Thoughts on the Chicago Blackhawks?

[DRW204]

And if he plays on Kane's wing, which is a possibility, I project him to hit around 50-55 points, honestly.

Who would be the 3C? Hayden will be playing in the top 6? Seems like theyre a winger short unless im missing some one... assuming Debrincat is AHL?

Saad-Toews-x(Hayden)?
Hartman-Anisimov-Kane
Sharp-Schmaltz-x(Hayden)?

edit - missing panik

 

[ColdSteel2]

Who would be the 3C? Hayden will be playing in the top 6?

Saad-Toews-x(Hayden)?
Hartman-Anisimov-Kane
Sharp-Schmaltz-x(Hayden)?

Panik is either 1st or 3rd RW, probably 1st. 3C is a concern. Not sure what is going to happen there. Maybe Dauphin will really show something and take that spot. That would be the most ideal scenario though I will just be happy to see him as 4C/PK.

 

[DRW204]

Panik is either 1st or 3rd RW, probably 1st. 3C is a concern. Not sure what is going to happen there. Maybe Dauphin will really show something and take that spot. That would be the most ideal scenario though I will just be happy to see him as 4C/PK.

yup was missing panik.

debrincat in the AHL? Will he get a look?

 

[ColdSteel2]

yup was missing panik.

debrincat in the AHL? Will he get a look?

Hard to say having not seen him with the team yet. But yeah, he'll probably be in the AHL. Some people would like to see him get a shot early, others late in the season. It depends on how he does in camp. If he really clicks with Kane, he'll get his shot coming out of camp. That would let us bring Schmaltz along as 3C and solve a lot of our lineup problems.

Saad-Toews-Panik
Debrincat-Anisimov-Kane
Sharp-Schmaltz-Hayden
Hartman-Dauphin-Wingels

Now you really have something, 4 lines you can roll.

 

[ChiHawks10]

yup was missing panik.

debrincat in the AHL? Will he get a look?

I'm assuming AD will get a short look early if he impresses out of camp. Depending on how that goes, it will determine if he stays up or heads down to the AHL for the year. Just my opinion.

 

[Sempiternal]

Still relevant.

 

[JaegerDice]

Lol, this team is so ****ed.

 

[axecrew]

yup was missing panik.

debrincat in the AHL? Will he get a look?

He 100% will NOT play in the AHL this regular season...100% WILL NOT.

 

[axecrew]

I'm assuming AD will get a short look early if he impresses out of camp. Depending on how that goes, it will determine if he stays up or heads down to the AHL for the year. Just my opinion.

He 100% will NOT play in rockford this regular season. Not saying he'll make the hawks...just saying he will 100% NOT play in the AHL.

 

[ChiHawks10]

He 100% will NOT play in rockford this regular season. Not saying he'll make the hawks...just saying he will 100% NOT play in the AHL.

Where else would he play? He either makes the Hawks and sticks... or he goes to Rockford. I doubt there's any chance he goes back to Erie as a 20 year old. He's shown there's nothing more for him to prove in the OHL. Time to take the next step, and if that's not making the Hawks and sticking out of camp, then it's turning pro with Rockford.

 

[Finlandia WOAT]

Seabrooke declining, replacing Hammer with Murphy, relying on young guys/rookies for 4th/5th/6th after losing a reliable bottom pairing guy in TVR, losing their matchup/defensive center in Kruger, Toews declining, Keith is 35.....

This reads like a hypothetical answer to the hypothetical thread, "Why did the Blackhawks fall off a cliff in 2018?". It's rather easy to see them decline harshly and miss the playoffs. It's also easy to see them finish as a top team in the conference- but the wheels are in motion for the now inevitable decline. It was still a heck of a run, far longer than many other teams' periods of dominance in the cap era (hullo Boston, LA and Vancouver).

 

[JaegerDice]

Seabrooke declining, replacing Hammer with Murphy, relying on young guys/rookies for 4th/5th/6th after losing a reliable bottom pairing guy in TVR, losing their matchup/defensive center in Kruger, Toews declining, Keith is 35.....

This reads like a hypothetical answer to the hypothetical thread, "Why did the Blackhawks fall off a cliff in 2018?". It's rather easy to see them decline harshly and miss the playoffs. It's also easy to see them finish as a top team in the conference- but the wheels are in motion for the now inevitable decline. It was still a heck of a run, far longer than many other teams' periods of dominance in the cap era (hullo Boston, LA and Vancouver).

Yep.

 

[Maplebeasts]

Wild card team this year, starting to miss the playoffs from next season onward. Downgraded from Panarin to Saad, Seabrook is sharply declining, Keith is 35 and will be declining any year now, bad depth past the top 6, even more suspect depth on the blue line. Only reason they make it this year is because I expect Keith to hold it together for a couple more seasons before his play falls off a cliff, Toews holds form as matchup #1 centre, and Kane does his thing. They're a far cry from where they were even 2 years ago.

 

[JaegerDice]

Wild card team this year, starting to miss the playoffs from next season onward. Downgraded from Panarin to Saad, Seabrook is sharply declining, Keith is 35 and will be declining any year now, bad depth past the top 6, even more suspect depth on the blue line. Only reason they make it this year is because I expect Keith to hold it together for a couple more seasons before his play falls off a cliff, Toews holds form as matchup #1 centre, and Kane does his thing. They're a far cry from where they were even 2 years ago.

The move from Panarin to Saad is probably the one and only upgrade they made this off-season.

 

[Maplebeasts]

The move from Panarin to Saad is probably the one and only upgrade they made this off-season.

If we're talking about all around game then yes. Bread man was just horrific in that regard this past season. I still think that Panarin has more to contribute offensively though and I expect his weak Defense to be masked a bit playing with the Jackets D-core and Bob as his goalie.

 

[TitansVolsPreds615]

I'm not excited to see Patrick Sharp back on the roster even though he was still in the division in Dallas.

I think Chicago will still be very strong. They did have the most points in the West. I think they were worn down from long playoff runs and international tournaments. They should be plenty rested for this season. I do think the franchise is in for a short term dip phasing out the Hossa's and Hjalmarssons for younger players.

 

[CallMeShaft]

I'm not excited to see Patrick Sharp back on the roster even though he was still in the division in Dallas.

I think Chicago will still be very strong. They did have the most points in the West. I think they were worn down from long playoff runs and international tournaments. They should be plenty rested for this season. I do think the franchise is in for a short term dip phasing out the Hossa's and Hjalmarssons for younger players.

I don't think we can keep using that argument. The Hawks went out in the first round the year prior. It's not like they went on a long playoff run in 2016 that'd affect their performance in 2017.

The one caveat is a rather large rumor about Toews injuring his back near the end of the World Cup. A back injury that eventually (later in the season) made him miss 9 games in a row, and had some beat writers reporting that Toews' back was not getting any better after sitting out 4 or 5 straight games.

 

[Luigi Lemieux]

Seabrooke declining, replacing Hammer with Murphy, relying on young guys/rookies for 4th/5th/6th after losing a reliable bottom pairing guy in TVR, losing their matchup/defensive center in Kruger, Toews declining, Keith is 35.....

This reads like a hypothetical answer to the hypothetical thread, "Why did the Blackhawks fall off a cliff in 2018?". It's rather easy to see them decline harshly and miss the playoffs. It's also easy to see them finish as a top team in the conference- but the wheels are in motion for the now inevitable decline. It was still a heck of a run, far longer than many other teams' periods of dominance in the cap era (hullo Boston, LA and Vancouver).

It looked very similar for the penguins around 2014-15, with poor depth it felt like their era of being a top team was drawing to a close. Chicago needs a handful of their youth to emerge as impact players and all of a sudden we're talking about them as a cup contenders again.

 

[ColdSteel2]

The one caveat is a rather large rumor about Toews injuring his back near the end of the World Cup. A back injury that eventually (later in the season) made him miss 9 games in a row, and had some beat writers reporting that Toews' back was not getting any better after sitting out 4 or 5 straight games.

Two caveats, the hastening of Hossa's degenerative skin condition, all for a gimmick team.

 

[axecrew]

Where else would he play? He either makes the Hawks and sticks... or he goes to Rockford. I doubt there's any chance he goes back to Erie as a 20 year old. He's shown there's nothing more for him to prove in the OHL. Time to take the next step, and if that's not making the Hawks and sticking out of camp, then it's turning pro with Rockford.

He doesn't turn 20 until December thus he is junior eligible and has to be returned to his junior team unless he stays in Chicago. Again not saying he will or won't stick...but if he doesn't he goes back...thus why I said it's 100% that he won't go to Rockford. Technically he could actually go back to juniors next year as an overage junior if they really wanted him to....but I would think they will want him in their system as soon as possible.

 

[ColdSteel2]

If he goes back, he'll probably score 75-75-150.

 

[axecrew]

If he goes back, he'll probably score 75-75-150.

To be honest...even though I understand the rule and why it's there...there are just some players who don't benefit from that extra year in juniors. They are so far advanced from their competition that it almost seems unfair to both the player and his opponents. They are kinda caught in between....not quite good enough for the NHL yet, too good for the CHL and ineligible for the AHL.

 

[ColdSteel2]

To be honest...even though I understand the rule and why it's there...there are just some players who don't benefit from that extra year in juniors. They are so far advanced from their competition that it almost seems unfair to both the player and his opponents. They are kinda caught in between....not quite good enough for the NHL yet, too good for the CHL and ineligible for the AHL.

Can't we send him to SEL or something?

 

[ChiHawks10]

He doesn't turn 20 until December thus he is junior eligible and has to be returned to his junior team unless he stays in Chicago. Again not saying he will or won't stick...but if he doesn't he goes back...thus why I said it's 100% that he won't go to Rockford. Technically he could actually go back to juniors next year as an overage junior if they really wanted him to....but I would think they will want him in their system as soon as possible.

This is factually wrong. He was signed to a 3 year ELC in November last year. He's a 97 birth year. He's eligible for the AHL, and if he doesn't stick on the Hawks roster, that's where he'll be. Taking his talents to the next level. Not with Erie. Yes, he's eligible to return there, but he has nothing else to gain from being there. He's eligible to turn pro, and will. It's just a matter of if it's Rockford's roster, or the Hawks. He'll move forward in his development... not stay in place. It's illogical for him to return to Erie.

 

[axecrew]

This is factually wrong. He was signed to a 3 year ELC in November last year. He's a 97 birth year. He's eligible for the AHL, and if he doesn't stick on the Hawks roster, that's where he'll be. Taking his talents to the next level. Not with Erie. Yes, he's eligible to return there, but he has nothing else to gain from being there. He's eligible to turn pro, and will. It's just a matter of if it's Rockford's roster, or the Hawks. He'll move forward in his development... not stay in place. It's illogical for him to return to Erie.

Ok...you're right. The AHL and the CHL must have changed their agreement. Used to be that you had to be 20 to play in the AHL per the agreement...it was put in place to help keep the CHL solvent and keep the marquee players in their league unless in the NHL. Helped keep the teams from being pillaged and plundered of it's NHL draft picks by the NHL teams who then would assign them to the AHL.