Lessons to be Learned from the Chicago Blackhawks
by Dustin Burfiend on May 27, 2010 11:33 AM MDT
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The Chicago Blackhawks have steamrolled their way through the Western Conference this season and look to be unstoppable on their way to a Cup. The Blackhawks have done this despite only having two super high draft picks (Jonathan Toews (3) and Patrick Kane (1) ) making them more akin to the Avalanche than say the Pens ( two 1st picks and two 2nd picks in four years). Like the Avs, many of their better players came from lower rounds (Dave Bolland, Dustin Byfuglien, Duncan Keith and I'd make a crack about Craig Anderson if Antti Niemi wasn't so f*cking good) so the Hawks are a good example of how to build a contender through the draft. Here are a few lessons the Avs could stand to learn from them:
1) The potentials and pitfalls of free agency. Obviously it is impossible to make a team solely out of draft picks. The Hawks have done a few things right and a few things wrong in augmenting their team with free agents. Patrick Sharp was an outstanding signing by this team, bringing leadership and consistent goal-scoring for 3.9 mil against the cap. Brent Sopel brings stability to the defense and John Madden is a wily defensive-minded vet both for less than 3 mil. The Avs already have a lot of these pieces in players like Milan Hejduk at an excellent 3 mil, Scott Hannan who still makes a boatload but would be excellent next summer at 2-3 mil and Stephane Yelle and that needs to be the message for the Avs during free agency: established talent that augments the team at a decent price. Paul Stastny, Matt Duchene and Chris Stewart are the superstars of this team and the Avs need to remember that because there is a dark side to free agency.
I am talking, of course, of Marian Hossa, Brian Campbell and Cristobal Huet, three players that count for a combined 18 mil against the cap. Now they are all good players but lets look at what they bring to the team. Hossa is the best bringing 24 goals in an injury shortened season, defensive acumen and Stanley Cup experience but his play during the playoffs (2 goals) leaves a lot to be desired for the highest paid forward on the team. Brian Campbell is a great puck-moving defenseman but on the Hawks is a second-pair defenseman and has all of 3 assists during the playoffs. Huet is riding the bench as a backup. Back in the day this wouldn't have been so bad but with the salary cap its potentially going to cost them some quality players like Andrew Ladd, Madden, Ben Eager and Niklas Hjalmarsson this summer and perhaps Byfuglien, Troy Brouwer and Sopel next summer. This is bad because lesson number two say...
2) Depth is good. When going for a cup, the bottom six forwards on the team are just as important as the top six. The Sharks learned this to their dismay when they had no answer for the Hawk's 3rd and 4th lines (okay, they had no answer for any line but my point still stands). Let me show you something interesting: the top ten goal scorers in the NHL this season were Sidney Crosby, Steven Stamkos, Alex Ovechkin, Patrick Marleau, Marian Gaborik, Ilya Kovalchuk Alexander Semin, Dany Heatley, Zach Parise and Alexandre Burrows. The common thread between them? None are in the Stanley Cup finals. I am not saying that it is foolish to have these players on a team but it is foolish to throw a boatload of money at them (can you guess where I stand on Kovie?). The Hawks had no goal scorer in the top ten but had six (!) players who scored more than twenty goals and five more with at least ten. The Flyers are the same way, none in the top ten but ten with ten or more goals. Note that the Avalanche had nine players with ten or more and four with twenty or more. We'd all like to see a top flight LW join the team but the Avs offense already had the potential to be outstanding.
3) Get big. The Hawks just basically ran over the biggest team in hockey in part because they could match the physicality of the enormous Sharks. Now the Hawks aren't as big as the Sharks but they were big enough not to let the Sharks size play too big a roll. In actuality, the Avs and the Hawks have comparable size in forwards (though the Avs could use a massive guy like Byfuglien but, then again, who couldn't?) but the Avs defense is just too small. Now, again, the Hawks aren't huge. Seabrook is their biggest guy at 6'3'' and 218 but there isn't a single defenseman under 6'0'' while the Avs have two 5"10" guys in John-Michael Liles and Kyle Cumiskey and the biggest guy is slow, old Adam Foote at 6'2'' and 220. Kevin Shattenkirk is 5'11'' so if he makes the team do the Avs play three guys under 6'? It can't happen in the rough and tumble Western Conference. The Avs defense has to get bigger.
4) Create a buzz. This is essential for a team creating through the draft to create a buzz around their team. Duchene, Stewart, T.J. Galiardi: all these guys are tremendously fun to watch but few beyond the hardcore fans know who they are. Obviously winning games does a lot to draw the fans back but the Avs need to take it a step further. The Hawks have done some silly things like walking down a red carpet or painting a big mural of a pug-nosed Toews but they got people back into the building so they could fall in love with Kane and Toews and Keith. The Avs need to get out and stir up some excitement in Denver. The fanbase is there and the team is winning again. There is no excuse for having attendance problems again next season.
I am sure there is more we could learn from such an outstanding hockey team but those 4 points are critical for the Avs moving forward.
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The Avs need to get out and stir up some excitement in Denver.
You mean THE AVALANCHE EXPERIENCE didn’t get us going?
Go Rockies! First and only member of the Manuel Corpas fanclub right here! :/
Everyone's favorite Buffalo Rumblings Anti-Tebow blowhard!
THIS IS BUFFALO NATION GODZILLA HAS AWAKEN - abayarde
Hmmm
This sounds a little too anti-Kovie to be posted in the Summer of Kovie.
"By the age of 18, the average American has witnessed 200,000 acts of violence on television, most of them occurring during Game 1 of the NHL playoff series." ~Steve Rushin
I agree. Lets burn the witch.
The existence of flamethrowers is proof that someone, somewhere, said to himself, "I want to set those people over there on fire, but I don't feel like walking over there to do it."
Avs fan in Sharks country.
Jimmy Howard is the new bacon. He makes everything better.
But how do you know it’s a witch?
The Philadelphia Flyers: Let's do it for Lappy, man. We'll do it for Lappy!
by Cheryl Bradley on May 28, 2010 2:28 PM MDT up reply actions
Does it float?
The existence of flamethrowers is proof that someone, somewhere, said to himself, "I want to set those people over there on fire, but I don't feel like walking over there to do it."
Screw the Wings.
For everything that Chicago is doing right, they are in big cap trouble when the new contracts kick in next year. They might not keep on of their best playoff performers in Byfuglien and likely will lose their second line center in Sharp. Going forward they need cheap/developing centers and goaltending.
But, they are living it up at the moment under the quickly developed draft picks. Kane is exceptionally talented but the bread and butter of their youth is Toews and Keith.
The Avs are building up the middle and I think that’s the best long-term development strategy.
One thing all teams have to be carefull of is trying to mimic the latest champion. After the Ducks won, it was popular to load up on bruising forwards. When Detroit won, everyone thought you needed puck possession Euros. I know this is a repeated mantra of mine but the only thing Stanley cup winning teams have in common is that they are always strong at center through at least three lines. Of course they all have strong goaltending and good to very good top pairing on D.
Chicago will win the cup and come back next year with Kane, Toews and Hossa as well as a still-solid defensive corps. I think a lot of teams would be thrilled with that. Not to mention, hockey is now the talk of the town in Chicago, and there’s value in that, too.
I don’t know the situation with Chicago’s farm system, so they may have the cheap replacements to make the team a SC contender again. But I can’t blame them for striking when the iron was hot.
"By the age of 18, the average American has witnessed 200,000 acts of violence on television, most of them occurring during Game 1 of the NHL playoff series." ~Steve Rushin
We have some decent guys in Rockford
but the capocalypse will hit us hard. We’re hoping the “ONE GOAL” campaign can finish itself this year. The Avs team reminds me alot of the Hawks which is why I like to watch you guys too. I see you being a strong contender for the next few years.
I went to a fight the other night and a hockey game broke out.
- Rodney Dangerfield
Am I the only one?
Who thinks we could have given the Hawks one hell of a run?
The existence of flamethrowers is proof that someone, somewhere, said to himself, "I want to set those people over there on fire, but I don't feel like walking over there to do it."
Avs fan in Sharks country.
Jimmy Howard is the new bacon. He makes everything better.
Except for Byfuglien getting 19 goals in one series, maybe. NO way could we have moved him out of the crease on the regular
MHH- A drinking site with a hockey problem
Detroit Sucks
He was on the blueline at the start of the playoffs though…
I spent more effort eating a pudding than Tyler Arnason skated last year.
Two Things Stand Out
1- I like the idea of having numerous players who can score, rather than one or two “superstars” with a lesser supporting cast. We are well positioned for a balanced offense as our forwards develop. If the Avs were to add a top-flight LW I’d vote for Patrick Marleau- experience, size, speed, mentor to Stewart, Jones and Stoa, and keep him away from the dead things.
2- Bigger defense! I’d be happy if the Avs traded Liles and Cuminsky for draft picks, move up in the first round, whatever. Shattenkirk is listed on BU’s roster at 6’ 198 lbs- bigger than Liles or Cuminsky. Play him with his BU defensive partner Colby Cohen and be done with it- we get more size, a better PP Q-back in Shattenkirk, Cohen’s big shot from the point, and new prospects for the future.
I agree that Marleau would be nice, but I don’t think he’s going anywhere. If SJS has to choose between keeping Nabakov or Marleau (and they likely will), they’re keeping the guy that actually played more or less like his paycheck in the DET and CHI series. That wasn’t Nabby. Marleau was drafted by SJS and has been there since. Given his druthers, he ain’t goin’ nowhere. I would be highly interested in helping CHI with their cap problem by taking Sharp though! :)
I don’t think that the Avs are going to trade both Hotpocket and Roadrunner. Not before the trade deadline next season, at least. I could easily see one of them go, but we had better get a strong, NHL ready defender in return (by trade or draft pick). I hope to be surprised, but I’ve not seen any indication that Cohen is NHL ready right now. Shattenkirk maybe, but I can’t see them as a pairing this year. Too much potential for disaster.
Dylan McIlrath FTW!!! Think Rob Blake, but with a mean streak and less “gentlemanly” (well, maybe not so much less). ME WANT!!!!!!
2009-2010 Colorado Avalanche - Much more gooderer than last year!
While I wouldn't mind McIlrath
he’s anything but Rob Blake. He’s a big dude that is a hell of a fighter and a hard shot. He’s not the skater, minute eater, or all around player that Blake was. I think McIlrath’s ceiling is a bruising second pairing guy; not a #1 like Blake.
by ExiledAmongYou on May 27, 2010 10:05 PM MDT up reply actions
I’ll admit that I’ve only seen him in 2 games, but most all of the reports I read about him say that the kid can skate pretty damned well and has a good defensive sense and respectable offensive skills to go with his bomb from the point (remember that Avs fans? You may have to think, way, way back).
Have you seen a lot of him that leads you to disagree? Getting access to CHL hockey here in COL is damned near impossible.
2009-2010 Colorado Avalanche - Much more gooderer than last year!
Sounds like if this is all true, there’s no way he slips to 17. There has to be some negative if he’s falling that far because every team is looking for what you describe above.
"By the age of 18, the average American has witnessed 200,000 acts of violence on television, most of them occurring during Game 1 of the NHL playoff series." ~Steve Rushin
There are quite a few comparably sized defensement with much more pronounced and developed offensive aspects and even better skating than McIlrath. The Mike Green prototype is en vogue at the moment. I’m not saying that McIlrath is the second coming of Blake per se, but the kid is big, likes to hit, plays well defensively (though almost certianly not at the NHL level yet) has a bomb of a shot and can skate pretty well. Sounds pretty good to me…
2009-2010 Colorado Avalanche - Much more gooderer than last year!
Sounds VERY good, which is why I guess I I’d be surprised if he fell to 17. I forget that other teams don’t have a full clip of puck-moving defensemen in their system and that those type of guys might go earlier.
"By the age of 18, the average American has witnessed 200,000 acts of violence on television, most of them occurring during Game 1 of the NHL playoff series." ~Steve Rushin
The Hawks currently have 14 players signed going into next season
and are over the cap already.
They’ve built through the draft and free agency but I think their depth will be gutted before next season.
"Douglas Murray is a humongous human being." – Drew Remenda
And I would like the Avs to be the team that guts them. Huet + Sopel + Sharp for a middling prospect.
How about Huet, Sopel, and Versteeg
you can’t have Sharp
I went to a fight the other night and a hockey game broke out.
- Rodney Dangerfield
Meh
In my mind, Sharp is the centerpiece of that deal. Versteeg’s a nice winger, but 2nd/3rd line in my estimation. We’re looking for a top line winger and are one of a very few teams with the capacity to take on the behemoth contract of a backup/AHL goaltender.
2009-2010 Colorado Avalanche - Much more gooderer than last year!
Bill Wirtz is dead
So there’s no way they do that. Those three guys you mentioned can land them draft picks, which are the league’s new form of currency. I’m sure Scotty Bowman is just dying to help the Avs, as well.
"By the age of 18, the average American has witnessed 200,000 acts of violence on television, most of them occurring during Game 1 of the NHL playoff series." ~Steve Rushin
i disagree heartily
Huet has dramatic negative value. No one is paying draft picks for him, let alone taking him on at all. That’s why most people assume Huet will be buried in the minors/europe, causing the hawks to eat 2 years of his 5.625m salary. Most Chicago fans talk about deals like Sopel + 2nd for a 5th as well, or burying him in the minors too. he’s also got negative value. They might be able to trade them for equally bad contracts coming back, but that’s not viable considering their cap situation.
So, if they don’t want to just bury those guys in the minors, they must package something of value to the teams willing and able to take on that salary. The Avs are one of the few teams with the ability to take on that salary. it’s a straight up trade of the Avs’ short term cap space and money for the Hawks’ on-ice assets.
Why on God's green earth
would you want Huet and Sopel??
Could you take Huskins off our hands while you’re taking horribly stupid contracts?
"Douglas Murray is a humongous human being." – Drew Remenda
it's not about wanting Huet or Sopel
I want Sharp. The Avs have tons of short term cap space/money. Huet and Sopel chew up those assets for a year or 2 that would be wasted anyways.
The only way we’d use that space is for some giant UFA signings, namely on a guy like Kovy. But he’s a huge long term risk to the cap, possibly endangering our ability to sign the young guns down the road. Who wants a Brain Campbell situation? Not me! And Huet/Sopel are a fine backup and 7th defensemen on ice — spots we actually kinda need to fill.
Also, if you’re willing to offer value with Huskins, I’ve no issue taking him on either, same as Sopel. Say, Huskins + 2nd for our 5th, or Huskins + Petrecki for Cumiskey. Huskins is only under contract one for year, yeah?
Chicago is in a bad way as far as the cap and everybody knows it
You don’t even have to soak up bad contracts to get what you want from them, they have no choice. This is a similar situation that Ottawa was in last year with Heatley. They had no bargaining power and the rest of the league knew it. The Sharks were able to unload 2 bad contracts for Heatley. You can argue whether Heatley has a bad contract all on his own, but he at least produces.
They’re going to bleed good players on okay’ish contracts just to clear the space. You could probably get Sharp for a couple middling prospects. Similar to how we offloaded Lukowich and Ehrhoff to Vancouver for 2 guys that will probably never see the NHL (sure one was a former 1st round pick, but he’s doomed and everybody knows it).
"Douglas Murray is a humongous human being." – Drew Remenda
Okay, Take on Sopel
But you’d need to get Kieth if you’re going to take on a contract like Huet’s on sheer generosity.
Also, how is the Avs financial situation? Can the afford soaking up bad player on big contracts for a couple years? I know they had attendance problems. The Sharks sell out and we can’t really afford to be a cap team unless we go to the WCF’s… (last year was brutal on the organization)
"Douglas Murray is a humongous human being." – Drew Remenda
No, Keith would be too much imo. It’s only 2 years, and Huet isn’t THAT bad. But I think it’s worth Sharp to take on Huet and Sopel out of “generosity.” Campbell I wouldn’t take for less than Keith though. Hell, I might not even do that! Campbell’s contract is awe-inspiringly bad.
the Avs are in stellar shape for the next 2 years in terms of cap. we’re going to be only slightly above the cap floor this year without a major signing, and only have Andy and Galiardi due for major raises the next. Hejduk and Hannan are both UFAs next offseason too. Hejduk will retire most likely, and I bet we keep Hannan for a slight pay cut. So still tons of room.
The year after Duchene and O’Reilly will be due for big raises, and since we’ll most likely have added some bigger name forwards at that point, that’s when we need to start getting careful. But all very, very workable, even with some acquisitions in there.
as for financials, the Avs belong to KSE — Knoenke Sports something, along with the Nuggets and other smaller teams. Knoenke is a billionaire, so there’s no worries about liquidity. The Avs have lost money the last 2 years, but were profitable before that.
The attendance issue is majorly overblown, and centers mostly around the Avs having the 2nd highest avg ticket prices in the league (it might be ranked lower now, but it’s still incredibly high — no price cuts), not marketing the team in the slightest in the area, and the other sports teams in the area suddenly all getting good. The Avs front office appears to have taken for granted the rockies and nuggets would always suck. Now, they’re just as much fun to go see, and way cheaper.
As the team gains media attention, the front office figures it out, and the team doesn’t suck, I foresee few financial difficulties. Colorado continues to be one of the hottest hockey markets in the nation — just look at the TV numbers.
Huet isn't that bad
how would you feel if you had to pay Budaj 5 mil for the next 2 seasons?
Look, just don’t bail the Hawks out of their cap troubles for only Sharp.
"Douglas Murray is a humongous human being." – Drew Remenda
I think he’s worth it. And they’re still not bailed out, it’s only partway there. They will still most likely have to part with 1 or 2 of Buf, Versteeg, and Hjalmarsson.
There’s talk of the cap going up by $2M next year. This still means Chicago will need to shread salary to get a full roster under, but they’ll have more room to work with and may not be desperate enough to “gift” Sharp to a team willing to help.
"Here's your dream: Matt Duchene, can he do it?... HE CAN! HE DID IT! MATT DUCHENE AND THE AVS ARE IN THE PLAYOFFS!" - Mike Haynes
I thought it had been virtually guaranteed by Bettman it was a very small increase, like 200k?
http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=sbd.preview&articleID=139033
lebrun tweeted that Bettman said its likely to go up $2M
http://twitter.com/real_espnlebrun
"Here's your dream: Matt Duchene, can he do it?... HE CAN! HE DID IT! MATT DUCHENE AND THE AVS ARE IN THE PLAYOFFS!" - Mike Haynes
well, that would allow them to probably only lose Versteeg then. good link, thanks.
I will believe ESPN and LeBrun when it happens though. those guys over there are always saying crazy shit.
Yeh, I saw the link via Puck Daddy and didn’t give it much merit until I saw he was quoting Bettman. So I too am still skeptical. I didn’t think the NHL revenus were THAT strong this year.
"Here's your dream: Matt Duchene, can he do it?... HE CAN! HE DID IT! MATT DUCHENE AND THE AVS ARE IN THE PLAYOFFS!" - Mike Haynes
We signed Keith for 11 or 12 years so I don't think he is going anywhere.
I have a feeling Huet could be a good goalie, but the Hawks just weren’t the right fit for him. He needs to see more shots each game to keep in a rhythm. Don’t sell Sopel short either. He may not be the fastest skater, but he can make some smart plays and is willing to take a puck to the body to block a shot. I think people would be smart to go after Hjalmarsson, but I’m hoping we can keep him.
I went to a fight the other night and a hockey game broke out.
- Rodney Dangerfield
Just because we can take Huet and Sopel, doesn’t mean we should do it. Yeah, we kinda need to fill up those positions, but we could do that with Budaj at ~1m at most and a guy like Dennis Seidenberg, who’ll cost 1.5-2. Like Evilducks said, the Hawks are in NO position to negotiate whatsoever. They have to trade someone, and Sharp will come as cheap as it’s going to get by himself. If they bite on the deal, great. If not, Sharp isn’t someone who we need that terribly anyways, certainly not more than the Hawks need to unload someone.
If we want to rip someone off, might as well go all the way. No need to take more sunken costs than necessary. Don’t forget we already have 1.8m stuck in Lake Erie already.
I spent more effort eating a pudding than Tyler Arnason skated last year.
Don’t forget we already have1.82.75m stuck in Lake Erie already.
Fixed.
Much to our collective chagrin.
2009-2010 Colorado Avalanche - Much more gooderer than last year!
Right forgot. One more year >_>
…unless we buy him out.
I spent more effort eating a pudding than Tyler Arnason skated last year.
Yeah, Huskins has 1 year at 1.9 (1.7 hit). We don’t have a 2nd, and you aren’t getting our first :)
The contract really isn’t even that horrible, it’s about 700k too high, which isn’t worth a 2nd round pick. It’s just magnified when you’re against the cap.
"Douglas Murray is a humongous human being." – Drew Remenda
exactly. but the Avs aren’t taking on Huskins for anything less either, there’s be no reason to.
these kinda of deals are hard for fans of the teams losing players. They hate seeing on-ice or system value go for nothing but business needs like money or cap space. But it’s a reality of the business, and I’d like to see the Avs exploit the asset of their cap room for some extra on-ice and system value.
all assuming, of course, Kroenke will open the checkbook. :p
You get use to it
We lost Rivet so we could have Blake and Boyle.
Last year we lost Ehrhoff so we could have Heatley.
Them’s the breaks when your top line isn’t all on entry level deals (Stupid Chicago, thank god that’s over).
"Douglas Murray is a humongous human being." – Drew Remenda
in each of those circumstances, you got back more on-ice value though. Potentially losing Sharp (and for sure losing several good players, if not him) for literally NOTHING because your front office sucked 2 years ago really chaps Hawks fans. I feel their pain, the choices made with Sakic and Blake before the lockout caused us to lose Forsberg (my fav player, ever) and Foote. This is very similar.
But just as then, it could be the least of all evils.
Rumor has it from a friend of mine (who works for the Hawks) that the Avs and Hawks will open up against each other on October 7th next year. Place TBD
Colorado Avalanche: Back to the playoffs!
ha ha
he’s not going to leave the city :)
I went to a fight the other night and a hockey game broke out.
- Rodney Dangerfield
yeah, probably not. The reality of the situation is more likely:
Bury Huet
Bury/package with pick Sopel
Trade Versteeg and Buf for picks/prospects
Re-sign Hjalmarsson and Niemi
I think they’ll keep Sharp. He’s too valuable. But, with Buf playing so clutch, maybe not. They’re sure to lose 2 of those 3 guys though — Sharp, Versteeg, and Buf.
problem with Buff is that he seems to only come alive in the playoffs
Maybe he just found his spot with Kane and Toews, but really who wouldn’t play better between those two? I would think the Hawks would want to get rid of Buff before Sharp if it came down to choosing between the two.
I went to a fight the other night and a hockey game broke out.
- Rodney Dangerfield
How do they fill out the rest of their roster at that point?
Niemi and Hjalmarsson are going to eat up most of the space you just cleared and you still need 8 more players.
"Douglas Murray is a humongous human being." – Drew Remenda
getting rid of Campbell is another option
but boy did we see how much we needed him after Ovie took him out
I went to a fight the other night and a hockey game broke out.
- Rodney Dangerfield
2 problems
A. You actually need him.
B. He’s got an NMC, a fat contract and is currently on a team that is at the bare minimum coming off a season where they were in the SCF’s.
Not only do you have to find a team willing to take the contract, you have to find a team willing to take the contract that Campbell is willing to play for. I can see him flipping the bird to teams like Edmonton.
"Douglas Murray is a humongous human being." – Drew Remenda
there’s really no team dumb enough to take him on without sending equally bad salary back, imo. you’re stuck with him.
and i don’t think there’s an equally bad contract in the league, honestly. maybe Redden’s. But it’s 2 years less too.
Campbell is much better than Redden
But those contracts still make me laugh.
"Douglas Murray is a humongous human being." – Drew Remenda
this is why we really need to win now
the Capocolypse is definitely going to kill us. For every good contract we have I think there are two bad ones.
I went to a fight the other night and a hockey game broke out.
- Rodney Dangerfield
When they signed Hossa this last summer
It was this season or bust for them
"Douglas Murray is a humongous human being." – Drew Remenda
ONE GOAL
this was the marketing motto all year
I went to a fight the other night and a hockey game broke out.
- Rodney Dangerfield
As an Avs fan, I must ask what is this ‘marketing’ that you speak of?
"Here's your dream: Matt Duchene, can he do it?... HE CAN! HE DID IT! MATT DUCHENE AND THE AVS ARE IN THE PLAYOFFS!" - Mike Haynes
I loved the Sharks marketing campaign this year, the only one better was the Bruins as far as I could find.
The super serious slogans like “one goal” always seem really stupid to me. The Kings and Ducks had something similar. I just rolled my eyes. I hate being in their market.
"Douglas Murray is a humongous human being." – Drew Remenda
The Avs’ new one next year is “Its all about the A” which is a complete rip off of Lappy’s “”http://itsallaboutlappy.com/" target="new">Its All About Lappy" charity site. Very lame, but at least they’re trying I suppose… : /
"Here's your dream: Matt Duchene, can he do it?... HE CAN! HE DID IT! MATT DUCHENE AND THE AVS ARE IN THE PLAYOFFS!" - Mike Haynes
It's something we have only seen again the last few years
Let’s not discuss the dark days where home games weren’t even televised and half of the city couldn’t tell you hockey was a sport. I appreciated being able to get tickets cheap / easy, but it was sad to only see around 4000 fans at the games.
I went to a fight the other night and a hockey game broke out.
- Rodney Dangerfield
Where were the cries to move Chicago
Out of what was obviously not a hockey town…
Sorry, I get sick of hearing that about teams like the Yotes who hadn’t had a winning season in 7 years.
"Douglas Murray is a humongous human being." – Drew Remenda
Especially to relocate the team to a city that’s not large enough to support a professional franchise (winnipeg/quebec).
"Here's your dream: Matt Duchene, can he do it?... HE CAN! HE DID IT! MATT DUCHENE AND THE AVS ARE IN THE PLAYOFFS!" - Mike Haynes
If winning was a prerequisite to keep a team in a city
then the Leafs wouldn’t still be in Toronto
I went to a fight the other night and a hockey game broke out.
- Rodney Dangerfield
In order to not hear cries to move a team you have to live in an area that is selling out the arena every game or be within easy access to Canadians. If you don’t meet one of those two criteria then people will demand it be moved to more deserving areas.
"Douglas Murray is a humongous human being." – Drew Remenda
very true, but redden’s deal is shorter and a bit cheaper. probably a wash.
there you go, stacie7, there’s your possible campbell trade! lol
gee if only the fans were in charge of it :)
I went to a fight the other night and a hockey game broke out.
- Rodney Dangerfield
capgeek is blocked here at work, or I’d show you. try it yourself though, if you fill in the gaps with rookies/min wage guys it works. the hawks actually have a lot of young guys ready to play too.
I’d be far less afraid of a team where it’s bottom 6 are rookies and it’s bottom pairing is rookies.
"Douglas Murray is a humongous human being." – Drew Remenda
absolutely. they’re taking a huge step back in competitiveness, there’s no doubt. might not be as bad as some people think, but it’s still gonna be a step back. especially if they deal with injuries at all.
WIth Byfuglien, I see 2 things happening…. Chicago trading him immediately, trying to maximize return on his playoff performance… or trading a bunch of other talent in order to KEEP Byfuglien, hoping his playoff performance is just a sign of things to come in future seaons….
It’ll be interesting to see if he becomes the kind of player that truly excels come playoff time, or if this is really just a fluke. But as of right now, Byfuglien=clutch and Chicago should really think twice about giving that up without getting ALOT in return.
I do think Chicago’s best plan is to trade Buff. His trade value is sky high right now, and I’m not sure if it’ll ever reach that height again. Playoff clutch performances are not the best measure of players, especially ones who haven’t been playing at the same level consistently for the rest of his career. Remember Fernando Pisani, who tore up the playoffs in 2006? He doesn’t have much value left today. Of course, Byfuglien is a much better player, and it’s possible that this is the period that he truly “broke out,” in which case it’ll be tough dealing a blossoming power forward. But the Hawks don’t have that many good options, and Byfuglien could possibly get them a great package that they’ll not get with, say, Versteeg.
I spent more effort eating a pudding than Tyler Arnason skated last year.
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