Blackhawks

[TheLeviathan]

 

The Hawks 3rd and 4th lines are not their problem. Johansen's line is eating the Toews lines lunch and Keith and Hjalmarsson are getting chewed up as well.

Crawford has been comical at times.

 

In this series I agree, I was making a larger point about their chances in general this year.  They just have nothing after their first two lines.

 

And if those lines are getting whooped like they are by Nashville - they're toast.  I'd give us an infinitely better chance of rallying from 3-0 than them.

[twinsnorth49]

ESPECIALLY the Toronto Leafs...

Oilers

Leafs

Flames

Canucks

Habs

Sens......except nobody really cares about the Sens.

 

In that order.

[twinsnorth49]

In this series I agree, I was making a larger point about their chances in general this year. They just have nothing after their first two lines.

 

And if those lines are getting whooped like they are by Nashville - they're toast. I'd give us an infinitely better chance of rallying from 3-0 than them.

Probably, but neither is happening.

[Pardon My Dinger]

Incredible. Never ever would have predicted this.

[Vanimal46]

That's the beauty of the NHL playoffs... Anything can happen. Including a #1 seed getting swept. 

[TheLeviathan]

We outlasted the Hawks......season successful?

[twinsnorth49]

That could be the end for coach Q. That's a pretty big failure, wonder if they've finally tuned him out.

[beckmt]

Salary cap finally got to them.  They have to pay so much to their superstars the rest of the team is meh.  That is their problem. 

Plus the better players get hit a lot more in the playoffs and the refs blow a lot less whistles on those borderline hits.  

[DaveW]

Yup, the cap has finally caught up to them, and they have too many young players playing important spots. Ultimately though I wouldn't count the Hawks out for long, I could see them turning it back around next year with a smart trade or two and just the general development of some of the youngsters.

Also, this is what happens when the youngsters you have now are being drafted in the super late parts of the first round rather than the early parts (cough *kane cough *kane)

 

[TheLeviathan]

 

Yup, the cap has finally caught up to them, and they have too many young players playing important spots. Ultimately though I wouldn't count the Hawks out for long, I could see them turning it back around next year with a smart trade or two and just the general development of some of the youngsters.

Also, this is what happens when the youngsters you have now are being drafted in the super late parts of the first round rather than the early parts (cough *kane cough *kane)

 

 

They have been amazingly resourceful over the years, I wouldn't count them out, but age and depth are now both starting to wear on them.  (Plus all those extra postseason games)  We may be seeing the beginning of the end of their run.

[Vanimal46]

 

Yup, the cap has finally caught up to them, and they have too many young players playing important spots. Ultimately though I wouldn't count the Hawks out for long, I could see them turning it back around next year with a smart trade or two and just the general development of some of the youngsters.

Also, this is what happens when the youngsters you have now are being drafted in the super late parts of the first round rather than the early parts (cough *kane cough *kane)

 

 

Yep, I'd never count them out as long as they have Kane, Toews, Seabrook, and Keith. They've had to trade away several young players that were due to make big money over the last 2-3 years... Like you said, if they made a smart trade instead of salary dump type trades, they'll be cup contenders again. 

[Squirrel]

So long, farewell, Patrick Sharp ...

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egwWskkxzfE

[Vanimal46]

Chicago fires long time HC Joel Quenneville this morning. It's amazing how fast he went from a hero to zero. You would think 3 Stanley cup titles would buy him time.

[TheLeviathan]

Wow, that's shocking.

[Monkeypaws]

Gonna miss that scowl....

[Pardon My Dinger]

What is shocking about this? All good things come to an end. Nobody has a job for life. Sounds like it was an amicable thing.

[TheLeviathan]

 

What is shocking about this? All good things come to an end. Nobody has a job for life. Sounds like it was an amicable thing.

 

It's shocking because he's revered.  He's like Belichek to the Pats.  I will be shocked some day if the Pats fire him too.