning to search earnestly for an alternative to Comcast.

Glad you and Dots saw this. Thinking the same thing. The PP advantage at that point was already 3-1 Sabres on a few questionable calls so I'm surprised they didn't call it.
- Popsghostly

There would be no pick play if Brodie didn’t turn over the puck twice on that shift .

I don’t know how to post the Gamestats chart, it is laughable how bad Brodie was.

There would be no pick play if Brodie didn’t turn over the puck twice on that shift .

I don’t know how to post the Gamestats chart, it is laughable how bad Brodie was.
- LAHawk

I mean sure i think one can complain on AA flying the zone instead of using his speed to crash the 50 50 scrum along the boards.

I mean sure i think one can complain on AA flying the zone instead of using his speed to crash the 50 50 scrum along the boards.
- BetweenTheDots

AA was in only because the Hawks only had 12 healthy forwards. Brodie has by far been the worst D man on the team, but he hasn’t even been Sat a shift.

And Phillips (or Martinez if he is healthy) should replace Brodie, if you are talking about earning ice time.
- LAHawk

From the amount of stones thrown Brodie's way, I figured he'd be awful like Tinordi or Megna so my expectations were low. I think he's been ok.

From the amount of stones thrown Brodie's way, I figured he'd be awful like Tinordi or Megna so my expectations were low. I think he's been ok.
- HawkintheD

He hasn't been too bad, even on that shift he got possession of the puck in the corner and tried to make the safe play up the boards and out. Buffalo did a nice job stealing that puck, because Brodie didn't have a lot of options to pass to.

The biggest factor there in that turnover is that Brodie is a lefty playing the right side and under pressure of the forecheck it's more difficult to try to play that puck out of the zone. A right handed D would have been able to keep the puck away from the forecheck and more easily clear it.

Still, it wasn't an huge mistake by any means, much better than a pass through the middle that gets picked off because you are under pressure. The ones along the boards like that happen, but at least he was trying to make a safer play with the puck.

He hasn't been too bad, even on that shift he got possession of the puck in the corner and tried to make the safe play up the boards and out. Buffalo did a nice job stealing that puck, because Brodie didn't have a lot of options to pass to.

The biggest factor there in that turnover is that Brodie is a lefty playing the right side and under pressure of the forecheck it's more difficult to try to play that puck out of the zone. A right handed D would have been able to keep the puck away from the forecheck and more easily clear it.

Still, it wasn't an huge mistake by any means, much better than a pass through the middle that gets picked off because you are under pressure. The ones along the boards like that happen, but at least he was trying to make a safer play with the puck.
- breadbag

If you look at game stats, I don’t think any defenseman can grade out worse in a game as Brodie did. So it wasn’t just that one shift he was bad, he was all game Tinordi, Megna bad

I'm just impressed with the minimal minutes that Reichel got, he was an effective hockey player. I wish he would of come up with the puck in the dzone that went by him and ended up a ping ping goal against. The game winning goal against was a pick play which really sucks cause we are the home team who's doesn't get those calls. Blatant slash on Bedard in the game no call.

Hall stinks, i think i saw him make one good pass last night, strolls back defensively, so this guy gets more minutes than Reichel?

Does LR watch tape?
- BetweenTheDots

ACL surgery is pretty rough. I had a hard enough time feeling comfortable when swinging through the ball on the golf course for my first summer after, so I can't imagine how long it takes to be fully confident when it comes to skating during a game. Even with top of the line rehabbing. The last barrier on the road to recovery is psychological. Trusting that his knee will withstand the exertion from all the skating moves during a game. Whoever gets him next season will get him cheaper, and will probably get a better year out of him.