Suddenly a guy like Brooks Laich becomes a potential target for the Hawks IMO.

Posted by andru2797 on 6/20/2011 3:21:00 PM (view original):
Suddenly a guy like Brooks Laich becomes a potential target for the Hawks IMO.

Nevermind...miscalculated...unless he signs for under 3 million, which I doubt.

Erik Cole is a UFA and may be a nice fit.

Cole is a nice player when healthy, but I believe they'll concentrate on center because that's where they lack depth. They also can't afford to spend the money Cole's gonna get on someone who can no longer play 82 games. Afcorse alot will depend on whether or not team management believes that one of Kruger, Smith, Beach or Morin can play in the top 6.

I would start by giving Kruger a real shot on the second line with maybe Sharp at center and Hossa. He's a talented kid who hopefully will add some bulk this off-season.

That would leave Ben Smith to play in the bottom 6 where I believe he'll flourish. He plays with lots of heart and has decent finishing skills. He'd ideally be a good winger opposite Troy Brouwer and centered by a guy like John Madden on the 4th line.

I believe our 3rd line is set with Bolland, Bickell and Frolik. They showed great chemistry last spring once Bolland returned.

That leaves one hole on the team on the top line. If they can find someone to play center on the 2nd line, that would move Sharp up with 19 and 88 and our lineup is good to go. Otherwise, they'll probably start the season with Stalberg on the top line and Sharp at center and wait to see what becomes available on the trade front.

Add to all that one or two good depth players like a Matt Bradley or Scott Nichol and I think they can put together a lineup that is better than last year's, if only for the reason that Smith, Kruger, Frolik and Bickell will have matured a little and hopefully found some better consistency.

What's up with Beach?  He was a first round pick with high expectations.

Posted by paul71 on 6/21/2011 10:09:00 AM (view original):
What's up with Beach?  He was a first round pick with high expectations.

He's still just 21 years old and has yet to put in a full season with a non-WHL team.  He's played a handful of games with our top affiliate, Rockford, but needs a lot of seasoning, maturity and the like,  He's still a bit of a hothead. 

Posted by mudbone1969 on 6/21/2011 10:30:00 AM (view original):

Posted by paul71 on 6/21/2011 10:09:00 AM (view original):
What's up with Beach?  He was a first round pick with high expectations.

He's still just 21 years old and has yet to put in a full season with a non-WHL team.  He's played a handful of games with our top affiliate, Rockford, but needs a lot of seasoning, maturity and the like,  He's still a bit of a hothead. 

Best case scenario, Beach becomes a David Backes-type player who is a superb agitator, is physical and can score 25-30. Worst-case scenario he keeps taking bad penalties and becomes a good AHL power forward. Realistically, he'll likely fall somewhere in between.

Coaching will play a role, but it remains to be seen if Beach has the will to play a more disciplined game. He has all the physical tools, his head is what's holding him back.

That was the story when he was in minor hockey.  Too bad he hasn't turned things around better.

Posted by mudbone1969 on 6/20/2011 5:05:00 PM (view original):
Erik Cole is a UFA and may be a nice fit.

Cole is useless without staal. Ask any oiler fan if there are any left

Posted by nickhead on 6/21/2011 4:20:00 PM (view original):

Posted by mudbone1969 on 6/20/2011 5:05:00 PM (view original):
Erik Cole is a UFA and may be a nice fit.

Cole is useless without staal. Ask any oiler fan if there are any left

LOL

Posted by paul71 on 6/21/2011 3:44:00 PM (view original):
That was the story when he was in minor hockey.  Too bad he hasn't turned things around better.

He's only 21.  I'm all for letting him develop slowly if need be.

Posted by mudbone1969 on 6/21/2011 10:41:00 PM (view original):

Posted by paul71 on 6/21/2011 3:44:00 PM (view original):
That was the story when he was in minor hockey.  Too bad he hasn't turned things around better.

He's only 21.  I'm all for letting him develop slowly if need be.

Wow. Coming from a hawks fan. Most hawks fans I know think all hawk players should develop as quickly as Kane and Toews did ;)

Posted by moy23 on 6/22/2011 7:23:00 AM (view original):

Posted by mudbone1969 on 6/21/2011 10:41:00 PM (view original):

Posted by paul71 on 6/21/2011 3:44:00 PM (view original):
That was the story when he was in minor hockey.  Too bad he hasn't turned things around better.

He's only 21.  I'm all for letting him develop slowly if need be.

Wow. Coming from a hawks fan. Most hawks fans I know think all hawk players should develop as quickly as Kane and Toews did ;)

Just because we "hoped" guys like Morin and Beach would be ready for this past season doesn't necessarily mean we "believed" they would be. There aren't many guys in the NHL, let alone the Hawks system, that can jump right in like Toews and Kane did. Guys like them, Crosby and Ovi are few and far between.

To be clear, I'm only comparing Toews and Kane with Sid and Ovi in the fact that they all jumped right in to top line roles in their first seasons and were all effective to varying degrees. When you consider the fact that players like Vincent Lecavalier, Joe Thornton and Tyler Seguin put up 28, 7 (!) and 22 points respectively in their first NHL seasons, it really puts into perspective how tough it is to score consistently as a rookie in the NHL.

On a side note, it was revealed yesterday that only the Hawks and Penguins had 4 jerseys among the top 20 best selling of the season, with Toews and Kane both cracking the top 5 just behind Sid and Ovi. Hossa (16) and Sharp (19) were the other two. Interesting how Hossa was up there instead of Keith. I would have thought the reigning Norris Trophy winner would have been more popular among Hawks fans. I think the last time I remember Hawks jerseys being this popular, they had Belfour, Chelios and Roenick on the back. It's been a long time. Anyone have an Alexei Zhamnov jersey lying around? lol

You are right that it is rare, and the hawks have had two players come out the gates, guns blazing at such a young age. Most of the hawks fans around here are now spoiled and expect everyone on the team to be the same way - which is unrealistic. I wasn't referring to you guys on WIS.

Posted by moy23 on 6/22/2011 7:23:00 AM (view original):

Posted by mudbone1969 on 6/21/2011 10:41:00 PM (view original):

Posted by paul71 on 6/21/2011 3:44:00 PM (view original):
That was the story when he was in minor hockey.  Too bad he hasn't turned things around better.

He's only 21.  I'm all for letting him develop slowly if need be.

Wow. Coming from a hawks fan. Most hawks fans I know think all hawk players should develop as quickly as Kane and Toews did ;)

I wish that were the case.