brinoch

Ridiculous criticism. Huet has been very good this game. Screens happen -- particularly that play.

It was kind of a weak penalty call. I've seen much worse on both sides.

The pics were taken after the Hawks lost, from what I understand.

8 points is okay for this roadtrip. 10 points would be great for this roadtrip. 12 points would be incredible for this roadtrip. I think Q's measuring stick was 8 for okay, and double digits would be great.

It's a 2 on 1. The goalie's responsibility is the shooter, he can't move until the puck is passed. The defender's responsibility is to make sure that the puck carrier can't stick handle across the crease and to ensure the pass doesn't get through. When the pass does get through, there will be an open net. There was absolutely nothing Huet could do there.

I was thinking about that as well, that last goal was super soft. Wait -- the 2-1 against the Sedins was soft? Give me a break.

It's Vancouver. That's how they play. And Huet has been good.

Points per game / percentages updated: Overall: 74/102 (51 games), 1.45 ppg / 72.5% of possible points Home: 43/54 (27 games), 1.59 ppg / 79.6% of possible points Road: 31/48 (24 games), 1.29 ppg / 64.6% of possible points Rough estimation: 118 points, 53 road / 65 home. This breaks down to about 22 more points on the road (in 17 games) and about 22 more at home (in 14 games). Post-Strike President's Trophy winners: 08/09 -- SJS, 117 points 07/08 -- DET, 115 points 06/07 -- BUF, 113 points (DET also had 113) 05/06 -- DET, 124 points

If it is Grade II and Dempsey heals up okay, I think the rest and the break might really be good for him.

Third game in four days. They looked tired and just didn't play well.

UMFan, you're really not making sense here -- sorry, dude. If you are evaluating 60 minutes, then evaluate it for wins and losses. The Blackhawks are 11-6 on the road with 1 win in overtime and 3 losses in shootouts. In old hockey terms, they are 12-6-3 (those are ties). But the reality is that winning percentages are less important than points per game and the percentage of total points. The 'Hawks have taken 27 of 42 points, or 64% of the potential points. That's almost 1.3 points per game (1.29). Over an entire season, 1.29 ppg is 105.8 points. For the sake of comparison, the Blackhawks scored 104 points last season. Looking another way, 1.3 points over 41 games is 52.9 points on the road. For comparison's sake, here are some point totals from last season (in playoff order): Eastern Conference 1. Boston -- 52 2. Washington -- 47 3. New Jersey -- 49 4. Pittsburgh -- 46 5. Philadelphia -- 47 6. Carolina -- 44 7. NYR -- 39 8. Montreal -- 38 Western Conference 1. San Jose -- 49 2. Detroit -- 53 3. Vancouver -- 47 4. Chicago -- 48 5. Calgary -- 40 6. St. Louis -- 41 7. Columbus -- 39 8. Anaheim -- 46 The Blackhawks are on pace to tie the best road record from last season. How is that "struggling"? Additionally, I think you can't really compare between the two conferences. The Eastern Conference is not as good as the Western Conference and the disparity isn't close. Looking at NJ, Pitt and Buff is very misleading -- to the point of apples to oranges.

Actually, I've made the point that we can't trade Campbell without taking someone back, but since we're in agreement on his value your point still holds. The more I think about the future, the more I think we'll see Versteeg, Byguflien and Barker traded.

Wow, dex. I really think you should watch the way Campbell brings the puck up the ice. DVR the game tomorrow and watch it twice, once for the game and a second time just focus on Campbell. He adds a tremendous dimension to the offense with his skating and puck control. The Keith/Seabrook and Campbell/Hjalmarrson pairings really allow Keith and Campbell to be creative and that jump starts the offense.

The biggest problem I see with that proposal is that the Hawks aren't especially deep with defensemen, so it would limit their already thin back line. Wouldn't they also stand to save more if they could move, say, Campbell, anyway? I could see them trying to move Campbell and then one of Sharp/Versteeg/Byfuglien. I think it's debatable whether they would be thin with Defensemen. Sopel does good things on the PK, but he's very slow and overpaid for a 5/6. Likewise, I think Barker is overpaid for a 5/6. On a lot of teams, though, those guys would easily be the 3/4 pairing. Take a team like the Rangers... they would *love* to have those two guys. Plus, while they might save more moving Campbell, the reality is that his contract probably makes him difficult to trade (you'd have to take contracts back) and the dynamic he's brought to the offense is worth a lot. Watch when Keith or Campbell are able to penetrate the zone -- or when they draw defenders to them near the blue line. With three forwards also moving forward, you can overload a side and create odd man rushes for shots or get deep into the zone without dumping. That really makes the offense hum. I think Byfuglien needs to go. He has very good potential, but so do several other young minor league players who make a lot less. I definitely would move Barker and Byfuglien. Heck, you can move Byfuglien for a pick now with Burish and Bolland soon to be back. The idea of buying out Huet is very interesting. I tend to think that goalies are kind of like relievers in baseball -- they fluctuate from year to year, so you shouldn't invest too much into them. Unless you have just an absolute awesome goalie, I'd go the Detroit model and just get two who are good enough.

I'm pretty sure that the size of Soldier Field's surface doesn't meet the FIFA standards for the sideline and endline.

I'd say that it depends on how much of the core personnel is the same. For example, the Hawks are largely the same team from last season, so using their track record from 08/09 to think about 09/10 is pretty reasonable. The Ducks have made a lot of changes over the past two years; I think they have one D-man from the 07 team left, for example. But, under Carlyle, they've been a very strong second half team each of the four years he's been there. I think the Ducks are a pretty decent team and they have an outside shot at the playoffs. If they make it, it'll be because they've played great hockey over the entire second half of the season. Would you want to play one of the hottest second half teams in the first round? Me neither.

I posted this earlier, but I think it's pretty certain that the Hawks will resign Niemi and Hjalmarsson. Consider the defense first for the moment -- with the eventual signings of Hjalmarsson and Niemi included. The goalies and top two defensive pairings are set with Keith - Seabrook and Campbell - Hjalmarsson. The third pairing and depth aren't certain to stay. Barker and Sopel are both under contract for $3.1M and $2M, respectively. Hendry is an RFA. For an average of 13:30 and 14:15 of ice time per game, Barker and Sopel are overpaid (though Sopel is a strong PK asset) for your 5/6 pairing. Look for Barker to be traded and it is possible that both will be gone. Given the relative paucity of prospect D-men in system, Hendry will likely be resigned inexpensively and one or two depth defensemen (depending on Sopel) will be signed. You can easily save money here, but how much? It's tough to say what Hjalmarsson and Niemi will get. There are a lot of available of both top-line and back-up goalies on the market, and the going rate isn't that much. Call it $1M for Niemi. Hjalmarsson will get more -- probably $2-3M. In this scenario, the Blackhawks probably save a million or so.

Definitely not. All those guys have graduated to the Blackhawks. And this is one reason why I think that Bowman will trade some of Barker, Sharp, Versteeg, Bufyglien, and Ladd for picks and young talent.

Well of course. He doesn't get hit in practice.

In after lock!

I'm rooting for the Colts. I'm still pissed that they sat the starters, but I understand why they did it. Caldwell wants to win the SB and doesn't give a crap about being undefeated; fair enough. I just care about being entertained by great football and Painter... well... 'nuff said. With that in mind, I want to see the Ravens beat the Patriots and the Bengals beat the Jets. That sends the Bengals against the Chargers, which is a winnable game for the Bengals, I think; they certainly played a good game there last month. In the NFC, I really don't want to see any of the teams do well. Obviously, as a Bears fan, I don't want to see the Vikings or Packers do anything. Likewise, the Eagles have beaten us too many times in the Playoffs for my liking, so they are right out. The Cowboys I simply hate. The Cardinals irritate me because they play in a crappy division. So that leaves the Saints to cheer for, by default.

I think the Hawks would have to give up at least and equal amount in salary to get Kovalchuk. So the pricetag is going to be high. I think something else to consider as a Hawks fan is this, if the Hawks dont get him who will? $7.5M in salary isn't that much. Sharp ($4.0), Barker ($3.0) and one of Beach/Skille/Aliu would cover that for this season. But I don't think that Sharpie and Barker would get it done. I think Atlanta would want a cheaper, more plentiful package. Something like Versteeg, Byfuglien, and Baker, plus Aliu/Skille and a pick. To me, I think the cost in players would just be too high for a rental. Plus, If you trade Barker or Sopel, you need to get a defenseman back -- the d-man corps is pretty thin in Rockford. I think the Hawks plan to follow the Detroit/Pittsburgh model and trade their good, but not great, young talent for picks to develop a deep talent pool to allow for pipeline of cheap, young talented players. Ultimately, I think Atlanta will re-sign him. But, yeah, it would be really annoying to see him go to LA or Vancouver. I don't know. This team is great right now. Do we really want to start messing with it mid-stream like that? I think Sharp is a significant contributor to the 2009/2010 Hawks. Maybe his future is with another team, but right now? He's a guy who is doing very good things for us. I'm hesitant to want to upset that apple cart. Give me a goalie upgrade possibility. I understand the uncertainty. I don't think the team needs Kovalchuk, but eventually, they will need to make some trades -- either in February or after the season. Assuming the cap stays about the same, we're carrying way too much payroll for next season. That means significant changes need to be made. Unless you can clear Campbell off the books, I think that some of the guys among Sharp, Eager, Burish, Ladd, Kopecky, Bolland, Versteeg, Barker, Madden (I'd love to see Madden come back, by the way. He's been great), Sopel and Byfuglien will be gone. They will absolutely resign Hjalmarsson and Niemi and they will make qualifying offers to all their RFA's (unless traded early), but they won't be able to keep everyone.

No chance. I'm happy with Huet/Niemi.

I think the Hawks would have to give up at least and equal amount in salary to get Kovalchuk. So the pricetag is going to be high. I think something else to consider as a Hawks fan is this, if the Hawks dont get him who will? $7.5M in salary isn't that much. Sharp ($4.0), Barker ($3.0) and one of Beach/Skille/Aliu would cover that for this season. But I don't think that Sharpie and Barker would get it done. I think Atlanta would want a cheaper, more plentiful package. Something like Versteeg, Byfuglien, and Baker, plus Aliu/Skille and a pick. To me, I think the cost in players would just be too high for a rental. Plus, If you trade Barker or Sopel, you need to get a defenseman back -- the d-man corps is pretty thin in Rockford. I think the Hawks plan to follow the Detroit/Pittsburgh model and trade their good, but not great, young talent for picks to develop a deep talent pool to allow for pipeline of cheap, young talented players. Ultimately, I think Atlanta will re-sign him. But, yeah, it would be really annoying to see him go to LA or Vancouver.

If Kovalchuk can be had fairly cheaply, I say go for it. But the more I read on it, the more I think that's just not going to be the case. It seems pretty serious down in Atlanta. They might move, and if Kovalchuk goes, I think they just won't have the fan support to stay viable in Atlanta.