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Forum: Armchair-GMOct 31 at 1:06
Thread: Seabs to Vancouver
<div class="quote"><div class="quote_t">Quoting: <b>Petrock83</b></div><div>I don't think a Seabs/Eriksson swap is worth it, especially if we retain. Seabrook is a good veteran leader, a Chicago icon, and while he is not at the level he was before, he is still a defenseman who can play 18-20 minutes a night if necessary, which will be very helpful once our D prospects make it to the NHL. Eriksson is a borderline AHLer who will play 13-15 minutes a night, maybe score 25 points a season and be a defensive liability. The only benefit we get from this is that Eriksson's contract expires two years before Seabrook's contract does, but at that point it will be much easier to trade or buyout Seabrook. There are many deals I would do to unload Seabrook, but the Seabs/Eriksson swap is not one.</div></div>

Loui can also be placed on waivers while seabs cannot
Forum: Armchair-GMOct 28 at 9:28
Thread: First glimpse of a new era
<div class="quote"><div class="quote_t">Quoting: <b>exo2769</b></div><div>As much as I liked the analysis. These trades all favor the Hawks to be honest. DET doesn't really need Gus. Mike Green does a good job and he'll probably also be traded anyway. Carlo is a pretty darn good Dman. Not saying Murphy isn't...I just don't see why BOS would do it. Zack Smith has been waived a few times last year with no takers. I don't see CBJ taking on his cap hit unless the Hawks are sending pieces with him. Perlini….ok I'm fine with that one.</div></div>

Green is old. Plain and simple and gus is going to be around for 6+ years. DET is stacked up front with prospects and young talent but is heavily lacking defenseman. As for the Boston trade, Murphy has more of an offensive upside than Carlo and is also a little more mobile than Carlo. I would be willing to add a low tier prospect to sweeten the deal. In regards to smith, waving him or trading him would be fine with me. Based on the moves, the Hawks would still have enough cap space. I appreciate the comments. I'm glad you enjoyed the analysis.
Forum: Armchair-GMOct 21 at 11:16
Thread: Last nights takeaways
<div class="quote"><div class="quote_t">Quoting: <b>CrazyK04</b></div><div>Didn't watch the game but I watched highlights this morning. What was Dach's plus-minus? I know people hate that stat but I think it is good to show who generates offense and plays well away from the puck. I know he was on the ice for Ovechkin's one timer but can you really block a one t from Ovi? I don't think he looked terribly lost in the recap. I think people are underrating Dach a bit. Yes Turcotte would've been awesome but he's in college, maybe for a couple more years. Dach is gonna be good for Chicago.

I also really like Alex Nylander so far. He's really talented offensively and has high hockey IQ in the O zone. Defensively he could improve, but so could Patrick Kane. The bottom 6 is so good so far. DeBrincat and Toews are the ones who need to get going. Strome too. I was hoping on 70 points from him.</div></div>

Sorry to disappoint but Strome is going to fall in the range of a 40-60 point scorer. Yes that is a big range but I say that because he is a player that is carried by his line. What I mean by that is he needs to play with good players in order to produce points. He doesn't have enough raw talent to produce on his own. At least not yet but his development seems to be at a standstill right now. As for the Cat, he is having some bad puck luck. Especially last night. He had a stick break on him, a whiffed shot. the opportunities are there he just needs to capitalize on them. As for Toews, don't expect a repeat of last year. He is going to be a 50-60 point scorer. I thought he has looked pretty good at the dot and on the rush. His puck control has improved and his vision has also seemed better. He looks more comfortable with the puck so lets hope for good things.
Forum: NHL SigningsOct 3 at 11:54
Thread: Chicago Blackhawks signed Alex DeBrincat (3 Years / $6,400,000 AAV)
<div class="quote"><div class="quote_t">Quoting: <b>hanson493</b></div><div>wow this is a huge win for chicago holy crap</div></div>

<div class="quote"><div class="quote_t">Quoting: <b>Jarmo</b></div><div>Good Job Stan.</div></div>

<div class="quote"><div class="quote_t">Quoting: <b>exo2769</b></div><div>Great signing. Expires when Toews/Kane expires and still an RFA. good job Stan.</div></div>

<div class="quote"><div class="quote_t">Quoting: <b>Bestgoalie33</b></div><div>Stud, great deal, just in time for when all the salary caps should be raised, then he will get PAID</div></div>

<div class="quote"><div class="quote_t">Quoting: <b>Stan_Bowman</b></div><div>This makes me so happy. I am literally smiling from ear to ear right now!</div></div>

<div class="quote"><div class="quote_t">Quoting: <b>KCarry74</b></div><div>Steal. More points than MM at his second season. He could have had more at the end of the season.</div></div>

According to Pierre LeBrun, the contract pays DeBrincat $5.1 million in the first two years and then jumps to $9 million in the third year. He’ll still be a restricted free agent when the deal expires following the 2022-23 NHL season (the same summer that the contracts of Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, and Duncan Keith expire), so $9 million would be his qualifying offer if another extension isn’t hammered out by then.
Forum: Armchair-GMSep 24 at 1:35
Thread: Season Preview and analysis
<div class="quote"><div class="quote_t">Quoting: <b>exo2769</b></div><div>Great analysis. The one thing I'd mention though is that while your description reads that the 4th line isn't asked to do what the 1st line does...it appears the grades reflect that. I'm honestly not sure what the answer is supposed to be, but shouldn't an A, B, or C be determined on what they're being asked to do? A 4th line with (2) C's? Maybe the are a middle of the pack 4th line. I tend to think that as far as 4th lines go...it's pretty darn good. Drake played a #1LW last year. Smith played a #3 LW last year. Carpenter was a #4 RW last year. So, it's possible that 4th line does everything it's asked...to which I'd grade them higher...and still not score much at all.

Overall great analysis though. I'd personally like to see Nylander spend time in Rockford first because I haven't been that impressed with him. At least not as impressed as I am with Antti Saarela. While we're on the topic of prospect rankings...I'd switch a bunch of those around. Chad Krys is a nice guy, but he probably doesn't make my top 10. Ian Mitchell should be ahead of Nylander IMO. Kurashev should also be ahead of Nylander and Chad Krys IMO.</div></div>

The rankings are based on potential and league performance. Nylander is the only player to have any professional experience and put up some good points. Nylander has shown that he has the skill set to be a good NHL player it is just having him use the skills consistently. Mitchell did perform well in the WJC but saw a decrease in points last season. The fact that he chose to stay and play college concerns me especially when he has shown that he can excel at that level. The transition from college to pro is very difficult especially for defenseman and starting sooner rather than later is always better. Krys is a poor mans Boqvist. They play very similar styles but Krys is a little more defensively responsible. Kurashev is going to be a hit or miss. He showed he has the tools to be a great two way player. The best way to understand Kurashev is to compare him to Andreas Athanasiou of the Detroit Red Wings. I feel that Kurashev will follow a similar path.
Forum: Chicago BlackhawksSep 24 at 12:53
Thread: Season Preview and Analysis
Drafting Summary:
The past 3 years for Hawks fans have surely been difficult. From winning 3 Stanley Cups to missing the playoffs the past 2 seasons. However some good has come from the Hawks lackluster play as it has allowed for the opportunity to draft some very talented players. The Hawks have had little success drafting in the first round since taking Kane back in 2007. Every first round drafted player has been traded by the Hawks (since Kane) and have either become busts or have become top nine players (with the exception of Teuvo Teravainen). However, the Hawks are one of the best teams to find hidden gems late in the draft. For example, Andrew Shaw 5th round, Brandon Saad 2nd round, Vinny Hinostroza 6th round, Dylan Sikura 6th round, Chad Krys 2nd round, Alex DeBrincat 2nd round, Evan Barratt 3rd round, Ian Mitchell 2nd round, and Alex Vlasic 2nd round. All of these players currently are or projected to be top 4 defenseman or a top 6 forward. While the Hawks certainly have more drafted players with some NHL potential these names are the most noticeable right now.

Preseason Analysis:
Hawks actually look like a decent team during the preseason. Offensively, Hawks might have one of the deepest teams in the league. However scoring goals was never a problem for the hawks last season. The problem was and still is defense. The preseason showed that the defense is still a mess.

Line Grades:
(Obviously there will be moves and scratches but based on the practice lines, these seem to be the common line pairings)

Defense:
Projected first pairing of Keith and Gustafsson
Keith is still a reliable 2-way defender who is able to play top four minutes shutting down opposing teams top players, but obviously his age is catching up to him. His partner (Erik Gustafsson) has been absolutely dominant offensively but still leaves much to be desired defensively.
Offensive ability grade: A-
Defensive ability grade: B

Projected Second Pairing of Maatta and Seabrook
Yikes! It is safe to say that Seabs is very much past his prime and is hurting the Hawks more than helping both in terms of performance and salary. His lack of speed is the number 1 concern. He can’t keep up with these young speedsters going forwards or backwards. It’s time for Seabs to become the 7th defenseman and allow for the younger talent to take over. Why he is paired with another very slow defender is beside me.

Maatta is a mess of a player. Yes he is young and yes he had some success with Pittsburgh but being he is one of the slowest defenders in the league Maatta needs to find the type of defender he wants to be. His first season he looked like a 2-way defender with good offensive skills. Then he was a stay at home type player. Maatta is not a good skater and has zero speed. Positionally he is responsible but getting into position is the bigger problem.
Offensive ability grade: C+
Defensive ability grade: B-

While being overpaid, the best true defenseman on the hawks may be De Haan. He is a shutdown defenseman who can keep up with the high pace of the NHL.

Murphy was supposed to take over Hjalmarsson’s role as the stay at home/shutdown defender who can be put out on the ice in any situation without concern. Due to some injury setbacks, his development hasn’t gone as smoothly as expected but is defiantly trending in the right direction. Not to mention the super team friendly cap hit.
Offensive ability grade: C-
Defensive ability grade: B+

Offense:
First Line
Nylander-Toews-Kane
You can never go wrong putting Kane and Toews together. The question is who would fit best as a complementary winger. Nylander has defiantly not developed into the player he was projected be when Buffalo took him with the 8th overall pick. Hopefully playing alongside two franchise players will help the young prospect build some confidence and eventually find his groove. Nylander plays similar to a young Kane in the sense that he lacks urgency without the puck and that defensively he is just not helpful. Putting him on a line with one of the best two-way centers in the league will hopefully allow Nylander to play his game.
Offensive ability grade: A+
Defensive ability grade: B-

Second Line:
DeBrincat-Strome-Shaw
The other dynamic duo for the hawks defiantly showed some amazing chemistry last season and the hope is that it continues into this year. With Strome being a big playmaking center, DeBrincat being a pure sniper, and Shaw being an all around good player, this line could be the best pure offensive line for the hawks. Shaw can play center or wing and fears no one. While being under 6 foot, Shaw plays like he is 6’5’’, planting himself in front of the net and disrupting play at both ends of the ice. Strome struggled at the face-off dot last season so don’t be surprise if you see Shaw taking face-offs yet moving to a wing position once the puck is dropped.
Offensive ability grade: A
Defensive ability grade: C

Third Line:
Saad-Kampf-Kubalik
The do it all line. Saad is obviously a great two-way player who can be put out in any situation without concern. Offensively he can put up 20+ goals and defensively he can do it all. The Swiss army knife of a player has defiantly has his fair share of struggles since returning to the Hawks but looks to have cemented himself as a high end top nine player. In my opinion, Kampf is simply centering Dach’s future line. Kampf is the new and improved Kruger. Winning face-offs and killing penalties. Offensively anything more than 20 points would be surprising. Kubalik looked very comfortable during the preseason as a natural goal scorer. He has a blazing one-timer. The offensive player of the line, look for him to lead the line in points.
Offensive ability grade: B
Defensive ability grade: B


Fourth Line:
Caggiula-Carpenter-Smith
Obviously you don’t look for your fourth line to produce points however this trio could easily be a third line. Caggiula has the potential to be a 30 point producer but will defiantly be used more in a shutdown role. Carpenter is a great and inexpensive addition to the hawks lineup. Able to play a very good transitional game excelling in the defensive zone. Smith will lead the team in penalty minutes. He is a scrappy enforcer type player who can put up some points but will defiantly be more focused on putting a player through the boards than putting a puck through the net.
Offensive ability grade: C
Defensive ability grade: C


Top 10 Prospects:
1. Adam Boqvist- Elite number 1 offensive defenseman

2. Kirby Dach- Top six power/playmaking center

3. Alexander Nylander- Top six playmaking wing

4. Nicolas Beaudin- Top four 2-way defenseman

5. Chad Krys- Top four 2-way defenseman

6. Ian Mitchell- Top four offensive defenseman

7. Evan Barratt- Top six/top nine 2-way center

8. Alex Vlasic- Top four defensive defenseman

9. Antti Saarela- Top nine 2-way forward

10. Philipp Kurashev- top nine/bottom six 2-way forward