Chicago Blackhawks 2011-2012

[wrangler 157]

Didn't see a thread for this yet, so. . .

Some players sent to Rockford in the last few days: Marcus Kruger, Brandon Pirri, Dylan Olsen, Jimmy Hayes, and Peter LeBlanc.

Emery got a one-year deal, reportedly $600K, and will apparently stay with the Blackhawks, while Salak goes to Rockford.

It'll be interesting to see how Kane does at center once the season starts.

I haven't seen an update on Ben Smith.

Brandon Saad seems likely to get his contract. We'll see if he gets in more than nine games, and gets to stay in the NHL for the season.

[TeamHonda401 54]

I was pleasantly surprised with pirri the last couple games he played, but id definitely rather see saad with the big club than pirri. Emery didn't look good at all from what i've seen, but for 600k he's not that bad of an option for a backup with a playoff run in his past. Overall the team looks pretty solid heading into the regular season, if montador can stop turning the puck over that is.

[Chadd 916]

I liked Kruger with Bolland and Frolik at the end of last season, didn't see much of the preseason to judge this year. Given all the retreads veteran players they signed, there wasn't much room for the kids to come up.

[wrangler 157]

Emery didn't look that great; his numbers were quite a bit worse than Salak's, making it seem that the Hawks were already expecting to go with him.

I haven't had a chance to see that much of the games, being out of town, but what I've seen of Carcillo looks encouraging. He seemed to spend his time playing hockey when I saw him, and he's not unskilled. O'Donnell did some good things when I happened to see him, too. I'm looking forward to watching regularly now, though I'll miss the first two games, due to another trip.

[Chadd 916]

Emery didn't look that great; his numbers were quite a bit worse than Salak's, making it seem that the Hawks were already expecting to go with him.

It's better for Salak to get the majority of the games in the AHL and continue to develop. They don't want to stunt his growth or create a dueling goalie situation in Chicago. It's not like Emery's salary will cause problems if they decide to cut him or send him down later in the season.

[wrangler 157]

That seems logical, and looks like the plan. It also might have been the only way to keep Emery. Would he have wanted to go to Rockford, and maybe be stuck there this year?

Saad reportedly signed for three years, about $600K/yr., with a bonus of about $300K if he plays (or is on the roster for?) 82 games.

[wrangler 157]

Well, the Blackhawks looked pretty good last night, except for a few lapses, and skated well most of the game. And they shot the puck. It was good to have Hossa back; I hope he doesn't miss many games this year.

At Saturday's game, it seemed like deja vu, with the team relaxing after getting a lead. I noticed that mostly towards the end of the second period, and in the third period. I sure hope this isn't a carryover from last year, that will stick with them for the season. This wasn't the only returning problem I saw from last year. Making unnecessary extra passes instead of shooting, stumbling over themselves trying to get the puck out of their zone and into the opponents' zone, clustering tightly on defense, and not seriously forechecking on penalty kill were still in evidence. But it was still a fast exciting game, and we had a good time.

It'll be interesting to see the pace of Thursday's game, and also to see how Mueller's coming along.

[Slapshot9123 0]

Whats everyones take on the hawks right now? Are they showcasing John Scott dressing him the past few nights over OD and Lepisto to try to move him finally? Or are they trying to package the two and move them for a defenseman that can consistently play? Any new options with the lackluster PP and PK as of lately? Thoughts on Olesz? Yes the hawks are doing well but, I feel like there are a few major holes in their lineup.

[wrangler 157]

Hard to say on Scott. For whatever reason, Q just seems to like him.

PK, just like 5 on 5 defense, the Hawks do OK when they skate and hustle, and actually play position. When they just hang around, and all go towards the puck, they get in trouble.

PP & offense, they seem to do fine when they can pass, play position, pay attention to teamwork to get the puck out of their zone, and carry the puck into the offensive zone. When they dump it, and don't really hustle to chase it, they usually get nowhere.

Kane at center has gone from "experiment" to "what took them so long?".

Last night looked like a pretty solid game. Their play in the short losing streak that preceded it wasn't all that much worse than in several of the earlier games where they got points. They were lucky to get some of the points they did earlier, considering the shifts and periods they seemed to take off, like last year. At least they weren't still consistently taking the third period off.

[Chadd 916]

Defensive positioning has always been a problem for them. They have defensemen that lose track of the men away from the puck way too often. Unfortunately, the top guys do it as often as the number five, six or seven defensemen. I'm still not a fan of most of their free agent signings from last summer.

[wrangler 157]

I agree. I've always found that curious on a team coached by a former defenseman, and the more often it happens, the more I blame the coaching.

[Slapshot9123 0]

Olesz waived today, Ben Smith scratched down in Rockford so I assume he will be up with the team shortly. Anyone think it will be someone else?

Keith finally played a good game tonight I feel. Other than that terrible pass across the blueline that picked off. I have never really been a fan of the guy, always thought he is very overrated in the defensive zone and I still get into arguments about why he shouldn't have won the Norris. Tonight, he impressed me for the most part. Hopefully his play can continue this way.

[wrangler 157]

Yeah, that was one of Keith's brain farts that really mystify me, since he's such a good player. Crawford was strong, helping keep them in it until they got some scoring.

CSNChicago reports that Smith will be joining the team on the circus trip.

[wrangler 157]

Seabrook will be making the trip to Pittsburgh with the Hawks, ESPN Chicago reports. According to the report, the team said he didn't return to the game last night "for precautionary reasons". During the game they called it an "upper-body injury".

My wife heard on the radio that he will play, but that may have been analyst speculation.

Interesting differences between the ESPN and TSN power rankings, with the Hawks in first and fifth, respectively.

http://espn.go.com/nhl/powerrankings/_/season/2012/week/12

http://www.tsn.ca/fantasy_news/rankings/nhl/

It seems as though the ESPN rankings may change a bit more quickly, as teams do better or worse.

[Chadd 916]

The Hawks have better depth defensemen than they had over the last couple years but Seabrook is Keith's security blanket. Nobody on the team has been able to cover for him as well as Seabrook has over the last few years. If he misses much time, it will hurt them. As a fan, I would rather have him miss time now than having him play at 50% or 75% and potentially hurt himself again.

[Fury of One 6]

Too funny...

[wrangler 157]

We've seen way too much of that on Chicago TV lately. That's the only time I've seen Sharp act shy.

[wrangler 157]

Nice play by Carcillo to set up Toews for a goal. It didn't take him long to follow it with a bonehead check for 5 and a game, with the Oilers scoring twice on the ensuing power play. This guy's chronic idiocy is even more annoying when he shows he can play hockey occasionally.

[milezone 0]

jimmy hayes dominating.

[wrangler 157]

Jimmy Hayes has been looking great since he showed up. Size, speed, strength, hands, feet, you name it -- he could be special.

[goliath_2 0]

Hayes is looking great - lots of heart on the ice. Stalberg and Hossa were absolutely on fire tonight, although it worries me that the Hawks were out-shot by such a weak team. Let's put the last week behind us with this win.

[wrangler 157]

They've been giving up a lot of shots this year, and have been outshot way too many games.

[goliath_2 0]

Awesome - the lesser names are stepping up and working hard. Excellent game for Bolland tonight and the young guys (Hayes, Shaw). Also, the PP is starting to look better. The next 9 days are gonna be a big test, especially with Sharpie on the mend.

[BlueJacketBadger 0]

Good win for the Hawks tonight. The Wild are tough this year and beating them by 3 goals is no small feat.

[wrangler 157]

It's nice to get a couple wins after the losing streak, but they were against teams on their own bad streaks. The Wild hasn't won a road game for quite a while, and has been playing poorly since their hot streak ended. Including tonight, they're 2-7-1 in their last 10, as are the Bluejackets.

Let's hope the Hawks can keep rolling against much better teams this weekend.