What's next for the Chicago Blackhawks?

DTR,

Congratulations on a great day. Tallon is taking a shot, you gotta like it. Having said that I respectfully request that you hold off on the Hossa avatar for a couple of weeks. I think alot of us find it quite painful. :**:

If ever there was a team built for the here and now, it's next season's Chicago Blackhawks.

This team is built like a brick Dung. They are going to pound a lot of teams next season and likely advance quite far in the post season.

Madden and Hossa just complement an already pretty powerful team.

THe only reason I hesitate to call them Stanley Cup favourites is the fact that ol' Cristobal is the man between the pipes. He doesn't have Khabibulin pushing him anymore. I will be curious to see how he handles the spotlight.

But seriously, offensively, they will embarass a lot of teams

Sp00nz wrote:

PKC wrote:I might become a Blackhawks fan if the Sens don't do something worth while.

Thats exactly the kind of attitude that many other fanbases knock Sens fans for.

I'd never leave the Sens as a fan...but you have to admit that the Hawks are going to be exciting to watch next season.

Hawks and Flyers are easiyl the best teams prepared for next year. Yet, they have the exact same quesiton mark...

marakh wrote:Hawks and Flyers are easiyl the best teams prepared for next year. Yet, they have the exact same quesiton mark...

between the pipes right? Hawks would have solidified themselves if they could have signed Bulin and traded the bum Huet.

SensFan71 wrote:

marakh wrote:Hawks and Flyers are easiyl the best teams prepared for next year. Yet, they have the exact same quesiton mark...

between the pipes right? Hawks would have solidified themselves if they could have signed Bulin and traded the bum Huet.

Why so nasty towards Cristo?

And your choice of language...how un-elegant. King Leonidas would NOT approve.

May I remind you Mr Huet was half of the third best goaltending pair in the West last year...The Hawks were 5th in the league overall on team defense. With Hossa, Kopecky and Madden, that may get even better.

davetherave wrote:

SensFan71 wrote:

marakh wrote:Hawks and Flyers are easiyl the best teams prepared for next year. Yet, they have the exact same quesiton mark...

between the pipes right? Hawks would have solidified themselves if they could have signed Bulin and traded the bum Huet.

Why so nasty towards Cristo?

And your choice of language...how un-elegant. King Leonidas would NOT approve.

May I remind you Mr Huet was half of the third best goaltending pair in the West last year...The Hawks were 5th in the league overall on team defense. With Hossa, Kopecky and Madden, that may get even better.

I guess bum was a little strong, my apologies to the spartans lol, my point more was that Bulin lead them through most of their playoff run and think he is the goalie to lead them to the holy grail, not Huet. now Bulin will be freezing his nene's off in Edmonton leading them I am certain to the playoffs.

Bulin is Russian, I'm pretty sure the cold in Edmonton won't bother him.

Big T wrote:Bulin is Russian, I'm pretty sure the cold in Edmonton won't bother him.

true enough, best goalie they have had in years regardless, expect the oilers to be in the playoffs this year.

SensFan71 wrote:

davetherave wrote:

SensFan71 wrote:

marakh wrote:Hawks and Flyers are easiyl the best teams prepared for next year. Yet, they have the exact same quesiton mark...

between the pipes right? Hawks would have solidified themselves if they could have signed Bulin and traded the bum Huet.

Why so nasty towards Cristo?

And your choice of language...how un-elegant. King Leonidas would NOT approve.

May I remind you Mr Huet was half of the third best goaltending pair in the West last year...The Hawks were 5th in the league overall on team defense. With Hossa, Kopecky and Madden, that may get even better.

I guess bum was a little strong, my apologies to the spartans lol, my point more was that Bulin lead them through most of their playoff run and think he is the goalie to lead them to the holy grail, not Huet. now Bulin will be freezing his nene's off in Edmonton leading them I am certain to the playoffs.

Mr SF, Dale Tallon has been asked the same questions about Monsieur Huet, and rightly so. His reply was that Cristo will be expected to play next season as he did in the final game of the playoffs; hopefully, ably seconded by Mr Antti Niemi from Finland.

The Count of Monte Cristobal did, after all, have a MUCH better average than 'The Wizard' Chris Osgood last year :-)

BTW Huet was in goal last season for the Hawks' franchise record-setting nine game win streak.

And how can you feel bad about a goalie who is very humble, admits when he has a bad game, makes some truly acrobatic stops and wears those stylish red pads?

Comrade Khabby was the man, no question, for the stretch and the playoffs...but time to move on...'Bulin deserved a new deal and a new challenge...Da svidanya Nikolai! Vsyo kharasho!

It's a team game, and the team will have to pull together in front of their gardien de but...c'est tout.

davetherave wrote:

SensFan71 wrote:

davetherave wrote:

SensFan71 wrote:

marakh wrote:Hawks and Flyers are easiyl the best teams prepared for next year. Yet, they have the exact same quesiton mark...

between the pipes right? Hawks would have solidified themselves if they could have signed Bulin and traded the bum Huet.

Why so nasty towards Cristo?

And your choice of language...how un-elegant. King Leonidas would NOT approve.

May I remind you Mr Huet was half of the third best goaltending pair in the West last year...The Hawks were 5th in the league overall on team defense. With Hossa, Kopecky and Madden, that may get even better.

I guess bum was a little strong, my apologies to the spartans lol, my point more was that Bulin lead them through most of their playoff run and think he is the goalie to lead them to the holy grail, not Huet. now Bulin will be freezing his nene's off in Edmonton leading them I am certain to the playoffs.

Mr SF, Dale Tallon has been asked the same questions about Monsieur Huet, and rightly so. His reply was that Cristo will be expected to play next season as he did in the final game of the playoffs; hopefully, ably seconded by Mr Antti Niemi from Finland.

The Count of Monte Cristobal did, after all, have a MUCH better average than 'The Wizard' Chris Osgood last year :-)

BTW Huet was in goal last season for the Hawks' franchise record-setting nine game win streak.

And how can you feel bad about a goalie who is very humble, admits when he has a bad game, makes some truly acrobatic stops and wears those stylish red pads?

Comrade Khabby was the man, no question, for the stretch and the playoffs...but time to move on...'Bulin deserved a new deal and a new challenge...Da svidanya Nikolai! Vsyo kharasho!

It's a team game, and the team will have to pull together in front of their gardien de but...c'est tout.

don't mind me, I am just crying sour apples because Murray couldn't do anything yesterday or today because of the selfish # 15, who had the nerve to veto a trade after publicly demanding one. I guess Dany, you should have said, I want to be traded, but not to Edmonton, what a rat bastard he is.

SF71...believe me, I empathize.

The Blackhawks went through years and years of ups and downs...seen 'em all.

The frustration you and Sens fans have is beyond description, and understandably so...but I have a sense The Senators will be a better team because they will find a way to pull together.

Hang in there. :___:

Not this year Dave, not this year.

Neely4Life wrote:Not this year Dave, not this year.

Neely>as you know, none of these things happens overnight...

Patience is IMHO essential when you follow a team over the years. I can't think of one NHL team that hasn't gone through tough seasons...but I'm dating myself here, heh, heh.

The Blackhawks are on the rise now...but not so long ago they weren't even in the postseason.

So you enjoy the success while you can, because you don't know how long it will last...

When I was a kid, the Montreal Canadiens were the 'juggernaut'...I remember them winning five Stanley Cups in a row.

It was almost automatic that I would not choose them as my favourites...for precisely that reason. I didn't want to follow the crowd.

With change being the norm in today's NHL, the idea of a 'dynasty' is dead. I happen to think that's a good thing...because it makes hockey more unpredictable and more interesting.

I don't think that having Hossa, Kopecky and Madden makes the Blackhawks a lock to be 'the team to beat'...there are too many variables to consider. But it does make them a more exciting, and skilled team for sure.

And I have always been a fan of Marian Hossa, whether he was a Sen, a Thrasher, a Penguin, or a Red Wing. Let's face it, players change teams now for a lot of reasons...they rarely play for the same club their whole careers.

I remember also when I was a kid and my favourite player was Frank Mahovlich. 'The Big M' played for the Leafs, and I wasn't a Leaf fan of course, but a Hawks fan...

...when he was almost traded to Chicago in 1962 (when Black Hawks owner Jimmy Norris offered a million dollars for him), I was disappointed the deal didn't happen...but I continued to enjoy watching him play as a Leaf, a Red Wing and even a Canadien.

A great player is a great player.

So...Hossa as a Hawk? I'm thrilled.

From Hawks columnist (and THN's Chicago correspondent) Tim Sassone today:

SURE SOUNDS LIKE A TRADE
Tim Sassone, Between The Circles/Chicago Daily Herald, July 3, 2009

This is Hawks GM Dale Tallon talking Thursday afternoon: “We’re looking for the right guy, maybe on the back end. We have a lot of assets we can trade.”

This is how I believe the Hawks are going to find that big, physical defenseman they are lacking, via a trade, and Tallon came about as close as he could to confirming it.

The Hawks have a lot of forwards to offer around the league. I wouldn’t be shocked if it was a scorer such as Patrick Sharp or Kris Versteeg that the Hawks at least explore dealing for that “right guy.”

With a serious salary cap issue to deal with after next season, the Hawks can’t keep everyone. Maybe it’s Troy Brouwer they try to move. Dustin Byfuglien might have been a trade candidate before the playoffs, but you need that big body, and if he performs like he did in the postseason, then he is worth his $3 million salary.

Moving a high-priced forward would allow the Hawks to slip either Jack Skille or Kyle Beach into the lineup at lower salary cap hit.

Here’s how the Hawks stack up at forward today and how lines might look:
Byfuglien-Toews-Kane
Sharp-Bolland-Hossa
Ladd-Madden-Versteeg
Eager-Burish-Kopecky-Brouwer

---

There are a number of d-men of interest...the Hawks are apparently looking for an experienced, crease-clearing, shot-blocking type...

Stay tuned...

Hmmmm, where'd I put that paperwork?...

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=283634

Possible huge clerical error for the Hawks.

Probably just a slow news day. I seriously doubt either the league or the NHLPA has an interest i turning these guys loose. Unless his holiness Brian Burke wants one of those guys, in which case he'll be on TSN in 5, 4, 3, ...

SpezDispenser wrote:Hmmmm, where'd I put that paperwork?...

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=283634

Possible huge clerical error for the Hawks.

Or not.