Weekend IGT: Blackhawks at Oilers 11/22 @ 9:00, Blackhawks at Canucks 11/23 @ 8:30

HawkWriter said:

Agreed completely. Interestingly enough, that's how Saad was. He sort of got bored with juniors it seemed. His biggest knock and why he fell in the draft was partially because people felt he had a bad work ethic and a bad attitude at times. Certainly, from what everyone here has seen at the NHL, it seems like those couldn't be further from the truth as he consistently works hard out on the ice. It takes the NHL and that top level for certain guys to do well.

http://www.thehockeynews.com/blog/a...chicago-blackhawks-prospect-teuvo-teravainen/
Here is an article on TT that just came out today that sort of touches upon this. I think the title is extremely dramatic...but still something to read.

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Oh, the title for that article is, pretty much, complete bullshit.

He cites quotes from a story written by Mark Lazerus in the Sun-Times, and here's what Lazerus said on Twitter about it:

This is comical in several ways.

Is Teravainen a little frustrated? Sure. Is there a "fractured relationship" with the #Blackhawks? Give me a break.

This, by the way, is the flaw of aggregator sites and opinion pieces written off other people's reporting. Logic leaps & conclusion-jumping.

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For myself, when these prospects get called up, I do not expect them to be all stars or even Top 6 guys. I want these kids to come in play hard, and limit mistakes all the while getting better. Much like what we saw so far from TVR.

Mr. McGibblets said:

For myself, when these prospects get called up, I do not expect them to be all stars or even Top 6 guys. I want these kids to come in play hard, and limit mistakes all the while getting better. Much like what we saw so far from TVR.

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I don't expect them all to be Calder Trophy winners, either. But I've got a hard time being convinced that some of these guys can't be of help to the team right now.

And, in a bit of big picture look ... the Hawks could get decimated by the salary cap again after this season. Sharp and Seabrook may both end up out of town. Oduya and Roszival are both UFAs and likely won't come back, and the same fate awaits Richards and Carcillo after this season. There are going to be some holes to fill for this team next year, and I think the Hawks have some of those replacements available in Rockford right now. It wouldn't kill the Hawks current season to give them some more time at the NHL level to help prep them for next season, when they may be counted on to log 12-15 minutes of quality ice time every game.

DMelt36 said:

I don't expect them all to be Calder Trophy winners, either. But I've got a hard time being convinced that some of these guys can't be of help to the team right now.

And, in a bit of big picture look ... the Hawks could get decimated by the salary cap again after this season. Sharp and Seabrook may both end up out of town. Oduya and Roszival are both UFAs and likely won't come back, and the same fate awaits Richards and Carcillo after this season. There are going to be some holes to fill for this team next year, and I think the Hawks have some of those replacements available in Rockford right now. It wouldn't kill the Hawks current season to give them some more time at the NHL level to help prep them for next season, when they may be counted on to log 12-15 minutes of quality ice time every game.

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I wouldn't say Oduya likely won't come back. A lot still has to be brought together and nothing is certain, but I was told by my buddy (same one who gave me some information earlier that I shared in the year that later came out on other sites) that Oduya did let the Blackhawks know he would like to stay with the team and is open to a possible "hometown" discount. Could have influenced why the Blackhawks traded Leddy as well.

In regards to prospects, they are probably more "valuable" than ever. In the salary cap era, a player on their ELC that can contribute on a Stanley Cup contending team is a big deal. Give these prospects time, make them force the Blackhawks' hand or take advantage of their time when they get called. TT isn't up for several reasons, one of which is Cap related right now. He will get his chance, just have to hope he fully engages and gets it going. Same goes with other guys who are working towards their ultimate goal. Even D. Keith had 2 full seasons in the AHL before he got his chance with some crappy Blackhawks teams - it is going to take even longer for prospects now that the team is a contender.

If TT wants to make the jump ASAP, there's one thing that will do it almost as fast as lighting up the scoreboard. Work to be the best face off guy on your team. A lot of people seem to think that its kind of a God given talent....I'm not one of them. You can teach yourself to be good at it but in some cases it takes a lot of time and work. Right now, the Hawks only have Toews who is reliable. Kruger used to be decent but that choking up on the stick he does....ain't getting it done. A dynamite face off guy is worth his weight in gold particularly in the playoffs where puck possession is vital.