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All good points captain, however the Hawks have had issues exiting their zone for quite a few years now. They currently have a bit more mobile defense, maybe it will improve their breakouts, we shall see.
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For me Lou, breakouts are the hardest thing to do in hockey. The players have never been faster or bigger giving them tremendous defending range and cram all that into one about 1/3 of the ice surface and getting pucks out is really tough. If you can’t there will be chaos in your zone all night but if you can you trigger the whole thing, cuz that’s where the flow will start, and you can play with speed/pace/skill.
No matter how good a Dman is tough he has to have options and it’s the forwards who give him that, no matter the system. It really is a 5 man exercise but that Dman has to take the best option for it to work.
Used the quote on one of your posts, Dots. It went down the dumper!…….. Whatever you knew about ANA throw it out. The Q era starts now. Things are gonna get real interesting out west, Dots.
Can anyone tell me what Happened to the Lardis 1 timer on the PP late in the period? .. Was it on goal, did it go wide behind the net?…… You can see that kid is good at finding quiet ice and lurks on the weakside. Combined with the best 1 timer in the organIzation when his time comes he’s gonna score some PP goals for the club.
Hayes is making some plays. Always liked what he brings. Misiak is in on a lotta stuff, especially below the dots in the Ozone. … My guy Crevier had a couple shifts he’d like back in the 1st. Allan has had some nice reads/pinches. KK too on his reads. No doubting the skill in his hands and feet.. Dach with a couple decent shifts. ……. I like Gryz, a lot for this roster. He’s a savvy vet who can settle things down… A whole yr of Knight is gonna be a treat. His technical game, and demeanor too, is tremendous.
I don’t know, Chunk. I like what I see tonight, much more than Game 1 v DET. More flow, more connected passes, more structure. Couple solid 1-2 pass outs. .. Guessing the fancies will be much better.
Bad news for Jamie Benn. Collapsed lung. Needs surgery.
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I sure hope the Hawks can develop a Jamie Benn. Think he was like a 5th-6th rd pick to boot. … Dude is a man and plays the sport like that. Blood and guts kinda guy any franchise is blessed to have.
Lou said it well, once organs start getting busted up it’s as serious as it gets. Hopefully he full recovers.
Hello to all
Signed up a little while ago
Haven’t posted yet
Used to be CaptainSerious at HockeyBuzzBeen hanging around a bit at blackhawksbuzz
Nice to have 2 spots to talk Hocks witht the season starting soon.Kantserov scored another goal today and Frondell’a Djurgarden should start in about 2 hours.
All eyes on Korch and Allan tonight?
Hey Capn, your posts are always solid. Glad you made your way over………….. The lineups out? Always wanna see Allan, I’m a fan, but really wanna see Spellacy most and Lardis too. IMO there’s gonna be a time where Gavin Hayes nudges his way into the conversation…. Kid cruises with his head up, has the shot to score while he creates in a smooth manner.
Looks like McTavish is signing with the Ducks, per Elliotte Friedman it will be $7MX6…
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Hawks are my club but even so I’m most interested to see the Ducks of all teams this yr. Firstly Q is runnin the show. How do you think he feels having Carslsson and McTavish as his top 6 centerman, Krieder, Trouba and Gudas as the beef, Terry, Gauthier, Strome on the roster, Colango on the roster, Sennecke close and good lord McQueen in the system. Mintyukov and Zelleger on the back and Dostal in goal….. That is one helluva place for a guy like Q to land.
Fun fun club on paper and now Q is in the house……. And just cuz McTavish signed it doesn’t mean all is well. But I think a yr under Q with this roster he’s gonna like ANA more and more. We’ll see but I’m sure all 31 of the other clubs talked to Verbeek about the kid.
MH, If KD moved KK today he’d be selling at his lowest point on top of he just turned 21. The return would be a good bit less than the cost and time spent developing him, I’d assume……. IMO very very little chance he’s moved anytime soon.
Mr. Ricochet,
I never advocated for the Hawks trading/selling low on KK.
I pointed out how young he still is (I compared his age to Hammer and Keith)
and how the only, but unlikely acceptable reason to trade him would be a high 1st rounder, which is unlikely due to the 2026 draft strength.My preference (if I was in charge lol) would be to keep giving him chances until he proves to be a total bust out.
Mainly in RFD this year with a couple short NHL callups would be fine with me. (unless he shows he’s ready of course)…………………..
MH, like rpete I have trouble with the quote and too many times my post was flushed. I’m trying to figure out the funk here and avoid the quote most times. And when you don’t quote too often things get lost in translation. ….. A page ago you asked what a deal for KK might bring back. That is what I was answering…… I know your stance on KK and I feel the same for the most part. ….Kid is 21, way too early to know what kinda NHLer he’ll be and right now his value is at it’s lowest in his short time as a pro.
MH, If KD moved KK today he’d be selling at his lowest point on top of he just turned 21. The return would be a good bit less than the cost and time spent developing him, I’d assume……. IMO very very little chance he’s moved anytime soon.
He Wiz, no matter how good Rinzel, or anyone else becomes, the Hawks did the right thing drafting Artie over Demidov, and I’m a huge fan of Demidov……. You put it well, Artie can flat out fly once he gets going and can play at that pace. Has the skill in his hands to play at that pace…. He’s really athletic and coordinates his hands and feet without a problem at high speeds. Good athlete with a farm boy build.
I hope they give him most of the yr in the AHL. He ain’t scared to attack from any inch of ice but just the same gimme a more sound and a yr older Artie next yr and let him rip.
Chunk, I agree Lev has never really shown an above average IQ to me and that’s going back to watching him in the USHL and NCAA and that continues in pro. He ain’t a goof 3 times a game brain fart guy but he’s average IQ to me, although I’d say he has solid IQ in the 1/2 court Ozone game. …. And I was alerted to watch this kid from Belarus in the preseason of his first USHL season. Guys who collected a paycheck from the USHL were high on him. I didn’t quite get it the first couple times seeing him that yr but it didn’t take long to think his excellent size/skill traits that are difference making. ….. To me it would always be how far his between the ears game developed cuz this kid ain’t only really big, can really skate, has real skill in his hands and as hard as it is sometimes to see athleticism in hockey players, especially compared to other sports, you can see it with Artie.
It might have even been while he was at Michigan St that I thought at worst Artie would be a Ristoleinen. His floor. Big, rangy, athletic Dman with offensive chops but it’s between the ears that limits him. IMO Risto is a very useful player but reading a lotta Meltzer and even when he was with BUFF the fancy stat folks did not like him……. Again, Risto is a pretty useful player but it’s fair to hope the 2nd overall will be better than that.
I love Arty. I think his game and skills are awesome. I also think he is almost purely a read and react type player. I don’t think he really tries to “see” a play to be made or set anything up. I think (on offense) he just starts doing something, sees what the defense does against him and reacts to counter it.
Similarly on defense, I don’t think he’s trying to read what play the opponents are trying to set up, I think he just says to himself, I’m going to try and completely neutralize the puck carrier, and that should help my team get the puck back.
My guess is that Blashill & Co. will try to get him to be more predictable for his teammates, but that’s probably going to be the max. If I had to guess, he’ll be closer to Burns than Risto, but time will certainly tell.
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Chunk, IMO every sport and position is reads. Some more so than others and other than a goalie a Dman has the most reads per game. It’s a really tough position to play especially for young players and especially if they’re not properly developed….. Rinzel’s reads in the USHL were get the puck, skate the puck up and too many times skated into a cul-du-sac into a corner with no options. His reads were to challenge 90% of the outs and get caught flat footed at the attack blueline and an odd man againsts would follow….. Those were bad reads which you can see he learned from. … His reads improved showing the IQ to do so.
Bedard’s reads were I can pass my bench into the Ozone with and without the puck 1:20 into my shift and impact the game. He sure did with odd man against over and over and over and over. Doesn’t do that much anymore. Would try and beat a Dman 1 on 1 wide and lost possession over and over and over. He learned he doesn’t have the step or moxie, yet, to beat NHL Dmen 1 on 1 so we see him check up and at least lose possession later.
Artie’s reads at the attack blueline leads to multiple odd man’s against per game. Artie’s reads in the Dzone 1/2 court as we can all see need work and are average at best, were that way in the USHL but IMO better in the NCAA…… But, get that horse rolling on the rush and if has good reads on that sequence that kid is a problem.
I loved Kaiser a couple shifts into seeing him in the USHL after finishing all 4 yrs in MN HS hockey cuz of his reads, and not only that his reads are good but really quick (processing) and he acts on them even quicker. ….. To me IQ and reads are the same thing for the most part and I use them interchangeably as I think about it to post….. Love love love Guttman’s reads. Gun to my head he had the highest IQ in the system. Can’t watch that kid play, all the way back to USHL Dubuque, and not say atta boy 17 times a game. Uncanny how often and how many of his reads reads are near perfect….. He’s just so physically limited it’s hard for him to be effective.
No matter whatever happens to Nazar I missed big time on him and I watched his 2 yrs at The Program, live. O sure kid could skate all day long, put up pts with just above average hands (finishing hands) but what the reads/IQ he showed in the Bigs last yr blew me away. He didn’t show that in the NCAA, not close. …. I wondered is he the poster child for those who proclaim some guys are better in the NHL than in college or ever jrs? Kinda player who is so sound he needs others like him to hit his ceiling, that the chaotic nature of anything below the NHL can be dominated by pure skill but much tougher to dominate for guys with real cerebral skill. I think Nazar profiles this way and I never saw it coming… Maybe Bedard does too but I haven’t seen that.
Watch the Buium kid outa MN. IQ/reads bursting out every pore and this dude can skate.
Hawks are young, man. All of KD’s draft picks are so young I don’t feel comfortable talking in absolutes about any of them but it’s fair to evaluate and prognosticate. …..
Chunk, I agree Lev has never really shown an above average IQ to me and that’s going back to watching him in the USHL and NCAA and that continues in pro. He ain’t a goof 3 times a game brain fart guy but he’s average IQ to me, although I’d say he has solid IQ in the 1/2 court Ozone game. …. And I was alerted to watch this kid from Belarus in the preseason of his first USHL season. Guys who collected a paycheck from the USHL were high on him. I didn’t quite get it the first couple times seeing him that yr but it didn’t take long to think his excellent size/skill traits that are difference making. ….. To me it would always be how far his between the ears game developed cuz this kid ain’t only really big, can really skate, has real skill in his hands and as hard as it is sometimes to see athleticism in hockey players, especially compared to other sports, you can see it with Artie.
It might have even been while he was at Michigan St that I thought at worst Artie would be a Ristoleinen. His floor. Big, rangy, athletic Dman with offensive chops but it’s between the ears that limits him. IMO Risto is a very useful player but reading a lotta Meltzer and even when he was with BUFF the fancy stat folks did not like him……. Again, Risto is a pretty useful player but it’s fair to hope the 2nd overall will be better than that.
Chunk, typed out a lengthy quote in your response to Bedard and playing wing specifically but the bastard software jacked me…….. In a nutshell I fail to realize as much as I should we got a new set of eyes with his own way of doing things behind the bench in Blashill. Every assumption we had as far as slotting and trust in players is being looked at by new eyes.
I understand the Hawks want Bedard to be a centerman but as is Bedard has never shown he won’t be a liability without the puck in every zone, not even glimpses. I hope Blashill’s fresh, and unbiased as one can be about Bedard. eyes will see that and move the kid to wing. IMO we get the worst version of Bedard as a centerman. He’s horrid without the puck and the energy he uses with centerman responsibilities depletes his offense. Him playing center keeps him farthest from his offensive ceiling.
I’m encouraged in Game 1 under Blashill he indeed had at least one shift I saw with Nazar centering Bedard and I think Moore. … That’s a good sign IMO.
Replying to MH’s 1:27 post.
I’m still expecting KK to be one of the two remaining to make the team.KK’s development arc is already disappointing based on his draft position (Adam Boqvist 2.0 anybody?)
Hopefully he gets it, sooner rather than later.……………
MH, decent enough chance KK doesn’t live up to his draft status but the kid has the traits to be a useful NHL player. Boqvuist really never did. He was an average at best skater, small, really weak in his zone, physically weak and he certainly wasn’t a nose over the puck hungry player. …….. I’m not disappointed in KK but thought/hoped he’d be farther along. Kid turned 21 in June and that first yr in the NHL he was up way too soon and lost his Pops in season. There are excuses/reasons for where he’s at in his development but IMO the biggest one is cuz he is so young at 21 trying to play the toughest position to play in the NHL, defense. …. I can easily envision a 25 yr old man KK, much thicker, head up skating the thing out and being dangerous.
Remember when Sorensen took over? He must have straight out told KK go, go, go. Jump in, be a 4th forward when it seems proper. Let er rip. Cuz for a good 10 games KK was in the opponents crease a couple times a game, and more sometimes. …. Look forward to seeing a 25 yr old man KK playing that way. It’s in there, the traits are there, we saw it.
Hello everyone, hope y’all had a wonderful summer.
Thanks Boilermaker for directing to this site. Really enjoying CoachFrenchy’s blogs. Clear, concise with ton’s of info, and in-depth analysis.
As far as the team, the old adage wait until after the first 20 games to see what you have really pertains to this team. New systems (again), new players young team will take awhile for Blashill to sort out the players roles.
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Alright, LA. Really good to see you and even better to know your well. ….. Same with me when I first got here, after just 2-3 of his articles this Frenchy guy is the goods I thought. We drew a fine hand here as a bunch of homeless Hawk fans.
And, your first post brings wisdom and context. Coaching changes are never easy but especially so with such a young roster. For sure, we just can’t get a decent enough handle on the Hawks until maybe 20 games in, at least, as you mention…….. But, even an objective fan is hoping for a jump forward to some degree this season and what we saw in Game 1 from the youngsters was not reassuring. No doubt though any vet forward of consequence didn’t dress v DET.
Can’t be positive about anything in sport but one thing I feel comfortable saying is a switch goes on outa nowhere many times for kids who will be useful NHLers. Once that starts to happen to a few of them you’ll see a much more dangerous team. …..
I can’t get my quote to take….
Replying to MH’s 1:27 post.
I’m still expecting KK to be one of the two remaining to make the team.………………
rpeters, KK just turned 21 in June. Besides that wasted season as a 19/20 yr old in the NHL has 16 more NHL games 56 AHL games. He’s still green and hopefully gets placed properly to develop and right now IMO that’s the AHL…….. But camp and the preseason should flesh this thing out.
