Lehner is going to want at least a 5 year deal, Fat chance of him going back to Chicago for 3 years.

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Kings aren't paying a 4th for Maata. We will give you a 2021 5th if all of our other options fall through. Otherwise you can find another partner.

I’m cool with that.

Are you secretly Matt hardy?!

I agree with most of this, but unfortunately I think some of it is wishful thinking.

It may be in Shaw's best interest to retire, but he is a very competitive guy who still feels he has hockey left in him, and probably won't be going anywhere.

The front office and players are very loyal to Seabrook given all he's done for the team, they aren't going to let things get sour. At worst he will platoon as a 6th/7th dman with a rookie, but I think he's our 6th man for a while.

I would be shocked if we find a trading partner for Smith. Buyout seems like the only option to me, but I'm still optimistic. I would also be shocked if Lehner comes back. A swift kick to Stan's 'nads would be a nice bonus, but we are not going to be winners for a little while. I'm not opposed to drafting Askarov, but I think Crow would be the stopgap goalie.

No he's just an idiot, don't mind him.

Agree with everything you said. The only I’m very suspicious of is the fact that Crawford was deemed unfit, not injured. If Crawford’s vertigo and other “vices” are coming to the forefront again, I just don’t trust him to stay healthy.

Shaw just tweeted he's coming back after talking to with his family and made that decision so he's in. I'm not happy about it either but it's a fact for now.

Seabs isn't sitting, us as fans will need to learn to accept he will be playing most of the time.

Lehner isn't signing here and will get more then 3 years from other teams and Askarov at age 17 isn't going to start in the NHL at age 20 anyway...goalies typically don't enter the NHL until at least 21 and at best are a starter at age 23. Askarov is not the answer for the Hawks...waiting 5+ years until he's a starter? Strome, kubalik and Debrincat will be over their career peaks by the then. Better the Hawks focus on Sanderson, Quinn or Lundell and look at 1 or 2 years out not 5. Also the 2nd and 3rd rounds have some great options at goalies this year and given that 95% of NHL starting goalies are late round draft picks, we should risk the 1st on one.

Switch Dach and Strome....you mention the team needs to get faster then we shouldn't have a slow 2C, let's put the Dach who's noticeably faster up to the 2c and so he can build chemistry with Nylander moving forward.

The term "unfit to play" is part of the leagues new required language as part of the CBA. It can mean, personal reasons, health reasons, COVID, etc. It's part of protecting a player's privacy rights.

I know that, believe me. That concerns me more than if he were injured. Mix that with the JC’s quotes about the rest of the goalies and It doesn’t sound great.

I’m a little confused now. So, are we a team that is only thinking about the immediate future and not long term? We are not still genuinely thinking we’re cup contenders in the next two years do we? Especially with Shaw and seabrook coming back and the question mark on defense.

I could care less who is 2C between strome and Dach. Strome is playing with nylander and Kane in camp right now anyway. I meant team speed as in JC needs to stop impeding the creativity and offensive work rate of the team. Stop this bull**** defensive blues-wannabe style. This team has way too much skill to play any other way. It doesn’t have anything to do with thing 1 and thing 2. Strome and Dach are just the two choices were left with.

Not sure I follow you. Unfit to play means anything, JC can not say anything different nor can any team anymore then to say unfit to play. He might have tested positive for Covid.

This team is not going to plan in 5 years right now with that much invested in Toews, Kane and Keith, they are looking the next year to two years out. It's been clear that's what the team is doing based on their moves. Why rush BoQ or Dach if that wasn't the case, they are getting them experience to retool and compete not rebuild. If they were rebuilding, you would see every older asset being moved for young players and picks and not spending picks or young players for older assets.

You said you wanted speed on this team and put Strome up on the 2C when he's slow as hell. Team needs speed I agree so don't put a water buffalo on the line with Nylander and Kane...he'll be at center ice still during a rush when nylander and kane are in front of the opposing net.

I get that bowman and the rest brain-less trust think that’s the plan. However, that doesn’t change the fact that the last three years haven’t been a good indicator of that plan. How about next year? Crawford will always be a wild card factoring in his personal life, Mitchell May be good but probably won’t be meaningful for at another 2-3 years, Shaw is coming back to kill himself, seabrook believes he can actually play 2020 hockey, all the while the cap is still hamstrung. I mean, this team isn’t the Penguins, who can make the playoffs on the backs of Crosby and malkin. For us, toews and Kane just aren’t enough. Almost forgot, still haven’t even brought up JC.......

I’m all for optimism, but we’ve missed (realistically) three years of playoffs in a row. Even boqvist and Dach didn’t move the needle this year. Say what you want about them being 1st years, it doesn’t mean they will inside the next year or two like you expect. There’s still too many veterans with too much cap.

As for strome and Dach, again, if last year is any indicator, at least I know strome can play on the run and gun and put up points, even if i can’t stand him. I’ll never like Dach, you know that. Once he can play offense he can be 2C.

HatterT, you are a serious half glass empty guy. I started being a Hawks fan in 1990 and have been a diehard since my first game back then in junior high going through much bigger lows then this team. For 9 years straight prior to the last 3 seasons (this season included), the Hawks made the playoffs every year and won 3 cups in a 9 year span. I don't know what fan can be upset at watching 12 years of this team to the degree you are upset. This team is better this past season then the last couple seasons, you see the young guys starting to step up and the potential they have. We are one of the top 5 or 6 youngest teams in the NHL right now; Kubalik, Strome, Cat, Dach, Boqvist, Highmore, Suter, BoQ, Mitchell, Carlsson, Beaudin, Maatta (likely gone though)...all 25 years and younger. These kids I just listed are going to be good and need a year or two under the guidance of some of the best in Toews, Kane, Keith and Seabs. You sound like a spoiled fan at this point compared to every other NHL team out there minus the Pens. No team but the Pens has had that much success in the last 15 years of hockey. Please, take a deep breathe, you are overreacting like a Leafs fan who's team hasn't won a cup in 52 years and have seen 3 consecutive first round losses and making the playoffs only 4 times in 15 years.

Alright, so we’re at this point again. ChiHawk, I’ve been a fan as long as you have. I was born into a hockey family. Been a fan since 1994. I saw all the good and bad that you have seen. Yes the team was lights out for nine years. Then, time caught up and the team didn’t adapt. There isn’t a single fan who doesn’t look back on those nine years without appreciation. No one is spoiled, and no one is out of line if they complain about their team’s short comings. I get fans that just wanna spend time looking at the wonderful past and not care about the future. Those fans are usually the ones stuck in a stagnant present.

Speaking of that, to your points on age and improvement. Age wise, they do have a good pool of prospects building. I’m not nearly convinced it’s top five in the league, as I can think of least five more that are better, maybe 6-8, but yea, it’s top 10. Yes, their age, by proxy, brings down the average age. Kudos. As for improvement, where are you judging that? By the presence of those young players? You mentioned that boqvist and Dach were rushed for the sake of the next 1-2 years. Yet, this team was never gonna make the playoffs this year. In fact, statistically, the team was on pace for the same amount of points as last season. So where’s the improvement? Style of play? Nope, not really, still JC being JC. Let’s assume, as you say, these kids get more time under toews, Kane, Keith, and (god help me) seabrook. What happens if, In the case of seabrook and to a lesser extent Keith, their route to NHL is blocked by the veterans? Clearly we will never sit seabrook. Also, can this team actually win with JC? Where’s the improvement been? I’m genuinely asking.

Lastly, this isn’t about taking a breath. I always find that funny when people say that, cuz I just feel like I care more. This about remembering a time when our owner didn’t care. Back then, I really didn’t expect anything. When rocky took over, that expectation returned. Nine years of great hockey followed. In the Last three years, though, it isn’t missing the playoffs that’s upset me. It’s the lack of accountability and a clear direction that bothers me. The architect of the last three years, bowman, should be gone. Period. Yet, no accountability. A hall of fame coach given a garbage team to work with is given the boot instead. John MacDonaugh even got the boot first. What’s needs to happen to give accountability to bowman? Miss five years in a row? Seven? Given how the last three years have gone though, what’s the direction? Do we really think that we still need to “win now?” Clearly you’ve said the direction is keep going with toews and Kane till the wheels fall off. Three straight playoff misses kinda shows they already did.

It’s very easy to tell someone to “breath” and call them “glass half empty.” Problem is, i care too much to “breath” and pump tires on players who haven’t won jack ****. I’ll be a realist cuz beyond my love for this team, I just love hockey. The team has shown that commit to “one goal” is the drive of the franchise. However, there’s a GM who’s gone unchecked in charge and an inexperienced child as coach. Go ahead, tell me to “breath,” say I’m “glass half empty.” I’m always committed to this team. You and everybody can believe it or not, but I’m not gonna kiss anyone’s ass and pretend they haven’t acted like a top tier organization.