Blackhawks 2022-23 SEASON THREAD

[Bigfoot]

We never seem to win 50/50 battles and are so damn slow. We need an influx of talent and speed, crazy to think the game passed this organization bye when everyone was trying to copy our model up till 2015.

 

[hawkinmontreal]

Hearing you guys go on about getting the first overall made me look up how the odds and probability work out. Lets just say im not getting my hopes up. Ive witnessed this first hand back in the McDavid year. I went to a Sabres/Hawks game@Buff with like 3 games left in the season and sabres were nailing down last place. The hawks were on a b2b so knew they would come out hard in the 1st. They did and went up 2-0. Sabres fans went nuts high fiving each other and cheering on the hawks (you'd think I was at UC). well the sabres crawled back and then some and went up by a goal early in the 3rd. (fans booing). The most fun for me was with about 1:30 left in sabres end for a faceoff and JT gets in a huddle before the draw and Im thinking Capt Serious is gonna tie this up rallying the guys! sure enough off the draw they won and JT ties it up on a rebound off a Shaw shot. Then with 54 secs left JT puts it back of the net while getting feed from Hoss who got it from a down low cycle from Saad. Was great to see JT take over that game under 2 mins left and but watching fans all around the arena cheering (knowing that they lost and were one step closer to getting McDavid(so they thought) well we all know what happened that draft and saw how that draft set them back. So careful what you wish for!

While you are 100% right, the first overall pick is never a given, and yes, we may all be getting our hopes up about Bedard possibly playing for the Hawks next season, but let’s be honest, this team is an absolute shit show, so getting our hopes up is at the bare minimum that we fans can get somewhat excited for.
But I will tell you this, the Hawks are not going to get any better this season, in fact they will get worse, if that’s even possible. Will Toews and Kane be traded, who knows, but even with them currently in the lineup this team stinks. So yeah, we are hoping for the best, and we will see what comes of it.

 

[hawkinmontreal]

We never seem to win 50/50 battles and are so damn slow. We need an influx of talent and speed, crazy to think the game passed this organization bye when everyone was trying to copy our model up till 2015.

This is all on Bowman, he ripped this team apart and KD is following in his footsteps. Even if the Hawks draft number 1 overall, they have a long way to go to be competitive.

 

[Raskolnikov]

I believe they can't come any lower than 3rd overall if they place dead last.
2023 NHL Draft Lottery Odds | Tankathon
NHL approves changes to draft lottery

As it stands now, the 'hawks according to Tankathon have a 25.5% chance of bedding the 1OA pick, and they can fall to no lower than 3OA. It still means only a 1:4 shot at getting Bedard, however. They also can fail to tank out and come into a lower position.

From a tin-foil hat stance (where I'm not serious about the following), I think if there was some conspiracy for the lotto to award a generational talent to a club, what would favor the league the most? I think it would be taking a high value team who is near the bottom of the league (Chicago/Montreal, the others are in playoff contention), and giving them a generational talent. Plus, Montreal won the lottery last season.

Yeah…

Columbus, Arizona, etc…

We really might have to intentionally tank if even one other team decides to.

I think I’m happy with

Bedard, Fantilli, or the Russian.

Trade whoever you need to and finish dead last. I usually hate tanking for a maybe but we have to have one of the three.

 

[KBIB]

Still can’t believe Blowman signed Jones to that anchor of a contract. Hope KD can trade him, this contract will not age well.

Nah, Seth is completely untradable.

Here's some perspective for those with a smidge of hope that albatross contract can be jettisoned;

A teams Cup window is realistically in the current landscape five years. That contract goes beyond a contenders window. If a shitty team is willing to take that contract they are damn sure asking for the Hawks first next year along with it plus. Even if Seth was playing like prime Ray Bourque there's so few teams that would be interested on account of the cap hit alone.

This is another case of an agent taking advantage of Blowman with a "let's start the negotiations at an absurd high price for shits and giggles" and Blowman accepting it instead of actually negotiating.

 

[Raskolnikov]

We never seem to win 50/50 battles and are so damn slow. We need an influx of talent and speed, crazy to think the game passed this organization bye when everyone was trying to copy our model up till 2015.

Take heart.

Every young guy in the system I look at is the best skater on his team.

Team jr Canada has 5 great skaters of ours.

Sweden is captained by another.

I think Davidson’s focus on this is too extreme and hope he gets replaced with someone that balanced him soon, but the team he is building can skate circles around everyone.

 

[Diehardfan]

Amazed on how many people are upset about this team....they are doing exactly what they have to do to get where they want to be. I'm not
interested in some short term gratification. I don't give a fuck about playing well enough to grab a few goalie wins and keeping the dwindling UC crowds happy. I want them losing and losing a lot. They need at the bare minumum, a top three pick....hopefully they have the least points in the league to cover Bettman's ass when he allows them to win the "lottery". Yeah, I believe that's what the league wants. You can't keep burying your best players in out of the way places like Edmonton. They need to keep building up draft assets....move the few guys they have that might draw some deadline attention, then jump full force into the 2023 draft. There will plenty of time to rant and rage if KD and Company fuck up this draft.....PLENTY of time, because if they don't do this right...it might take a decade to recover.

 

[hawkinmontreal]

Amazed on how many people are upset about this team....they are doing exactly what they have to do to get where they want to be. I'm not
interested in some short term gratification. I don't give a fuck about playing well enough to grab a few goalie wins and keeping the dwindling UC crowds happy. I want them losing and losing a lot. They need at the bare minumum, a top three pick....hopefully they have the least points in the league to cover Bettman's ass when he allows them to win the "lottery". Yeah, I believe that's what the league wants. You can't keep burying your best players in out of the way places like Edmonton. They need to keep building up draft assets....move the few guys they have that might draw some deadline attention, then jump full force into the 2023 draft. There will plenty of time to rant and rage if KD and Company fuck up this draft.....PLENTY of time, because if they don't do this right...it might take a decade to recover.

As it stands now, it going to take at least 4-5 years, but that philosophy would change if they win the draft. The Hawks will not burn a player like Bédard’s talent, the rebuild will be accelerated, if the Hawks end up drafting Fantilli the Hawks will stay the course. The future and what lies ahead all comes down to this draft. Toews and Kane need to waive and move on as well, take the picks and players the team gets, trade out Domi, Murphy and McCabe and find someone to tale Jones.

 

[Raskolnikov]

Amazed on how many people are upset about this team....they are doing exactly what they have to do to get where they want to be. I'm not
interested in some short term gratification. I don't give a fuck about playing well enough to grab a few goalie wins and keeping the dwindling UC crowds happy. I want them losing and losing a lot. They need at the bare minumum, a top three pick....hopefully they have the least points in the league to cover Bettman's ass when he allows them to win the "lottery". Yeah, I believe that's what the league wants. You can't keep burying your best players in out of the way places like Edmonton. They need to keep building up draft assets....move the few guys they have that might draw some deadline attention, then jump full force into the 2023 draft. There will plenty of time to rant and rage if KD and Company fuck up this draft.....PLENTY of time, because if they don't do this right...it might take a decade to recover.

I think you underestimate the appeal of a great skating Canadian goal machine in Los Angeles(they have done it before).

Anaheim will be there to give the league a 50/50 shot of Bedard to big market. (Arizona/Colombus/Chi/Anaheim)

 

[Raskolnikov]

I’m ambivalent…if Bedard is not Gretzky he might not be able to even be Debricat who has a larger frame but is short.

He might be good and not great because of his limitations.

For all we know we end up better off with the Russian at #2 or #3

 

[hawkinmontreal]

I’m ambivalent…if Bedard is not Gretzky he might not be able to even be Debricat who has a larger frame but is short.

He might be good and not great because of his limitations.

For all we know we end up better off with the Russian at #2 or #3

The problem with the Russian kid, is that he is signed in Russia until 2025, 2026, and there is the possibility he never makes it to North America. That is not a chance the Hawks need to deal with. That’s where I see Arizona or San Jose drafting him and taking a chance. The kid is supposed to be on the level of Malkin or Ovi but it’s definitely a gamble by any stretch.

 

[hawkinmontreal]

I think you underestimate the appeal of a great skating Canadian goal machine in Los Angeles(they have done it before).

Anaheim will be there to give the league a 50/50 shot of Bedard to big market. (Arizona/Colombus/Chi/Anaheim)

I would have to agree that a Bedard in California is great for hockey marketing.

 

[MassHavoc]

The only thing I want to see is if he makes picks trying to be the smartest guy in the room. Or if he makes the right picks to make sure he puts together a foundation

 

[Granada]

One of the first things taught in hockey is do not pass to the middle in the d-zone. Kay hock you goofball must not have gotten that message at youth hockey

Lol -- that was seriously one of the worst turnovers I've ever seen in the NHL level. I can't believe Richardson didn't bench him for the rest of the game; or fuck at least a shift or a period, something. A turnover that atrocious is rare even at the kids level.

There was a goal against -- might have been that game -- where I was livid at Jones, but it was actually Domi's fault. Domi took a horrible route where he tried to go around his man to strip the puck, so then Jones had to cover for him and leave his man wide open. That is not to say that Jones hasn't been bad this year, but that play really reminded me of Keith's last days here, trying to cover for something stupid a forward did and looking way worse in the process than the original offender.

 

[Diehardfan]

As it stands now, it going to take at least 4-5 years, but that philosophy would change if they win the draft. The Hawks will not burn a player like Bédard’s talent, the rebuild will be accelerated, if the Hawks end up drafting Fantilli the Hawks will stay the course. The future and what lies ahead all comes down to this draft. Toews and Kane need to waive and move on as well, take the picks and players the team gets, trade out Domi, Murphy and McCabe and find someone to tale Jones.

Hawk, if they get the right guys it might not take that long. If done right, they should be drafting top tier guys.....guys like McDavid, Mackinnon, Mathews, Kaner, Tavares etc.....the type of players that jump right in and play NHL hockey. No waiting around for minor league development. If KD drafts and uses his Cap space well and they could be a playoff team in two years....a Cup contender in three. A whole lot is riding on the next two drafts...

 

[hawkinmontreal]

Hawk, if they get the right guys it might not take that long. If done right, they should be drafting top tier guys.....guys like McDavid, Mackinnon, Mathews, Kaner, Tavares etc.....the type of players that jump right in and play NHL hockey. No waiting around for minor league development. If KD drafts and uses his Cap space well and they could be a playoff team in two years....a Cup contender in three. A whole lot is riding on the next two drafts...

Diehard this may be true, however, there is nothing that tells me KD is going to get the job done. There lies the pessimism. The team is so depleted, it’s going to take more than 2 drafts to build it back up. The defence alone has zero talent that could currently jump into the NHL, and with defenders already at a minimal the Hawks will have to hope and wait guys like Nolan and or Kerch can accelerate there development. As much as I want to see the Hawks turn this rotting ship around quickly, the damage is severe.

 

[LordKOTL]

Diehard this may be true, however, there is nothing that tells me KD is going to get the job done. There lies the pessimism. The team is so depleted, it’s going to take more than 2 drafts to build it back up. The defence alone has zero talent that could currently jump into the NHL, and with defenders already at a minimal the Hawks will have to hope and wait guys like Nolan and or Kerch can accelerate there development. As much as I want to see the Hawks turn this rotting ship around quickly, the damage is severe.

Exactly. It's a right improbability that we get 20 guys drafted and in to the NHL via blue chip draft picks. Some guys have to be developed. We'll need some FA's in there as well.

KD is an improvement over the H&RBlock Reject so far, but can he rebuild to a cup winner? Who knows, but so far what I've seen is better than wasting picks and cap trying to give an aged-out core one more shot. There is a plan in place. Will it succeed? Who knows. Even id we blag Bedard, it'll take more than him. Hopefully KD has been paying attention to Edmonton's screw-ups in over relying on McDavid.

 

[Diehardfan]

Diehard this may be true, however, there is nothing that tells me KD is going to get the job done. There lies the pessimism. The team is so depleted, it’s going to take more than 2 drafts to build it back up. The defence alone has zero talent that could currently jump into the NHL, and with defenders already at a minimal the Hawks will have to hope and wait guys like Nolan and or Kerch can accelerate there development. As much as I want to see the Hawks turn this rotting ship around quickly, the damage is severe.

Yep, and therein lies the problem and why I lobbied to NOT stay in house with the new GM. I really hope I'm wrong about him but I'd feel a lot more confident with a more experienced guy pulling the strings.

 

[Granada]

Surprised nobody mentioned Kane evidently getting hurt last game (or 2nd to last game). He was held out for the 3rd period for a knee injury he suffered during the SJ game. Not sure how serious it is or isn't yet.

Toews had one of his worst games this season. Zero effort. Hagel schooled him along the boards en route to notching a primary assist on the second goal I believe. I don't use this term loosely with Toews, but that was embarrassing.

Jack Johnson -- this dude keeps getting worse and worse. He looked pretty good early on, but damn. Seemed like Stalock gave him some business (justifiably so) after Tampa's first goal for not clearing out his man.

 

[hawkinmontreal]

Surprised nobody mentioned Kane evidently getting hurt last game (or 2nd to last game). He was held out for the 3rd period for a knee injury he suffered during the SJ game. Not sure how serious it is or isn't yet.

Toews had one of his worst games this season. Zero effort. Hagel schooled him along the boards en route to notching a primary assist on the second goal I believe. I don't use this term loosely with Toews, but that was embarrassing.

Jack Johnson -- this dude keeps getting worse and worse. He looked pretty good early on, but damn. Seemed like Stalock gave him some business (justifiably so) after Tampa's first goal for not clearing out his man.

Jack Johnson like the entire team are counting down the games until the golf season begin. It’s such a brutal and embarrassing situation currently in Chicago. It’s only going to get worse, we all knew hard times were ahead after the three cups, but our GM made it worse than it had to be.
Granada I keep reading everywhere and yes I take it with a grain of salt, and about how Arizona has there new arena coming and how a player like Bedard would sell the game there, and we all damn well know the Coyotes are Bettmans baby, it seems rather reminiscent of Pittsburgh when they won the Crosby sweepstakes. That combined with rumours of the league using the Hawks draft position as a punishment for embarrassing the league with the Kyle Beach sexual abuse case. Yes, I am one those that truly believe this team needs to win that lottery but the odds are stacked against them. I tried watching the game the other night and it was so bad I didn’t manage a period.