Re: NHL (Blackhawks included) offseason thread

[RynoRules]

I've seen multiple people on facebook claim the Hawks won't make the playoffs. I guess I assumed since hockey had less fans than the other big 3 that there weren't as many morons, but maybe not

 

Hawks have an awful lot of bandwagon fans at the moment.

 

Yup. Sadly all they have to do is look at a list of starting goalies on SC winning teams for the last twenty years to relaize that losing Niemi isn't going to be anywhere near as important as they think.

[Magnetic Curses]

I've seen multiple people on facebook claim the Hawks won't make the playoffs. I guess I assumed since hockey had less fans than the other big 3 that there weren't as many morons, but maybe not

 

Hawks have an awful lot of bandwagon fans at the moment.

 

That I can understand, but I've seen people who've played hockey much of their lives saying this. Like Jersey, I'm far from an expert at hockey, but this just seems like common sense. It's people falling in love with what happened in the playoffs, and thinking that Byfuglien and Niemi were the reason this team was so good.

 

like baseball, some of the biggest hockey morons are the ones who have played it competitively.

[UMFan83]

maybe the blackhawks should just get rid of the whole Stanley cup team! f~ing morons! but the bears team keeps looking more and more solid monsters of the midway b¡£€hes

 

really blackhawks really no more neimi says no. wtf were gonna suck ass marty turco for real ugh

 

there goes naemi, yet another great move by the blackhawks this offseason.

HA

 

Chicago Blackhawks are [expletive] stupid !!! This team will fail next season period! Jokess

 

two words for the blackhawks...really [expletive]

 

Ok im more calm today knowing my favorite goalie is no longer on my team still i hope he goes somewhere good and when the blackhawks do play that team i hope he shuts us out and reminds stan bowman of what a idiot he is

 

Niemi is the next victim of the Blackhawks yard sale...looks like their gonna be back where they belong next year. Bottom of the Western Conference...awesome.

 

not to happy right now, just found out that the blackhawks traded niemi!

 

I'm always going to say this the Niklas Hjalmarrson signing the worst decision made by the Hawks. Antti Niemi should have gotten that contract.

 

So the Blackhawks walk away from Niemi, and sign Turco. Will be lucky if we make the playoffs this year.

 

Chicago Blackhawks r [expletive] oh let's sign a aged goalie that never won a Stanley cup n let's let our Stanley cup winning goalie go. I feel bad for ya Blackhawks fans, this is coming from a blues fan

Blackhawks: WTF?? Now you're not going to re-sign Stanley Cup Champion goaltender Niemi?? BIG mistake...

 

Response: why would they want to repeat? they can cut salary and make more profit. Hey it's been working for the cubs for about 100 years. Dollar Bill's son did not fall far from the tree.

 

Response: Yeah. This is why I don't watch Chicago sports. Lol. They have talent, they don't have "money". Then they pay they people that don't deserve it, as Mr. Deng for the Bulls proved this point. Or they trade the player and then they become as star elsewhere.

 

Response: I don't watch hockey often, but I know that they should've kept Neimi. And then they basically going to have a new line-up. Idk. Jon Madden gone too. Idk if I'm going to watch the first half of the season

 

Not a good move for the Blackhawks.. They will not repeat for the cup Goaltending is like the old saying in baseball" Good Pitching always Wins !! You need a awesome goalie to make it and win the Stanley Cup. Turco is getting up there in age for an athlete.Niemi was solid, he was another Patrick Roy. Chicago could have built a new dynasty for years to come. But it's all about the money not winning. I feel sorry for the Chicago Blackhawk fans. Good luck next season.

 

pissed about the way the Blackhawks handled the whole Antti Niemi thing. Opportunity called and Dollar Bill Wirtz answered from the grave. Sounds reminiscent of the following conversation the Hawks brass likely had 20 years ago regarding another young goalie: "So do we go ahead and pay this Hasek kid or let him walk? Nah, he won't amount to anything."

 

I cannot believe the blackhawks said goodbye to Anton Neimi. Chicago will be in the same shoes as New York. They hate the Yankees that traded Babe Ruth to the Boston Red Sox.

 

Sheesh! Win the Cup, dismantle the team... Guess the Wirtz colors are shining through!

 

I could read and post these all day. This is why Facebook and Twitter is bad for people. Everyone thinks they are experts since they have a soapbox.

[SouthSideRyan]

I cannot believe the blackhawks said goodbye to Anton Neimi. Chicago will be in the same shoes as New York. They hate the Yankees that traded Babe Ruth to the Boston Red Sox.

 

Ok, that was clearly tongue in cheek

[kujay]

^I really don't get the interest in what anonymous dopes who obviously know nothing about hockey have to say about the situation. Yes, there are tons of bandwagoners at this point. They fell in love with a team for a few weeks or maybe even months. That's fine.

 

But I don't get the obsession with them.

[Soul]

I could read and post these all day.

 

You could. But that would be a waste of good time. It would also represent a net subtraction of the # of total heartbeats your life is composed of, which could have been better spent on, well.......just about anything else.

[UMFan83]

^I really don't get the interest in what anonymous dopes who obviously know nothing about hockey have to say about the situation. Yes, there are tons of bandwagoners at this point. They fell in love with a team for a few weeks or maybe even months. That's fine.

 

But I don't get the obsession with them.

 

Because its funny reading uninformed people act like they are informed.

[Prizefight]

My brain hurts :(

[Banedon]

Wait what? Did we trade Anton Neimi for Babe Ruth or for Patrick Roy? I'm confused.

[Magnetic Curses]

JOHN MADDEN GONE TOO!!!!!! OH NOES

[Magnetic Curses]

but seriously, what are these people going to say when niemi isn't even a starter next year?

 

i don't see many options at all for him, and he won't get 2.75 from anyone. i like the message bowman sent: we will not be held hostage.

[Butterscup1679666578]

you guys will be sorry when antwan naomi is the mvp next year

[Exile on Waveland]

I've seen multiple people on facebook claim the Hawks won't make the playoffs. I guess I assumed since hockey had less fans than the other big 3 that there weren't as many morons, but maybe not

 

Hawks have an awful lot of bandwagon fans at the moment.

 

That I can understand, but I've seen people who've played hockey much of their lives saying this. Like Jersey, I'm far from an expert at hockey, but this just seems like common sense. It's people falling in love with what happened in the playoffs, and thinking that Byfuglien and Niemi were the reason this team was so good.

 

I'm no expert either, but I'm not sure how one looks at a team with Toews, Kane, Hossa, Keith, etc., and thinks they aren't a playoff team. The depth took a hit this offseason, but the front-line players remain intact.

[Soul]

Look at the frontline players the Hawks can put on the ice. It's still a contender, certainly. There's still a heck of a lot of talent on that roster.

[bukie]

The third and fourth lines will probably be weaker next season, at least at the start. The starting goalie difference will be at worst a wash with a 35 year old Turco replacing a 27 year Niemi, if Niemi improves and Turco declines. The third defensive pairing is an unknown, but would be difficult to get worse than last year. Past that, the top two lines should see improved play both offensively and defensively.

 

Basically, the team is stronger up top, and weaker on the back end.

[kujay]

but seriously, what are these people going to say when niemi isn't even a starter next year?

 

i don't see many options at all for him, and he won't get 2.75 from anyone. i like the message bowman sent: we will not be held hostage.

 

If there was a cap-friendly offer out there for, say, 3 years and $7-8M and he turned it down, he's got to be kicking himself right now. This may be his best chance to cash out.

[Prizefight]

The third and fourth lines will probably be weaker next season, at least at the start. The starting goalie difference will be at worst a wash with a 35 year old Turco replacing a 27 year Niemi, if Niemi improves and Turco declines. The third defensive pairing is an unknown, but would be difficult to get worse than last year. Past that, the top two lines should see improved play both offensively and defensively.

 

Basically, the team is stronger up top, and weaker on the back end.

 

 

I think it's very possible our 3rd defensive pairing could be even better this year. Hendry is another year older

and gained some valuable experience. And then I like some combo of Scott/Lalonde/McGee/Jay McKee if they sign him to work with him.

 

 

I'm very excited about this team

[kujay]

The third and fourth lines will probably be weaker next season, at least at the start. The starting goalie difference will be at worst a wash with a 35 year old Turco replacing a 27 year Niemi, if Niemi improves and Turco declines. The third defensive pairing is an unknown, but would be difficult to get worse than last year. Past that, the top two lines should see improved play both offensively and defensively.

 

Basically, the team is stronger up top, and weaker on the back end.

 

 

I think it's very possible our 3rd defensive pairing could be even better this year. Hendry is another year older

and gained some valuable experience. And then I like some combo of Scott/Lalonde/McGee/Jay McKee if they sign him to work with him.

 

 

I'm very excited about this team

 

There's no reason to think Hendry won't be improved, and even he's not, that's fine. What we got from him last year was just fine and will be again. It sounds like Scott will get every chance to get on the ice on a nightly basis, if for no other reason than they will need him out there. Without the other enforcers, he's one of those guys they will need for that role. Jay McKee certainly won't get that job done. And let's not write Kyle Beach's name on the Keith Magnuson Trophy just yet.

 

*Yes, I just made that up. There is no Keith Magnuson Trophy. Though there probably should be.

[kujay]

THN's thoughts on the loss of Niemi:

 

http://www.thehockeynews.com/articles/34676-The-Boylen-Point-Will-the-Blackhawks-miss-Antti-Niemi.html

[bukie]

THN's thoughts on the loss of Niemi:

 

http://www.thehockeynews.com/articles/34676-The-Boylen-Point-Will-the-Blackhawks-miss-Antti-Niemi.html

That's an odd conclusion he came to based on what he said in the article.

[Banedon]

THN's thoughts on the loss of Niemi:

 

http://www.thehockeynews.com/articles/34676-The-Boylen-Point-Will-the-Blackhawks-miss-Antti-Niemi.html

That's an odd conclusion he came to based on what he said in the article.

 

And he latched on to a really obscure stat that doesn't really mean anything.

[Soul]

Yeah, that article was pretty baffling to say the least.

[kujay]

I think he was just trying to be contrarian and found a stat to back up his point. I wasn't agreeing with him, just hadn't seen much out there analyzing the situation. Most of the hockey media is on holiday about now.

 

Will be very interested to see where he goes. There was an Insider article listing five destinations, but I let that subscription lapse. Anyone know where it said Niemi might go?

[Butterscup1679666578]

The Chicago Blackhawks have signed forwards Evan Brophey, Nathan Davis and Hugh Jessiman, defenseman Jassen Cullimore, and goaltender Hannu Toivonen to one-year contracts.

 

http://blackhawks.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=535475

[Guest]

The Chicago Blackhawks have signed forwards Evan Brophey, Nathan Davis and Hugh Jessiman, defenseman Jassen Cullimore, and goaltender Hannu Toivonen to one-year contracts.

 

http://blackhawks.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=535475

I'm still trying to figure out how these things work in hockey. Does this mean the Hawks have just retained these guys and can play them in Rockford, or does this mean they are all Blackhawks and will count against the cap?