This team reminds me a lot of the 2005-07 Hawks where they are in that weird transition period between full on rebuild and young, budding contender. The goal of this season isn't so much to take a big step as it is to change the culture to one of optimism for 2025-26. Maroon, Martinez, Foligno are the Lapointe, Aucion, Cullimore for this team. Guys brought in to inject the winner's mentality and provide leadership to a young group of kids. I have a feeling we will look back on this season as a really important step forward. The Hawks will finish below .500, but they're gonna be competitive every night.