I'm pretty sure Leddy has been playing LD in Rockford all year specifically because the Hawks think it is his better position - and he is a lefty so it's his natural position.
Oduya is a veteran and better suited to move out of his natural position over to RD.
I think it will be:
Hammer-Oduya
Leddy-Rozsival
BTW - I wouldn't be surprised if Hjalmarsson is a little more offensively oriented than when we last saw him because I think he was working on his offense while playing in Europe - just a hunch (and a hope).
I know that's where Leddy's been playing, and he should be, that is his natural side. But in Chicago, he's always been the one to move over to the right side. Whether he was paired with Keith, Hammer or Oduya, it was Leddy moving to the right. Ideally, Oduya would move to the right, get paired with Hammer and then Leddy would play the left side on a pair with Roszival, but they seem determined to keep all their experienced left-handed D on the left side.
Hopefully I'm wrong, because I'd roll with Keith/Seabrook, Hammer/Oduya, Leddy/Rozsival too.. but I have a feeling it won't shake out that way.
Rozie (is that his official nickname) might be absolutely perfect for Leddy. A stay at home guy that can cover up some Leddy mistakes while he learns, and also let him get involved offensively too.
Another thing that may have been forgotten, a bit, is that Chicago got better by subtraction by removing Brunette and SOD from the roster. Even if the likes of Saad/whoever replaces Brunette in the top-6 don't produce, they'll at least be able to keep up in the play. Same goes for whoever replaces SOD on D; Rozsival, Brookbank, whoever.
What is interesting now is teams can trades guys but pay a portion of their contract, that portion counts against the team's cap. Should make for some interesting trade proposals.
So no way the Hawks go into the season with 8 Defensemen right? Keith, Seabrook, Leddy, oduya, brookbank, Montador, rozsival, Hjalmersson......they have to trade one right?
no. Short season = more games in time = need all 8 to be successful. I'd keep all 8 and go with some kind of rotation behind Keith and Seabrook while we are winning
Quote:
Originally Posted by deytookerjaabs
He and his -12 should. His defensive game is not top four material.
being 25th in D scoring is Top4 material
Quote:
Salary Retention in Trades
Teams permitted to retain up to $5M in a trade
Max retention of $3M for a single player
please explain this to me with an example of a Montador to MTL for 3rd trade
no. Short season = more games in time = need all 8 to be successful. I'd keep all 8 and go with some kind of rotation behind Keith and Seabrook while we are winning
being 25th in D scoring is Top4 material
please explain this to me with an example of a Montador to MTL for 3rd trade
Thanks
I think they would just buy Monty out but if they traded him it could go like this. Hawks trade Monty for player X to Montreal. Hawks agree to pay 750k of salary for the remainder of contract. That counts against the Hawks cap, basically burned space. Montreal gets Montodor at a cheaper hit than his contract. Again, just an example. They would buy him out more likely.
This can be really good for deadline deals for teams with significant cap space. Especially rentals. They pay the cap space to sweeten the pot for future assets.
Why would Hossa start slower than any other player or be hindered? He was cleared to play a long time ago.
We didn't have a #2 centre in 08-09 or the Cup year.
Oduya will likely be a mix, but he was more good than bad in his total time with Chicago after the deadline.
Keith was good last year.
Every goaltender struggles from time-to-time. Crawford will need a bounce-back season, but as long as he can be decent, that will be more than enough to get the Hawks into the playoffs.
Chicago did not limp into the playoffs last year.
A. Being cleared to play is a ways away from playing well.
B. P. Sharp was pretty good in that role.
C. I agree, but the way he played at the end scared me. if that is the new norm...
D. I disagree
E. Crawford can not have bad weeks in a shortened season.
F. I disagree and the results showed against Coyotes.
Still holding out some hope for a new "other goalie". Neither of our goalies played in another league which doesn't make any sense so who knows what we will see in camp.
1. I don't think ANYBODY could cover for the not ready Leddy mistakes and flaws defensively --off what I saw in his horrible performance defendively in that loss to the Marlies on Saturday--2 horrible pinches leaving transition break-aweays --one which they scored a goal on--and that high-light reel move around him by the marlies' Kenny Ryan to score another goal--I mean if he cannot stopan AHLer -how can he stop myriads of better NHLers from "undressing him like that"--simply woeful ...BUT--EVEN WORSE -he STILL is a pushover on being unable to knock forwards off the puck along the boards -just not strong enough --so going to be manhandled...He does look "marvelous" rushing the puck though-BUT he is a definite LIABILITY defensively -and so EITHER they convert him to forward-OR he should stay in the AHL until he CAN (maybe one day) be a defensive liability no longer...AND he is no Erik Krlsson in piling up the pionts enough to compensate for his defensie flaws.. I suppose a more defensive SAH experienced D-partner will help --SOME--but if you think an "improvement" from -12 to say only about -6 is the solution to get us into a Cup competitive team -THEN you are sadly mistaken, HE is simply not good enough defensively to "carry" in a SHORT 48 game ultra-competitive "sprint" like what is ahead-look we ALREADY have a mediocrity problem in goal --now you want to add a sure-fire defensive libility to that burden ? Sorry but UNTIL he improves by a wifde margin defensively-I'd rather not add that flaw to our d-corps..
2. As to the squad-I don;t think Stan will start by immediately trading for help (2C) -but IF we can stay in the race by that later trade deadline in April -then MAYBE he adds a 2c "solution" for a possible Cup run or at least to go deeper in playoffs..
SO right away we AGAIN face the 2C "missing link" problem...The Kane at centre try is finito...It leaves the resort to SHARP again or the try KRUGER again attempt..
Neither is a proper solution..
So:
Carcillo Toews Kane
Stalberg Sharp Hossa
Bickell Bolland Shaw
Frolik Kruger Mayers
x-B. Smith
Keith Seabrook
Hjalmarsson Rosival
Oduya Brookbank
xMontador -if healthy --if not Dahlbeck as the call-up 7th d
Crawford
Emery
Bottom line: NO CUP FOR US unless we add a real 2C solution so that sHarp can go back to LW and either Stalberg or Carcillo move to a bottom 2 line again...
This lineup is flawed offensively--BUT sounder defensively with the experience of Oduya,Rosival and Brookbank-but even if we added a 2C at the trade deadline we STILL have mediocrity in goalies...so it willbe a tough hill to climb without a stellar puckstopper ...To even get into the playoffs in a much tougher Western Conference ( EDM willbe a real threat now for the playoffs,MINN obviously too, so there are more playoff threats this time around than last year)-we MUST have #88 do a lot more points production than he gave us last year... improved PP and PK are essential
too...Toews and Hossa must both return to their fiull abilities after their concussions incuured last season..if aNY of these 4 key items fails -we cannot make the playoffs.
There are NO rookie saviours or to put us over the top that are coming this season --and so the best we can hope for is to stay in the playoff race till trade deadline and hope we can add the missing piece then that can "make a big difference" ...If we falter out of that race-then Stan willbe a seller not a buyer at the deadline..
I'm really concerned about the goaltending. I actually think we are in pretty good shape with the skaters considering how young our stars are. That should give us a big advantage. I think Kane is going to be really good, maybe even match his point total from last year. However, I have a bad feeling we are going to be praying to have the quality of goaltending we had last year from Crawford, Emery or both. If one of them just cannot play, I hope Bowman and Q ask them to leave the team before the season starts instead of going on with the charade. Goaltending is going to be much more important in a short season and we can't afford to throw away any games.
Yep, how much do you think? I'm setting a bar for him of 66 points in 48 games. That's what I would really like to see happen.
Thats a 113 point season in a normal year. That would be the highest total since the 2007-2008 season. I'd be happy with 45 points which equates out to about 77 points, his 2nd highest of his career.
I think Q will go with similar lines from last year:
Stalberg Toews Sharp (Stalberg is key in his contact year)
Carcillo Kane Hossa (this line was pretty good before Carcillo got hurt)
Bickell Bolland Shaw/Frolik (this line was good pretty good in the playoffs)
Frolik Kruger Smith (you can move many grinders from Rockford to round this line out)
Mayers is a clubhouse guy he will play maybe half the time
I have a feeling Montador might play some forward
Keith Seabrook
Oduya Rosival
Hjalmarsson Leddy(neither can play more than 17 minutes a game but this is a better bottom pair then 2010)
Extra-Brookbank
I think our D on paper is very close or possible better then 2010. I also think we need all our D-men with a shortened condensed schedule.
Others-
Saad needs more time in the Rockford.
Morin might be closer to the NHL then Saad. Very streaky.
Bollig will be called up for some games. Also, we can use him on the PK.
They need to see what Beach can do in the NHL cause his contact is up after this year.
Hayes seemed to regress in the AHL.
I would also be interested to see what Pardise, Flick and Pirri can provide.
Stan has a ton of roster options and tradeable parts at the trade deadline. Big year for him as well...
I'm really concerned about the goaltending. I actually think we are in pretty good shape with the skaters considering how young our stars are. That should give us a big advantage. I think Kane is going to be really good, maybe even match his point total from last year. However, I have a bad feeling we are going to be praying to have the quality of goaltending we had last year from Crawford, Emery or both. If one of them just cannot play, I hope Bowman and Q ask them to leave the team before the season starts instead of going on with the charade. Goaltending is going to be much more important in a short season and we can't afford to throw away any games.
Yeah , I agree Keenan was just on Fan590 and he said that the goalies that have not played will be behind. He also mention that Pekka Rhine was playing in Russia. Why did Crawford or Emery play in any leagues?
Yeah , I agree Keenan was just on Fan590 and he said that the goalies that have not played will be behind. He also mention that Pekka Rhine was playing in Russia. Why did Crawford or Emery play in any leagues?
No team wanted to downgrade their goalie situation
