GDT: Stanley Cup Final Game 1: Blackhawks @ Lightning | June 3, 2015 | 7:00 PM CDT | NBC

[Mike Yanagita*]

When you want to have an intelligent conversation, let me know.

Hockey is literally the only major american sport where coaches think like this. Again, I'm not talking about guys who are benched because they are not good enough to be on the ice. DO you honestly think a 30 year old multimillionaire who has been playing hockey for two+ decades plays better as a result of being arbitrarily benched?

 

[Hawkaholic]

Hockey is literally the only major american sport where coaches think like this. Again, I'm not talking about guys who are benched because they are not good enough to be on the ice. DO you honestly think a 30 year old multimillionaire who has been playing hockey for two+ decades plays better as a result of being arbitrarily benched?

Again, it's more of a team game than any other American sport.

And yes, when a multimillionaire is benched and is potentially going to lose 20+mil $ because he has a contract expiring would absolutely try and play better after the benching. He doesn't want to lose money nor his spot in the lineup because he was giving 90% effort instead of 100%. This just in, hockey players love playing hockey, not sitting on the bench.

Would you not want to work harder if you boss told you to take a few days off because you aren't motivated to work and when you come back you can have a raise if you are better at your job?

 

[Pepe Silvia]

Vermette did not have good playoff until about midway point of Ducks series when he finally got message

His performance as Hawk to date overall has been underwhelming and thankfully we only have a small # of games before he is gone

Its a learned lesson for Stan not to overpay for average talent playing top line role on lousy team

So are you just going to ignore the last 5 games and 2 huge goals he scored? Plus another 2 assists.

We already know you ignore the other important ways he can contribute, but herp derp not enough points!

 

[Blackhawkswincup]

So are you just going to ignore the last 5 games and 2 huge goals he scored? Plus another 2 assists.

We already know you ignore the other important ways he can contribute, but herp derp not enough points!

Clearly not ignoring his last 5 games as I mentioned in my post ,, But a small # of good playoff games does not outweigh the bad

Its that type of thinking that led to the Bickell mistake

Honest question , Are you happy with Sharp's playoff?

Hasn't scored a goal since gm 2 vs Wild but hey he had a few good moments here and there so I guess he is having an amazing playoff , correct?

 

[Pepe Silvia]

Clearly not ignoring his last 5 games as I mentioned in my post ,, But a small # of good playoff games does not outweigh the bad

Its that type of thinking that led to the Bickell mistake

You ignored it because you didn't give him credit for it, to try and help your insane argument. There's been more good than bad.

Vermette has been an important asset since his shaky start with the Hawks. A 1st is what it took to get him, and most reasonable people are very glad they did it. There is more to hockey than points. He wasn't brought here to put up a bunch of points.

They can get a similar pick back this summer since I know that 30th pick won't let you sleep at night.

 

[Blackhawkswincup]

You ignored it because you didn't give him credit for it, to try and help your insane argument. There's been more good than bad.

Vermette has been an important asset since his shaky start with the Hawks. A 1st is what it took to get him, and most reasonable people are very glad they did it. There is more to hockey than points. He wasn't brought here to put up a bunch of points.

They can get a similar pick back this summer since I know that 30th pick won't let you sleep at night.

Unless they move Seabrook that may not be true at all

- Sharp age , performance , cap hit + NTC will potentially hurts his value
- Bickell wont get anything close to a 1st
- Steeger wont get anything close to a 1st

And I clearly did give Vermette credit for improved play since benching. With that said his overall underwhelming body of work as a Hawk does not impress

 

[Pepe Silvia]

Unless they move Seabrook that may not be true at all

- Sharp age , performance , cap hit + NTC will potentially hurts his value
- Bickell wont get anything close to a 1st
- Steeger wont get anything close to a 1st

And I clearly did give Vermette credit for improved play since benching. With that said his overall underwhelming body of work as a Hawk does not impress

Lmao I clearly wasn't talking about Bickell and Versteeg. I can't believe you even posted that. And I posted this about Sharp in another thread that you chose to ignore.

"Sharp's age would be a lot more relevant if he had a lot longer than two years left on his deal. He'll be 35 when his contract runs out. It's not the end of the world, and plenty of players are still capable of playing at that age. People act like 35 is 40 now.

Sharp had a down year, but he also had an unsustainably low shooting percentage and an awful cold streak, where he had like 1 point in 15 games. I'm pretty confident he'll have a much better year next season if he stays healthy. He's still capable of putting up 30 goals and 60+ points. He put up 78 just a season ago.

I'm not worried about his NTC because there will be plenty of teams interested, and some desirable places like Montreal, Washington, Pittsburgh, Florida, etc. It also helps that there won't be many free agents on Sharp's level, if any at all.

You're insane if you think he can't return a 1st or great prospect/young player on a cheap contract, and I will even make a bet if you'd like to."

 

[slappipappi]

Let's not forget that the Bolts are worse at home than away. I am pleased but not surprised that the 'Hawks have won one away. At the same time I am kind of dreading the 'Hawks losing one or both upcoming games at UC

Talk about a quantum leap based on small sample sizes. Yes they were 7-3 away in the playoffs, and 5-5 at home.

While the Lightning have preformed better on the road during the playoffs, they are not road warriers by any stretch of the imagination.

During the season, they were 32-8-1 at home, 18-16-7 on the road.

I think the Hawks can fare OK at home. They've had some success there before you know.

 

[Blackhawkswincup]

I never said he cant return a 1st or great prospect/young player

But assuming he will automatically return that is just as much a stretch while downplaying age , drop in production , 5.9M cap hit and NTC

Also if cap is as low as Hawkscap potentially believes it will be other teams will be forced to shed some talent so that will hurt Hawks potentially as well and potentially eliminate some potential trading partners

 

[Pepe Silvia]

I never said he cant return a 1st or great prospect/young player

But assuming he will automatically return that is just as much a stretch while downplaying age , drop in production , 5.9M cap hit and NTC

Also if cap is as low as Hawkscap potentially believes it will be other teams will be forced to shed some talent so that will hurt Hawks potentially as well and potentially eliminate some potential trading partners

You may not have actually said it, but you've been implying it the whole season by constantly repeating his age, drop in production, cap hit, and NTC like a robot. I just explained why you are wrong using all of that to think he wouldn't get a good return.

If the main piece coming back is a pick, it's not a stretch at all to assume it will be a 1st. This is why the Vermette trade is not a big deal.

 

[Salvaged Ship]

Should have stayed pat or acquired actual talent to help team

Look at cost of Petry and cost of Timonen? Which was correct move to make?

Look at cost of Sekera and cost of Vermette? Which was correct move to make

Could have acquired a run of the mill 3rd liner at far less then he gave up while adding an impact defender with assets he squandered

He may have acquired Sekera and Petry instead and we might be out of the playoffs right now because of it. Then you would have been moaning he should have traded for Vermette instead of Sekera and callling for Stan's head anyway. We are in the cup final and up 1-0 when we had what, the 7th best record in the NHL? The guy you are moaning about just scored the game winning goal in game 1. I don't get it, unless you are intentionally trolling.

 

[Blackhawkswincup]

You may not have actually said it, but you've been implying it the whole season by constantly repeating his age, drop in production, cap hit, and NTC like a robot. I just explained why you are wrong using all of that to think he wouldn't get a good return.

If the main piece coming back is a pick, it's not a stretch at all to assume it will be a 1st. This is why the Vermette trade is not a big deal.

These are all valid reasons for potential difficulty in moving Sharp

- He is infact not getting any younger
- He is infact coming off a poor season (And overall a disappointing playoff ,, Again)
- He has a hefty 5.9M cap hit for 2 more years
- He has a NTC that eliminates potential trading partners to fit his cap hit

Its not unreasonable to assume that he wont return a 1st either

 

[Pepe Silvia]

These are all valid reasons for potential difficulty in moving Sharp

- He is infact not getting any younger
- He is infact coming off a poor season (And overall a disappointing playoff ,, Again)
- He has a hefty 5.9M cap hit for 2 more years
- He has a NTC that eliminates potential trading partners to fit his cap hit

Its not unreasonable to assume that he wont return a 1st either

I literally just explained all of this. Jesus Christ. His age is irrelevant considering the length left on his contract. Look at how low his shooting percentage was this season. That's not sustainable. Using his career average, he's at 26 goals in the 68 games he played, and 32 goals over 82 games.

His cap hit is not unreasonable for a player at his level. There are teams with the cap space, and teams that would make the cap space. His NTC doesn't matter much either because there should be plenty of interest. Washington already showed a lot of interest right around the deadline.

 

[Blackhawkswincup]

I literally just explained all of this. Jesus Christ. His age is irrelevant considering the length left on his contract. Look at how low his shooting percentage was this season. That's not sustainable. Using his career average, he's at 26 goals in the 68 games he played, and 32 goals over 82 games.

His cap hit is not unreasonable for a player at his level. There are teams with the cap space, and teams that would make the cap space. His NTC doesn't matter much either because there should be plenty of interest. Washington already shlwed a lot of interest right around the deadline.

- Just because he has 2 years left doesn't erase the risk especially when he is already showing signs of decline. Look how fast Amonte fell off
- Sharp today is not same player he was ,, Using his past performance to predict future performance is not a good measure
- His cap hit is unreasonable if you get 2 more years of this season's Sharp
- His NTC does matter because it potentially eliminates teams with cap room to take him

Washington if they showed interest were looking to dump a pending UFA for Sharp. Hardly a ringing endorsement for your claims about his value

 

[Salvaged Ship]

If we win the cup who cares about what needs to be dealt with for next years cap, whatever it is it will be worth it. Unless I value winning a cup too much, but I guess that's just me.......

 

[Kurtosis]

Wait, BWC thinks it's going to be hard for the Hawks to move Sharp with this crap FA class that's coming up?

 

[Pepe Silvia]

- Just because he has 2 years left doesn't erase the risk especially when he is already showing signs of decline. Look how fast Amonte fell off
- Sharp today is not same player he was ,, Using his past performance to predict future performance is not a good measure
- His cap hit is unreasonable if you get 2 more years of this season's Sharp
- His NTC does matter because it potentially eliminates teams with cap room to take him

Washington if they showed interest were looking to dump a pending UFA for Sharp. Hardly a ringing endorsement for your claims about his value

He had one poor season with an awful shooting percentage and cold streak. Using one season with a 7% shooting percentage, and terrible even strength percentage, is not a good measure. A year ago he had a career year with 34 goals and 78 points. I don't give a rat's ass about Amonte right now.

We're talking two more years when he'll end the contract at 35. Plenty of players are still capable of contributing at that age. It's not 40.

He doesn't need to put up 35 goals and 70+ points to be worth the contract. 25 goals and 60 points would be fine. I still think he can hit 30 again. Using his normal shooting percentage shows he can still do it.

Many of the teams interested in Sharp are not the type of places he'd block a trade to. Again Washington, Montreal, Pittsburgh, Florida, etc. There won't be many players available, if any, on his level. His NTC will not be a problem.

And lmao about the Washington proposal. They were offering more than just a pending UFA.

Can we please make a bet about this.

 

[hisgirlfriday]

Sharp's cap hit and trade value doesn't have anything to do with game 1. There is a perfectly good salary cap thread to use to litigate this issue.

 

[JaegerDice]

You obviously take Vermette's contributions both with and without the puck this post-season above the 'potential' of a nothing prospect like Dahlbeck and 29/30 pick.

 

[hisgirlfriday]

Vermette did not have good playoff until about midway point of Ducks series when he finally got message

His performance as Hawk to date overall has been underwhelming and thankfully we only have a small # of games before he is gone

Its a learned lesson for Stan not to overpay for average talent playing top line role on lousy team

His acquisition was the difference between the hawks winning the wcf and losing it. It was overpayment well spent.

 

[EmeticDonut]

The acquisition of Vermette allowed to the Hawks to allocate players in the lineup to more appropriate spots. That also has to count when considering if Vermette was a good pick-up or not. And this without considering his two game winners that is a reason the Hawks are even playing in the finals.

But this is typical of BWC's MO. He picks some players that he will incessantly whine about no matter what. It gets really tiring. For someone who is supposedly cheering for a team that is in the SCF going for a third Cup in six years, he sure likes to cry about a lot, most of it is really petty stuff.

 

[hisgirlfriday]

This thread isn't about game 1 any more so it's getting locked.

And a reminder to stop making everything so personal. these are magical times for us hawks fans with our beloved in the midst of the scf and we have all summer to argue passionately about how the coming purge should go down. Lets enjoy the scf somewhat peacefully. Or if you must fight about that now and coming years take that to the salary cap thread. And even if a poster says something unpopular or that goes against conventional wisdom, that is not an excuse for the group to pile on with personal attacks. As always, focus on the post not the poster.