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Post by BigT on Aug 19, 2021 6:42:31 GMT -6
I have a hunch. Nothing behind this but me speculating. I know the coaching has been bad. I think everyone knows this. There’s no way Ol Scambo doesn’t know or his old man hasn’t told him. So, I think JC has been told to “let them play”. I don’t think you’ll see an awful system in place. It’s very tough to do that with half a new roster again. If JC attempts this. He will be removed very quickly and I feel Crawford is there for a reason. I think JC has already been forewarned that a bad year is not acceptable. I don’t think many guys would want to come to Chicago like Fleury, Jones and McCabe if there was gonna be a 3 ring circus sideshow going on. So I’d have to think that Jones isn’t interested in playing in a stupid system that isn’t played in professional hockey at all. Now that there’s a much bigger vet presence, I think they’ll go upstairs and let Scambo know that this is unacceptable. JC is on a very short leash. This year cannot go sideways, and Ol Scambo knows this!!! Hope crawford is canned as well, he is a POS coach. And who and where do you think JC learned his coaching from? I don’t mind Crawford. JC has his own style that he’s trying to reinvent coaching. Crawford never had a man to man system. I just think experience will be needed. JC has never sniffed a real playoff game. That’s quite risky. I don’t see Scambo replacing him with another inexperienced guy. I truly feel that Crawford is here because of that. There’s a reason why Scambo went out and got all these players instead of rebuilding again. He’s on the hottest seat, and he’s not gonna go down with a shit coach. I’m not saying Crawford is the ultimate answer, we had that guy. But he’s at least a contingency that’s half decent. Maybe JC starts to realize the importance of not being the smartest guy in the room? Maybe he puts together a new plan and it’s simple and the guys love it? We’ll see soon enough!!! |
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Post by acesandeights on Aug 19, 2021 6:59:43 GMT -6
Here's McCabe in a Blackhawks sweater. He certainly doesn't look 6'1, 200lbs.  |
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Post by T-man2010 on Aug 19, 2021 7:13:50 GMT -6
Here's McCabe in a Blackhawks sweater. He certainly doesn't look 6'1, 200lbs. Looks like a grown Darren Pang |
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Post by galaxytrash on Aug 19, 2021 7:44:24 GMT -6
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Post by LordKOTL on Aug 19, 2021 8:28:18 GMT -6
I have a hunch. Nothing behind this but me speculating. I know the coaching has been bad. I think everyone knows this. There’s no way Ol Scambo doesn’t know or his old man hasn’t told him. So, I think JC has been told to “let them play”. I don’t think you’ll see an awful system in place. It’s very tough to do that with half a new roster again. If JC attempts this. He will be removed very quickly and I feel Crawford is there for a reason. I think JC has already been forewarned that a bad year is not acceptable. I don’t think many guys would want to come to Chicago like Fleury, Jones and McCabe if there was gonna be a 3 ring circus sideshow going on. So I’d have to think that Jones isn’t interested in playing in a stupid system that isn’t played in professional hockey at all. Now that there’s a much bigger vet presence, I think they’ll go upstairs and let Scambo know that this is unacceptable. JC is on a very short leash. This year cannot go sideways, and Ol Scambo knows this!!! Hope crawford is canned as well, he is a POS coach. And who and where do you think JC learned his coaching from?My guess would be from a Cracker Jack™ box. |
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Post by jacksalmon on Aug 19, 2021 18:02:36 GMT -6
All of the elite teams (Tampa, Carolina, Toronto, Boston, Colorado etc with the possible exception of Florida) have taken a serious step back this year because of the salary cap. There are no great teams left. Each has holes and question marks. The Hawks are no different. Nevertheless, the pieces are there. With Fleury on board, the goaltending is set. Should Toews return and Dach progress just a little, the top two forward lines are headed by elite two-way centres. Kane, Debrincat and Kubalik certainly are top six wingers. This is certainly an above-average if not elite top six by today's diluted standards. There are plenty of quality and diverse spare parts to fill the remaining bottom six. For the first time in ages (certainly since 2010), the coaching staff has depth and real competition at forward (especially with options like Hardman, Entwistle and Reichel likely not on the opening roster). There are alternatives this year, which means there will be no free rides. The defence is not quite as strong, but it has some real potential. By any fair assessment, Seth Jones is a top ten defender in the game and a quality 1 defenceman. Murphy is certainly a better than average number 3 guy. The free agent acquired from Buffalo, McCabe, is a classic 4 defenceman. There are also plenty of options for the bottom pairing - Dehaan, Caleb Jones, Stillman, etc. The only question mark really is the number two guy. Will one of the rookies - Kalnyuk, Beaudin or Mitchell - be able to handle that job? If not, that slot can be upgraded at the trade deadline. To my mind, this roster situation is very encouraging. One other issue is the coaching. I am not as panicked as others. Mark Crawford is a proven guy with a championship pedigree. I am certainly not planning a parade yet. But I just don't get the cynicism here about the team. Things are certainly looking up after a few down years. There certainly some positives to think about. But, how well Toews will play is a big question mark. Dach, to me, has not really shown that he is someone who will do really well in this league. He is OK, but the Hawks need far more than OK at the 2C spot and he hasn't shown me yet that he can be that guy, so he is another question mark. Kane, Debrincat and Kubalik are certainly top six wingers, but who are the other three. I am hoping that Hagel will improve and be one of the other three. But, remember they need 5 more decent forwards after the top three. The rest of the forwards are unknown and unproven. Hopefully, they will surprise to the upside. Between the dmen they have and Fleury, I am less worried about the defense than I am about the forwards' abilities to posses the puck in the other teams' end for more than 10 seconds per possession. The failure of the forwards to do that last year put extra pressure on the defense which was always facing an opponent that always had the puck in the Hawks' end. If the forwards do not improve in their puck possession, the rest is meaningless. I also am still not sure that JC has what it takes to be a playoff winning NHL coach. Maybe the team could succeed despite him; or maybe he will get canned in the middle of the season; or maybe he will show he can do the job. There is some possibility that this team will put together a good season, but there are more question marks than certainties. |
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Post by BigT on Aug 19, 2021 20:24:22 GMT -6
Jack ol sock. I’m gonna say this. I do agree that a lot has to go right. Let’s just say for shits that Toews is Toews. He gets 72 points and wins 54% of his faceoffs. For him that’s not outrageous. Let’s say Kane gets 86 points. Again not outrageous. Dcat gets 73. No one would argue that those point totals are unachievable for them.
So to the harder ones now. Let’s say for Shits Dach gets 17 goals 33 assists for 50 points. For what he’s cones so far, that may be unachievable. But let’s say he does. Kubalik gets 25 goals and 25 assists for 50 points. Sounds reasonable. Now, let’s say Gaudette gets top 6. He gets 15 goals and 25 assists. Again, not that unreasonable.
Jones could very easily get 15 goals and 35 assists. I believe that to be low for him with this offense. I think he’ll be closer to 60. But I digress and we’ll stick with 50. Here’s where it starts to hurt. After Jones, I see maybe 20 total goals from the rest of the 6 Dmen. And not many assists. That’s where the Achilles is this year. Not enough depth back there yet. Hopefully they prove wrong and if slotted properly, they can amass an extra 15 goals on to that 20 for 35.
The bottom 6. If Johnson is there with Connelly and Kurashev or something like that. I can see that line getting 35-40 goals. Which helps immensely. If the 4th line can conduct better business than the last version and chip in with 15-20 goals. Tending shouldn’t be much of a problem. This could be a solid season. Now we can all admit, that’s a lot to go right. If it doesn’t go right, you’ll definitely see a new regime in Chicago!!!
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Post by Tater on Aug 19, 2021 22:48:14 GMT -6
Between the dmen they have and Fleury, I am less worried about the defense than I am about forwards' abilities to posses the puck in the other teams' end for more than 10 seconds per possession. The failure of the forwards to do that last year put extra pressure on the defense which was always facing an opponent that always had the puck in the Hawks' end. If the forwards do not improve in their puck possession, the rest is meaningless. This has been a huge problem. And then with JC's "defensive system", it takes too long to get it out of their own end. And the cycle continues. |
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Post by galaxytrash on Aug 20, 2021 2:22:30 GMT -6
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Post by hsbob on Aug 20, 2021 6:49:39 GMT -6
Does this Borgstrom kid have to make the team AND be a legit NHL center to justify taking on all of Connolly's 3.5MX2 and doesn't Stillman have to be a reliable blue-liner? Remember.....we "fleeced" Florida.
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Post by OldTimeHawky on Aug 20, 2021 7:22:57 GMT -6
They said Soderblom is 6'1" 168lbs but I've seen him listed at 6'3" 179lbs, hope they're wrong. Either way, he's only 21 and put up great numbers in the elite league. The goalie depth is much better with Fleury and Soderblom added this summer. That was a good read and the Hawks have more size and depth, should be a fun season with hopefully 2 rounds of playoffs. |
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Post by acesandeights on Aug 20, 2021 12:24:27 GMT -6
^^
OTH, I've seen those same numbers for Soderblom's size also. Hockeydb has has him at the smaller size and Elite Prospects has him at the bigger size, along with a few others also.
The Hawks are bound to have high hopes for Soderblom. You mention the great numbers Soderblom put up in the pro Swedish Hockey League; he was second in the entire Swedish league in SP, .922, and tied for second with others in GAA at 2.03. He did this at 21.
With Soderblom playing in a pro league in Sweden and will go to Rockford over here, it's easy to forget he's not much older than Basse. Basse turned 20 back in April and Soderblom just turned 22 yesterday.
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Post by OldTimeHawky on Aug 20, 2021 15:00:28 GMT -6
^^ OTH, I've seen those same numbers for Soderblom's size also. Hockeydb has has him at the smaller size and Elite Prospects has him at the bigger size, along with a few others so. The Hawks are bound to have high hopes for Soderblom. You mention the great numbers Soderblom put up in the pro Swedish Hockey League; he was second in the entire Swedish league in SP, .922, and tied for second with others in GAA at 2.03. He did this at 21. With Soderblom playing in a pro league in Sweden and will go to Rockford over here, it's easy to forget he's not much older than Basse. Basse turned 20 back in April and Soderblom just turned 22 yesterday. When I googled him his wikipedia page was at the top and they have him listed at 6'2" 178lbs and when SecondCity reported it after he signed, they said he's 6'3" 179lbs. Closer to 180 is much better than the 160's. But he put up very impressive numbers for a young goalie in the Swedish league. The future looks good in net. |
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Post by LordKOTL on Aug 20, 2021 15:11:19 GMT -6
Hope crawford is canned as well, he is a POS coach. And who and where do you think JC learned his coaching from? I don’t mind Crawford. JC has his own style that he’s trying to reinvent coaching. Crawford never had a man to man system. I just think experience will be needed. JC has never sniffed a real playoff game. That’s quite risky. I don’t see Scambo replacing him with another inexperienced guy. I truly feel that Crawford is here because of that. There’s a reason why Scambo went out and got all these players instead of rebuilding again. He’s on the hottest seat, and he’s not gonna go down with a shit coach. I’m not saying Crawford is the ultimate answer, we had that guy. But he’s at least a contingency that’s half decent. Maybe JC starts to realize the importance of not being the smartest guy in the room? Maybe he puts together a new plan and it’s simple and the guys love it? We’ll see soon enough!!! He's taking his cues from our GM.  |
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Post by BigT on Aug 20, 2021 15:52:57 GMT -6
I don’t mind Crawford. JC has his own style that he’s trying to reinvent coaching. Crawford never had a man to man system. I just think experience will be needed. JC has never sniffed a real playoff game. That’s quite risky. I don’t see Scambo replacing him with another inexperienced guy. I truly feel that Crawford is here because of that. There’s a reason why Scambo went out and got all these players instead of rebuilding again. He’s on the hottest seat, and he’s not gonna go down with a shit coach. I’m not saying Crawford is the ultimate answer, we had that guy. But he’s at least a contingency that’s half decent. Maybe JC starts to realize the importance of not being the smartest guy in the room? Maybe he puts together a new plan and it’s simple and the guys love it? We’ll see soon enough!!! He's taking his cues from our GM. Ayeeeee. And a might fine GM he he is (in an Irish leprechauny voice). Wait a minute. WTF AM I SAYING? The drunken leprechaun got the best of me again!!! |
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Post by Tater on Aug 20, 2021 23:45:48 GMT -6
He's taking his cues from our GM. Ayeeeee. And a might fine GM he he is (in an Irish leprechauny voice). Wait a minute. WTF AM I SAYING? The drunken leprechaun got the best of me again!!! Had a wee bit 'o Bushmill Irish Whiskey?
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Post by vadarx on Aug 21, 2021 17:32:00 GMT -6
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Post by galaxytrash on Aug 21, 2021 19:13:47 GMT -6
interesting that MAF and JC played together on the WJC team in '05. |
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Post by BigT on Aug 22, 2021 8:42:55 GMT -6
I don’t care how much Colliton embraces the expectations. He has to first embrace that he sucks at his job and it’s probably best to leave the veteran group alone.
When it was looking like a rebuild, he could get away with kids playing a stupid style. Now that the team is full of vets and no rookies now, he’s not gonna force his way anymore.
If he tries that stupid lame ass system, he’s gonna lose the room fast. Johnson knows how to win as he just won 2 Cups. It’s gonna be a hard sell to the past and present Cup winners on this team that a losing system will work. I’m really hoping that he allows the guys to play an upbeat style like Q, and they get results. Cuz what we’ve seen the last 3 seasons ain’t gonna work!!!
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Post by mikeveisor on Aug 22, 2021 9:07:54 GMT -6
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Post by BigT on Aug 22, 2021 10:01:48 GMT -6
That team was unreal. I think we’ll see another good team this upcoming year. Connor Bedard and Shane Wright are two future stars plus last years draft class with Owen Power, McTavish, Johnston, Clarke, Guenther, etc etc. I think that team has potential to be pretty good too!!!
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Post by OldTimeHawky on Aug 22, 2021 13:44:07 GMT -6
That was a great team and awesome pic, Seabs in the front left, can't mistake Ladd, and there's Barker who wasn't in gear because of his weak ankles. |
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Post by Tater on Aug 22, 2021 23:32:44 GMT -6
That was a great team and awesome pic, Seabs in the front left, can't mistake Ladd, and there's Barker who wasn't in gear because of his weak ankles. His chin does kind of stand out.  |
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Post by LordKOTL on Aug 23, 2021 7:58:51 GMT -6
He's taking his cues from our GM. Ayeeeee. And a might fine GM he he is (in an Irish leprechauny voice). Wait a minute. WTF AM I SAYING? The drunken leprechaun got the best of me again!!! Here's hoping the drunken leprechaun didn't get you in your lucky charms. |
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Post by BigT on Aug 23, 2021 9:57:52 GMT -6
Ayeeeee. And a might fine GM he he is (in an Irish leprechauny voice). Wait a minute. WTF AM I SAYING? The drunken leprechaun got the best of me again!!! Here's hoping the drunken leprechaun didn't get you in your lucky charms. He gets me every Friday or Saturday!!! |
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Post by hawkfaninpdx on Aug 23, 2021 17:53:24 GMT -6
I am just going to post this here:
"Jimmy Hayes, the fun-loving former NHLer who spent one season with the Devils and won a national championship at Boston College, died unexpectedly Monday morning at the age of 31."
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Post by galaxytrash on Aug 23, 2021 18:01:12 GMT -6
I am just going to post this here: "Jimmy Hayes, the fun-loving former NHLer who spent one season with the Devils and won a national championship at Boston College, died unexpectedly Monday morning at the age of 31." there's already a thread on it in the "NHL" section in the "around the league" category of the boards. |
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Post by gigecj on Aug 23, 2021 18:17:54 GMT -6
I am just going to post this here: "Jimmy Hayes, the fun-loving former NHLer who spent one season with the Devils and won a national championship at Boston College, died unexpectedly Monday morning at the age of 31." Terrible news... Also, when someone that young dies unexpectedly, it does tend to make me wonder about the circumstances however unfair that may seem. RIP Jimmy Hayes P.S. Sorry GT, I didn't know about the other thread until now. |
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Post by hawkfaninpdx on Aug 23, 2021 18:30:52 GMT -6
I am just going to post this here: "Jimmy Hayes, the fun-loving former NHLer who spent one season with the Devils and won a national championship at Boston College, died unexpectedly Monday morning at the age of 31." Terrible news... Also, when someone that young dies unexpectedly, it does tend to make me wonder about the circumstances however unfair that may seem. RIP Jimmy Hayes P.S. Sorry GT, I didn't know about the other thread until now. Yes, I was wondering about the circumstances of his death as well. It's really disconcerting when a young person like that dies. Likewise, didn't know about about the other post. |
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Post by galaxytrash on Aug 24, 2021 5:11:59 GMT -6
I am just going to post this here: "Jimmy Hayes, the fun-loving former NHLer who spent one season with the Devils and won a national championship at Boston College, died unexpectedly Monday morning at the age of 31." P.S. Sorry GT, I didn't know about the other thread until now. no problemos. |
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