Yes, something Sharp developed whichever line he played on. Guy would go into the corners, didn't float. Sharp used every bit of his 6'-1" 200#. Something Reichel has yet to demonstrate.
- rpeters01

Sure, but Sharp was 24 when he got to the Hawks and didn't really break out until the following year.

Second hot take:

Dylan Strome: 4GP, 7 pts (3G 4A) - so obviously, KD should be fired.
- Chunk

Strome's an enigma for sure.

Nope more like 0 points and a -4 the last 3 games
- LAHawk

Well yeah (I've been female doging about that since the start of the year). I just didn't know if that hit had anything to do with it.

On the 2025 Draft front:



I now have adjusted my top two rounds my Lines.com draft board, and there is a top 12 echelon of players and furure #1 goalie Prince George's Joshua Ravensbergen or big RD Blake Fiddler sitting there for the Toronto pick.

Post note:

This draft is unlike the past couple without an undisputed #1 and four players vying for that first overall:

Hagens
Martone
Anton Frondell
and LD defender Matthew Schaefer

I think at present, big Roger McQueen and Russian Ivan Ryabkin and continually improving and now play top line centre Michael Misa, and Malcolm Spence not in their headlights just yet.
- wiz1901

Wiz, I believe there's an error with the Calgary picks. Montreal owns Calgary's 2025 1st round pick, but its top 10 protected. The 2022 trade involving Monahan also sent CGY #1 pick to MON, not the other way around as shown in your trade detail. So either your 1 OA or 7 OA belongs to the Canadiens.

Sure, but Sharp was 24 when he got to the Hawks and didn't really break out until the following year.
- Chunk

Yup... therefore I don't comment on Reichel until somebody else does first because I don't see an NHL body yet. He looks gangly to me. Could be why he doesn't mix it up or progress as quickly as we want? The contract he signed doesn't give him much time.

Yup... therefore I don't comment on Reichel until somebody else does first because I don't see an NHL body yet. He looks gangly to me. Could be why he doesn't mix it up or progress as quickly as we want? The contract he signed doesn't give him much time.
- rpeters01

Kid needs pickle juice, gallons of milk and cement buckets.

Kid needs pickle juice, gallons of milk and cement buckets.
- Chunk

Geez, I just checked he's currently listed 5 pounds less than Nazar, 170. Hit the gym buddy what have you been doing the last two offseasons...

Kid needs pickle juice, gallons of milk and cement buckets.
- Chunk

And JJ's workout routine

And JJ's workout routine

- LAHawk

And the Lehner diet.

Geez, I just checked he's currently listed 5 pounds less than Nazar, 170. Hit the gym buddy what have you been doing the last two offseasons...
- rpeters01

Going back to play in Germany.

Going back to play in Germany.
- Chunk

Seriously, the ice is too big in Europe I don't think that helps?

On the 2025 Draft front:



I now have adjusted my top two rounds my Lines.com draft board, and there is a top 12 echelon of players and furure #1 goalie Prince George's Joshua Ravensbergen or big RD Blake Fiddler sitting there for the Toronto pick.

Post note:

This draft is unlike the past couple without an undisputed #1 and four players vying for that first overall:

Hagens
Martone
Anton Frondell
and LD defender Matthew Schaefer

I think at present, big Roger McQueen and Russian Ivan Ryabkin and continually improving and now play top line centre Michael Misa, and Malcolm Spence not in their headlights just yet.
- wiz1901

Hey Wiz!
I know Macklin would be the #1 in this years draft too,but out of curiousity, would Levshunov,Sennecke,Lindstrom or Demidov still be top 5 picks in this year's draft?

Ben Pope

Richardson said Kurashev will be scratched tomorrow because of poor performance Saturday. He had a 1-on-1 meeting with him this morning.

"He took ownership and said, 'I'm going to be better.' He doesn't say, 'I have to be...' — he already knows that."

Charlie Roumeliotis
@CRoumeliotis
#Blackhawks power-play units:

PP1: Bedard, Teravainen, Bertuzzi (bumper), Foligno (net front), Jones

PP2: Athanasiou, Hall, Reichel (bumper), Maroon (net front), Vlasic

Mario Tirabassi

"Richardson says both Artyom Levshunov & Laurent Brossoit are supposed to have doctor appointments this week to get an update on their health & should know their return timelines soon after that

Both are in the initial 5-7 week recovery windows their injuries needed"

Mario Tirabassi

"Luke Richardson on Kurashev scratch, says he needs more out him as a player he got used to relying on last season. Wants to see more physical play in one-on-one battles

Calls it a “rattle the cage” move "

Mario Tirabassi

"Luke Richardson on Kurashev scratch, says he needs more out him as a player he got used to relying on last season. Wants to see more physical play in one-on-one battles

Calls it a “rattle the cage” move "
- breadbag

Personally I've always really liked Kurashev, but he defends a little bit too much like Alexei Zhamnov in my eyes, where you get times it's just like a wave of the stick at the attacker and he needs to take the body more and engage.

Charlie Roumeliotis

"Luke Richardson on Philipp Kurashev, who is likely to be a healthy scratch on Tuesday: “To me, he’s a guy that I’ve gotten used to counting on and he can’t play the way he did the last game for me to continue to count on him like that. I know he’ll use it as a bit of a wake-up"

Charlie Roumeliotis
@CRoumeliotis
#Blackhawks power-play units:

PP1: Bedard, Teravainen, Bertuzzi (bumper), Foligno (net front), Jones

PP2: Athanasiou, Hall, Reichel (bumper), Maroon (net front), Vlasic
- LAHawk

If they get any significant time, it will be interesting to see how Reichel does in that position. From what I've seen, he seems to be able to get open pretty well, but tends to defer or stop the puck movement. Hopefully he takes this and runs with it a bit.

Same kind of thing with Vlasic. He seems to be shooting more this year, so if his new release can get more pucks on net, so much the better. Nice to see Maroon wasn't dinged too bad on that shot block. He's got decent hands for a big guy.

IMO Reichel's talent will have chemistry with anyone on any line. When the kid has his nose over the puck whatever line he's on, with any mate, his line wins that shift.

Foligno is not a 1RW, we know that. Never was. But, on this roster he's a damn near perfect fit with TT and Bedard. The prototypical 1 guy retrieves the puck, one guy dishes the puck, one guy scores the puck. ......... Foligno plays a power game and it fits with the skilled TT and Bedard.

TT is helping unlock Bedard and Foligno is a part of allowing that to happen.
- Mr Ricochet

Seems to me that Foligno and D!ckinson are good on L3 and Reichel would be a player that they could help. So for 10-20 games or so, try something like:

Hall - Bedard - Teravainen
Mikheyev - Kurashev - Bertuzzi
Reichel - D!ckinson - Foligno
Mix and match 4th line

Foligno does seem to fit on the top line, but maybe Hall could work there too...

Seems to me that Foligno and D!ckinson are good on L3 and Reichel would be a player that they could help. So for 10-20 games or so, try something like:

Hall - Bedard - Teravainen
Mikheyev - Kurashev - Bertuzzi
Reichel - D!ckinson - Foligno
Mix and match 4th line

Foligno does seem to fit on the top line, but maybe Hall could work there too...
- totem

Unfortunately, Foligno is the best option they have there at the moment until someone else proves they can hang on the top line. Wouldn't surprise me to see Bertuzzi tried there again at some point, but considering how they've played so far, I think Hall would get the first crack at it.

So could most teams probably. At this point of the rebuild, that is a luxury not a need. They wanted to give Nazar a chance to take that spot and he didn't. Not really gonna matter this year in the grand scheme.
- Chunk

Yes, however when they’re ready to compete for a playoff spot in a couple or three years, they’re going to need that 2C. Sure the Hawks team that went to 5 conference finals was always looking for that elusive 2C, but those teams were loaded everywhere else, that was a generational team. This team is going to need a Toews lite, or a Bergeron lite for the second line, a guy that will put up 50 points, play good defense, and win faceoffs, maybe a Bolland type with a good back.

Yes, however when they’re ready to compete for a playoff spot in a couple or three years, they’re going to need that 2C. Sure the Hawks team that went to 5 conference finals was always looking for that elusive 2C, but those teams were loaded everywhere else, that was a generational team. This team is going to need a Toews lite, or a Bergeron lite for the second line, a guy that will put up 50 points, play good defense, and win faceoffs, maybe a Bolland type with a good back.
- Angotti

On the surface that sounds right, but we kinda have to see what comes of all the kids in the system don't we? You've got Moore, Boisvert, Nazar, Ludwinski, and I'm sure a few others that were drafted as centers that I can't remember at this point. Also, who's to say that they won't have just as deep of a team once the prospects trickle in.

I'd venture to say right now that the back-end has the chance to be much more dynamic than the cup teams and they have the chance at having a steady flow of new guys coming in. Kaiser, Vlasic and Allan weren't even drafted by KD and already look reasonable to really good.

I vehemently disagree. Again, and simply said, a Reichel with his nose over the puck is an NHLer. A Reichel without his nose over the puck is not. No stick waving, no reaching. When he moves his feet and doesn't do those things he wins pucks, disrupts with his plus speed/explosion and becomes dangerous in all 3 zones.

Mistakes are fine, in fact welcomed, as long as those mistakes happen while his feet are moving.

Move your feet, linemates or where he's slotted does not matter, move your feet, engage, do not observe and his talent will be unlocked. Don't move your feet (disappear) and you'll sit 5 games. ........ I love the results of his last 2 games. Only correlation I can find for that is he sat the previous 5 games.

You disagree? If so, what haven't they tried with Riechel besides making him a 5 game NHL healthy scratch?
- Mr Ricochet

I think the problem is he doesn't know where to be on the ice. If he can roll through the neutral zone uncontested with the puck on his blade, pick his head up and make a play - he makes a good one.

If there is pressure or even tighter spaces - he has problems. He also has issues working off the puck to get open or create space. He is bad defensively. I'll beat this horse until the cows come home but if he didn't learn this stuff in rockford what was the value of him being there? It's not like he used the weekend schedule to get bigger and stronger during the week.

Part of the issue is they said the team is now a meritocracy not a developmental zone or whatever. If that is true then guys who don't play well shouldn't play or play less. It can't be both a take your lumps and the best guys play situation.

Personally - I think they should play the kids and let them get hit over the head until they figure it out but that doesn't seem to be the popular opinion here. They are going to be just as poopty either way.

I think the problem is he doesn't know where to be on the ice. If he can roll through the neutral zone uncontested with the puck on his blade, pick his head up and make a play - he makes a good one.

If there is pressure or even tighter spaces - he has problems. He also has issues working off the puck to get open or create space. He is bad defensively. I'll beat this horse until the cows come home but if he didn't learn this stuff in rockford what was the value of him being there? It's not like he used the weekend schedule to get bigger and stronger during the week.

Part of the issue is they said the team is now a meritocracy not a developmental zone or whatever. If that is true then guys who don't play well shouldn't play or play less. It can't be both a take your lumps and the best guys play situation.

Personally - I think they should play the kids and let them get hit over the head until they figure it out but that doesn't seem to be the popular opinion here. They are going to be just as poopty either way.
- fattybeef

It could simply be the case that some guys just can't cut it in he NHL regardless of how much time they spend in the AHL. I think you can certainly make the case that Vlasic and Kaiser benefitted from their time in the AHL. For some guys it allows them to understand what they have to do to play against bigger players. Others they realize what they can and cannot get away with.

The Hawks didn't want another developmental season to play out on the NHL ice. They realized that people wanted to start seeing some improvement and give Bedard someone who he could actually play with without blocking a ton of spots for guys coming up. They have something like 6-7 contracts coming off the books next year.

Of the kids in RFD, who is good enough to take an NHL spot right now. Maybe Nazar, but he sure didn't show anything in the pre-season to say that he was better than guys in the top six.