What Should We Make Of The Blackhawk’s Finish To The Season?

In this video I talk about what I think the Hawks need to do heading into the summer if they are going to be successful in the future.

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34 comments

  1. Lee, what a great job you’re doing. I couldn’t agree more where this is the summer where you have to do something to get a top six forward. I would think with all the chaos in Toronto I would like to see them get Matthew Knies.

  2. The thing we should take away from the end of this year is that some guys aren’t fully ready to play big roles (especially on D) and that this young group needs help. Not veteran scrubs trying to stay in the league, actual help.

  4. The realization you came to was what a lot of folks were saying when the club was trading Cat and Hagel for draft picks. It’s not a matter of “impatience” but rather commonsense—what works, why do rebuilding clubs usually keep their youngest players, why are nearly all NHL teams comprised of over 50% players they did not draft, etc? The NHL is never going to have a MLB/2016 Cubs style team of an entire wave of players all the same age winning the Cup.

  5. imo we need a top 6 winger like robertson or knies, a physical bottom 6er that can fight, a top 4 veteran D and a bottom pair physical d. id be willing to give up any draft pick unless if we get a top 2 pick this year, id be willing to give up a any prospect that hasnt touched the nhl besides kanserov but id be willing to trade edm korch and lardis/moore idk about levshunov unless its a 1 for 1 for knies because i still think he willl be a top pairing guy simular to sergachev. i dont want to turn into the sabres and make the playoffs in 5 years building through the draft. theres alot of good rfa this year davidson should be agressive and try to offer sheet some guys.

  6. If KD fails this off season he isnt competent to be incharge of this team anymore.
    People think we had progress this year?? We are 31st in the fucking league. These idiots who think this season had any bright spots are idiots.

  7. Young players do not progress in a losing culture. NHL is NOT a development league…Hawks need to make a move on a #2/3 D man and a hossa type player…someone with that dog in them. This team is lacking that…

  8. Why didn’t u share that insight yesterday?. So that’s why beds is w/out frondell down stretch! Duh. I believe Kd is going for deals this summer, but we’ll see to what extent folks are selling.

  9. I remember way back in December when we were bludgeoning Lee to get on board w/ hawks making the playoffs bandwagon? Do you guys remember that? We could have been close w/out the bedzar injury plague, and trade deadline sell off. The regular beat downs didn’t happen until 2nd half.

  11. I'm super excited for next season. I hope the Hawks go for Ivar Stenberg. The top two lines would be insane and the 3 rd line would be decent. I'm picturing something like this :

    Line 1. Bertuzzi – Bedard – Nazar
    Line 2. Stenberg – Frondell – Kantserov
    Line 3. Mikheyev – Moore – Lardis
    Line4.Mangiapane -Donato-Teravinen

    I would love to see lines like that next season. I personally would like the Hawks to go after a defenseman like Rasmus Anderson or a Jacob Chychrun in the off season.

  12. To much of an influx of young talent on this team . Some of these guys need seasoning in Rockford . Go out a get a quality veteran forward and defenseman . Take the pressure off the youth . They need to build on their strengths not weakness in Rockford

  14. Nieves or take Malhotra unless we get Mckenna. No 26 plus players. You would trade no 1 for a player? Your sleeping on Malhotra. Stengberg s like alot like what we have. Malhotra brings size and skill down the middle. Moore Lardis and Nazar are tradable if we get one of the top 3 offensive players. I dont want a project D. Verhoff is slow and is forchecked easily. Imagine Nievs and Malhotra. You have 3 great centers if you keep Frondell a center. We have tons of winger. Problem is Nives will cost are 1st pick. Davidson is a idiot. I can see him passing on Mckenna. No more swing for the fences bullshit.

  15. Agree 100%. It's time to to stop stockpiling draft picks, and start using those as trade chips. Package those and a Frank Nazar and go and get a legit top 6 player. The cost is going to hurt, but it's exactly what the team needs. I'm not saying to go give away Nazar, I love the player, but no team is just going to take unproven players for a top line player. Personally, I think Robert Thomas is perfect, but no way St Louis makes a deal with Chicago. We can dream about Nico Hischier and Brady Tkachuk but I just can't see either team trading them away. Matthew Knies seems like the most logical. Or let's say the hawks draft #2 overall, would you trade that and Korchinski for Jason Robertson? I think it's worth a discussion

  16. I’ve been thinking lardis, Vanacker and 2-3 firsts for a Robert Thomas (cost controlled elite two way center under 30 years old) or Knies (no explanation needed) but I’m not sure if that’s too expensive or if that’s not enough. A big swing like this would be fantastic

  18. Great Video Lee. I think you articulated the Hawks situation quite well, tons of very good prospects and young guys and more coming with Kantserov Nestrasil Vanacker West Boisvert, along with Bedard Nazar Moore Lardis Greene etc. Id like to see Knies added hes the type of player stylistically Big fast power forward who who gives us the size and skill to play in top 6, and 60-80 pts, drive back the D and open the slot for the skilled guys. If it costs us three good picks and prospects I think it still should be done you can't keep all these guys anyway

  19. I always like your vids Lee but I think your take about creating the line combinations on losing is complete cope. Better evidence would have been Burky on first line for forever.

  20. I think there's a lot of scenarios to try and figure this out before the lottery. I will say I think the lineup woes are intentional at this point. If Burakovsky was on Bedard's line for a month with ~2 points (or whatever depressing number it was) and it's not intentional, I think it's time to have a conversation about Blashill. Even if it was intentional, I'm still tempted by Cassidy if I'm being entirely transparent.

    As far as trades. If we fall to 3, I still think you've just gotta use the pick even if it doesn't feel great. There's a reason that type of pick doesn't end up on the block with any regularity. We've got plenty of other assets and can outbid basically any other team while keeping it. Do we really think Florida's first, Edmonton's first, and a kid like Lardis is getting outbid for Knies and Thomas? Throw in a few of the ridiculous number of seconds we have (or next year's first) as well. I agree we should be looking to make trades, but I don't think it should ever be our first this year. Even if we get Stenberg/McKenna, I'm still looking to move future assets for a top 6 forward or a guy like Fox based on this same premise.

    If you get in a position to stash a kid like Reid/Verhoeff while they figure it out, that is either the type of thing that puts a team over the top as they enter their window or if he looks like more of a project, he's a massive trade chip for a piece that does the same thing anyway. It'll be far enough down the line that you'll know whether we need a defenseman or a forward at that point as well, which kinda avoids the "dumping 3rd overall for a player the pipeline made redundant anyway" problem.

    I do also think that a healthy prospect pool is how you extend windows. Right now, the defenseman pool is VERY light. As far as I'm concerned we should be shotgunning those seconds at them. Bleyl, Elofsson, Galvas, etc…just chuck almost every second/third into defensemen. I'm not all that concerned about trading back up into the first unless it's a genuine swing for the fences on a kid like Villeneuve, Roobroeck, etc… If there's not a clear path to them playing 17+ minutes a night (even if that path isn't a guarantee), i'd rather just use the seconds and hope one of them turns into something that matters. Loved when we made the move for Vanacker as a good middle sixer projection, it doesn't make sense anymore.

    I respect the commitment to competing next year, but my list of untouchables is significantly longer. I think moving any of Bedard/Frondell (obvious), Arty/Rinzel (RD aren't the thing to look at replacing unless you're specifically trading them for another RD), and take your pick of which out of Kantserov/Lardis you like more (i'd say Kantserov). Nazar would be included, but I'm starting to get concerned about the hip issues. Sidelined him in his D+1 year and the same hip derailed this year pretty hard as well…broken jaws are whatever, but the hip is now a repeated thing that isn't just him being really unlucky. That's a line of questioning for the medical staff though and if they're unconcerned, add him to the list.

  21. Top 4 D is more need then Top 6 O. Jeff should go; playing Burakovsky with Bedard the 2nd half of the season was a fireable choice, especially not playing Bertuzzi after the chemistry they have on the PP. Burakovsky was the worst non rookie NHLer along the boards and in the corners I have ever seen. Most time he would just flat out not do it; having your 5'11 star do it instead should have caused problem in the locker room and it looks like it has no one wants on the ice. One goal against STL, Bedard didn't even go over to the other players on the ice and that is a big red flag.

  24. Think they are just tanking im not worried I want to see what Frondell and Kansternov can do before even adding a top 6 player, I would rather get a Top line defenseman before that

  29. If you had told me before the season where we’d be I wouldn’t be that upset by it but considering how high the vibes were in November/December(basically before bedards injury) this season has ended up being really disappointing. Hopefully we get a top 2 pick and are able to be at least competing for a playoff spot next year.

  30. Agree with you. Couldn't wait for this season to start… now I'm really scratching my head how we at all will be able to compete next year. Owner Danny Wirtz said this year was gonna be the first that we were really gonna try to compete… and still we have the second worst record in the league and we look like the worst team at the moment. GM knows how to accumulate draft picks and they pan out like draft picks do, some better and some worse than you hoped or expected. But accumulating draft picks doesn't necessarily build a contending team. Lack of leadership and veterans massively slows down the development of they younger players.

  32. To me, for the Hawks to be complete and ready to compete for the playoffs/Cup is this:

    1. Top 6 power forward (or something like that) in the age range of 26-28

    2. Top 2-ish defenceman that is established and very good in that same age range of 25-29 let’s say. Something similar to what Montreal did in trading for Dobson.

    This together with what they have now with the youth movement is what gets the Hawks over the top.

  33. I've been watching hockey/the Hawks for 40+ years now, so I know a little bit about talent and rebuilding – I mean obviously this isn't my first experience watching this team rebuild – I've seen it happen 3-4 times now with the Hawks since the 80's, so with that said I can assure the younger impatient Hawks fans that this team will be contending soon.. Look, the talent clearly is there and obvious – this is an extremely talented, fast and highly skilled team, however these kids are just really young and the mistakes they're making now are temporary due to their lack of experience – they're collectively figuring out their game and translating it to the NHL in real time and they're doing it together which is a really-really good thing because that builds chemistry – everyone will be on the same page and know their role, and that is a luxury and an opportunity not many teams have..Not to mention the Hawks have a plethora of talented kids to build a solid core with – a core that will contend for the next decade and likely longer depending on the cap situation.. I mean the chemistry they're building as they grow and develop together is one of the most overlooked aspects of this rebuild.. There is zero doubt that in a couple of years these kids aren't going to have to look to make passes – they'll just do it – because they'll know exactly where their linemates are and what they're thinking at all times… This team is going to be really fun to watch in a couple of years…

    I mean if it matters – the Hawks have the assets to ice a legitimate contender in the fall if we trade a bunch of young top talent – then we can have 2 or perhaps 3 years of total dominance before it falls apart… Of course we can wait until these kids are – you know – just entering their prime, on cost controlled contracts none the less and watch the Hawks dominate for a decade or longer.. Which one would Hawks fans prefer??

    Also, let me point out that by the time this team is elite – Connor McDavid will be a UFA, and if the Oilers don't win a Cup in the net 2 seasons he will CERTAINLY be leaving Edmonton and going to a contender and the Hawks WILL BE one of the teams at the top of the list, along with San Jose, New Jersey, Colorado as well? …Now obviously I'm not suggesting "McDavid to Chicago, sure thing" but the stars are certainly starting to align for Kyle Davidson and the Hawks, and even RIGHT NOW – despite the disappointing season they've had – the Hawks are a destination I believe elite players that want to win would find extremely appealing, because objectively it's not a matter of "if" it's "when", and when is soon..

    One last thing, I get that Hawks fans have a knack for being impatient but keep in mind the last few UFA classes have been TERRIBLE due to the cap rising, hence teams are finding it easier to sign their key players – but that to some extent – has "stunted" this rebuild because teams generally get better by signing and trading for players and signing guys really hasn't been an option – at least top 6 or top 4 players – so with that said the only other option is trade, and trading young top talent until recently (like now) really wasn't an option that would have been ideal for many reasons, so I totally understand Davidson's patience and reasoning – that – and I'm not an insider so I don't know who's on the trading block and what the asking prices are but it stands to reason that Davidson wasn't going to give up young assets the Hawks suffered for just to get a top 6 guy that may have been 27 then, but 31 by the time the Hawks were contending – just so he could make it "look" like he was "doing something" to satisfy a gang of impatient Hawks fans…. And if it matters I think we all know Davidson DID try to acquire a few players via free agency and trade but it just didn't work out and it's likely because the timing wasn't right.. And keep in mind that "timing" is a "thing" for both teams and UFA's so timing certainly matters.. There is no point in giving up young assets hence setting the rebuild back a year to acquire a top 6 player who'd be 30+ by the time the team was ready to push for a playoff spot – not only that – but would only have a year or two left on their deal..

    Look, my point is have a little more patience because things are just now starting to fall into place – it will be worth it… And look, if I sincerely believed this rebuild was going sideways, I'd just say it – I certainly wouldn't be posting the thesis I just did because I have "wishful thinking" or "blind faith" – no – I know hockey, and I know a good young team when I see it and that's precisely what this team is – a team that will come to form and be contending very-very soon – and when it happens it will be fast…. And don't be surprised to see Davidson make some impactful moves via trade this summer – likely before the draft or at the draft – just because the Hawks have so much young talent and not enough roster spots to fit it all in, so this team has the potential to make a significant leap next season if Davidson does that..

    If you've read this entire post, congrats and thanks…. And yes I know it's long so no need to point it out, lol.

  34. Wondering what your thoughts would be on our Florida pick if it somehow happens to fall to us (if it even can now). Who who you like to see the blackhawks go after around 11th overall? (Maybe even just trading the pick)

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