Jokerit of the SM-Liiga in Finland just played their last game Sunday. Now, it's time for the Finnish superstar to board that plane and head on over to Chicago where he is expected to make the team.
If that happens, it appears that David Rundblad will be the odd man out (cap reasons), and Peter Regin may follow him to Rockford.
If cap issues allow it, I'd swap Regin for Morin and Rundblad for Teravainen. We'll see what really happens. All we know for certain, is that Teuvo Teravainen is finished in Finland (oh,..that's cute) and on his way to joining the Blackhawks in their final 14 games of the season.
Monday, March 17, 2014
Q Shakes Up Lines…IT WORKED!!! Hawks 4-1 Win Over Detroit
23- 19- 81 Versteeg- Toews- Hossa start the game.
29- 26- 88 Bickell- Handzus- Kane as a second line to start the first period.
20- 65- 10 Saad- Shaw- Sharp was a very interesting 3rd line.
52- 16- 28 Bollig- Kruger- Smith…why mess with a good thing? 4th line the same ALL YEAR.
16- 26- 10 Kruger Handzus Sharp… (just after being shorthanded).
23- 19- 81 SAME 1st line.
29- 28- 88- Wow!!! Smith moves to centering the 2nd line. Bickell- Smith- Kane
20- 65- 10 SAME 3rd line.
52- 16- 28 SAME. Kruger and Smith rejoin 4th line.
29- 28- 88 2nd Line. Smith again at center.
20- 65- 10 Same 3rd line all game long. (weird seeing Sharp on the 3rd line).
23- 19- 81 Same 1st line all game long.
52- 26- 16 New 4th line. Kruger to wing, Handzus to center.
20- 65- 81….Huh? Hossa goes to the 3rd line with Saad and Shaw.
10- 65- 81… Sharp- Shaw- Hossa. (3rd line is pretty potent yeah?)
Hossa still plays the 1st line late in the game, also.
2nd Period:
Versteeg- Toews- Hossa… Sounds like a good idea.
16-26-10 Kruger- Handzus- Sharp……What?
20-26-16 Saad- Handzus- Kruger. (what line do I call this?)
Bickell Smith and Kane together again…..Hey, if it works…don't mess with it.
Saad Shaw Sharp…back together again.
Shaw- Toew - Sharp. PP Unit.
Versteeg-Smith-Hossa PP Unit….scores…(Leddy scored the PP goal).
20-16-52 Shaw Kruger Bollig reconstructed 4th line.
29- 19- 10 Bickell Toews and Sharp. (I think Sharp may have played on a zillion different lines tonight)
23- 65- 81 Versteeg Shaw and Hossa (lines are getting ridiculously shuffled after Saad leaves with injury)
3rd Period:
Here's a new one:…..
52- 16- 88 Bollig Kruger and now KANE joins the 4th line.
Later on Handzus takes his place back on the 4th line.
10- 28- 88 Sharp replaces Bickell on the 2nd line.
23- 16- 88 Versteeg Kruger and Kane. Uhmmm 20th line?
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First things first…Saad appears to be okay. Find out more tomorrow with this upper body injury.
Next….musical chairs worked…tonight. This was done to shake up the team tonight toward the beginning of the game. Later on it was done to complete lines since Saad had to leave the game with an injury. Kane and Sharp were floaters. Smith was an experiment……it worked!!!!
29- 26- 88 Bickell- Handzus- Kane as a second line to start the first period.
20- 65- 10 Saad- Shaw- Sharp was a very interesting 3rd line.
52- 16- 28 Bollig- Kruger- Smith…why mess with a good thing? 4th line the same ALL YEAR.
16- 26- 10 Kruger Handzus Sharp… (just after being shorthanded).
23- 19- 81 SAME 1st line.
29- 28- 88- Wow!!! Smith moves to centering the 2nd line. Bickell- Smith- Kane
20- 65- 10 SAME 3rd line.
52- 16- 28 SAME. Kruger and Smith rejoin 4th line.
29- 28- 88 2nd Line. Smith again at center.
20- 65- 10 Same 3rd line all game long. (weird seeing Sharp on the 3rd line).
23- 19- 81 Same 1st line all game long.
52- 26- 16 New 4th line. Kruger to wing, Handzus to center.
20- 65- 81….Huh? Hossa goes to the 3rd line with Saad and Shaw.
10- 65- 81… Sharp- Shaw- Hossa. (3rd line is pretty potent yeah?)
Hossa still plays the 1st line late in the game, also.
2nd Period:
Versteeg- Toews- Hossa… Sounds like a good idea.
16-26-10 Kruger- Handzus- Sharp……What?
20-26-16 Saad- Handzus- Kruger. (what line do I call this?)
Bickell Smith and Kane together again…..Hey, if it works…don't mess with it.
Saad Shaw Sharp…back together again.
Shaw- Toew - Sharp. PP Unit.
Versteeg-Smith-Hossa PP Unit….scores…(Leddy scored the PP goal).
20-16-52 Shaw Kruger Bollig reconstructed 4th line.
29- 19- 10 Bickell Toews and Sharp. (I think Sharp may have played on a zillion different lines tonight)
23- 65- 81 Versteeg Shaw and Hossa (lines are getting ridiculously shuffled after Saad leaves with injury)
3rd Period:
Here's a new one:…..
52- 16- 88 Bollig Kruger and now KANE joins the 4th line.
Later on Handzus takes his place back on the 4th line.
10- 28- 88 Sharp replaces Bickell on the 2nd line.
23- 16- 88 Versteeg Kruger and Kane. Uhmmm 20th line?
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First things first…Saad appears to be okay. Find out more tomorrow with this upper body injury.
Next….musical chairs worked…tonight. This was done to shake up the team tonight toward the beginning of the game. Later on it was done to complete lines since Saad had to leave the game with an injury. Kane and Sharp were floaters. Smith was an experiment……it worked!!!!
Saturday, March 15, 2014
Hawks Continue To Play Mediocre Hockey In 2014 Loss to Nashville 3-2@Home
What is it with this team? They only seem to get up to play the better teams, but the lower ranked teams the Hawks go in and play like crap,…expect to skate to a win and they end up losing most of them. This is due to the leadership of players like Keith, Kane, Seabrook and Sharp showing that lackadaisical, half-effort. They know they can turn it on, but they aren't playing with that "hunger" , "desire" to want to put teams away. The Hawks need their leadership core (minus Toews…who always seems to appear for EVERY game), to come to play hard every single night.
Again, tonight, the Hawks aren't playing with any desire to crash the net, get the dirty goal. It's apparent that they think they can turn it on whenever they want. Some bad cancerous attitudes are present in that locker room and they better get rid of it soon before they become a 1st or 2nd round casualty. They're mediocre in PP (lately they're atrocious ), their PK is on the rise but still ranked 20th in the league. In other words, these stats aren't lying.
How about the disappearance of Patrick Kane? WTF has he gone? It appeared with the last two highlight reel goals that he has found his game again. Patrick Sharp? Duncan Keith? Time to step up boys!!!!!!!
Johnny Oduya……other than Colorado (which he showed effort in) he has been bad in judgement.
Andrew Shaw….. is so hit or miss lately. He will make some totally bone head mistakes, then look good on another play.
Marcus Kruger…last two games getting penalties for flipping pucks over the glass. Really?
Peter Regin?…….Totally not buying in the Regin experiment. (I know he scored a goal…great…but, most of the game he looked lost).
Bryan Bickell……hey Bicks!!! Wanna come to play, please?
The entire team is napping. Goaltending hasn't been crisp either. Worried? Yah,…you betcha.
Again, tonight, the Hawks aren't playing with any desire to crash the net, get the dirty goal. It's apparent that they think they can turn it on whenever they want. Some bad cancerous attitudes are present in that locker room and they better get rid of it soon before they become a 1st or 2nd round casualty. They're mediocre in PP (lately they're atrocious ), their PK is on the rise but still ranked 20th in the league. In other words, these stats aren't lying.
How about the disappearance of Patrick Kane? WTF has he gone? It appeared with the last two highlight reel goals that he has found his game again. Patrick Sharp? Duncan Keith? Time to step up boys!!!!!!!
Johnny Oduya……other than Colorado (which he showed effort in) he has been bad in judgement.
Andrew Shaw….. is so hit or miss lately. He will make some totally bone head mistakes, then look good on another play.
Marcus Kruger…last two games getting penalties for flipping pucks over the glass. Really?
Peter Regin?…….Totally not buying in the Regin experiment. (I know he scored a goal…great…but, most of the game he looked lost).
Bryan Bickell……hey Bicks!!! Wanna come to play, please?
The entire team is napping. Goaltending hasn't been crisp either. Worried? Yah,…you betcha.
Wednesday, March 12, 2014
Teuvo Teräväinen To Join Hawks After FInnish Season is Finished
What was suspected, is now confirmed by both Coach Quenneville and GM Stan Bowman. Finnish sensation Teuvo Teräväinen will join the Blackhawks after his season for Jokerit is finished.
This will probably mean the demotion of Centerman Peter Regin. Hawks normally like to keep an extra defenseman or two, thereby keeping David Rundblad with the Hawks. (We shall see).
If the Hawks can bring Teravainen in, they could immediately put him on the second line. The first two lines will be juggled a bit (as usual), but if they wish, the Hawks could Put Sharp-Teravainen-Kane as the second line, and the first line could be Saad-Toews-Hossa. (This would slide Shaw back to the third line in between Versteeg and Bickell). 4th line would remain the same, therefore the odd man out would be Michael Handzus.
***Note: Regin's cap hit at the moment is $375 as David Rundblad's cap hit is at $785,000. The Hawks have NO room right now, and they may need to move Rundblad in order to make room…no choice here.
Hawks fans are getting excited with the thought of Teravainen joining the team. His skill level and speed are literally off the charts. He may be one of the best NON-NHLers in the world right now. So,… everyone is going to get their opportunity in seeing "the kid" come to town. CAN'T WAIT.
This will probably mean the demotion of Centerman Peter Regin. Hawks normally like to keep an extra defenseman or two, thereby keeping David Rundblad with the Hawks. (We shall see).
If the Hawks can bring Teravainen in, they could immediately put him on the second line. The first two lines will be juggled a bit (as usual), but if they wish, the Hawks could Put Sharp-Teravainen-Kane as the second line, and the first line could be Saad-Toews-Hossa. (This would slide Shaw back to the third line in between Versteeg and Bickell). 4th line would remain the same, therefore the odd man out would be Michael Handzus.
***Note: Regin's cap hit at the moment is $375 as David Rundblad's cap hit is at $785,000. The Hawks have NO room right now, and they may need to move Rundblad in order to make room…no choice here.
Hawks fans are getting excited with the thought of Teravainen joining the team. His skill level and speed are literally off the charts. He may be one of the best NON-NHLers in the world right now. So,… everyone is going to get their opportunity in seeing "the kid" come to town. CAN'T WAIT.
Friday, March 7, 2014
Shaw Makes Most of 1st Line Opportunity
Who would have thought that Saad - Toews - Shaw would amount for 5 points (4 goals) ?
That is exactly what happened tonight. Shaw had 2 goals and Toews had 2 goals and Saad had a sweet assist on Toews first goal. The 2nd line of Sharp - Regin - Kane still didn't do much. Kane and Sharpies points came on the PP tonight, but as a second line, they didn't make a dent in the scoreboard.
THE 4th LINE:
The 4th line continues to make impressions on everyone. Bollig nets his 7th goal.
Look at that line. Bollig 7 goals, Smith 8 goals, and Kruger 6 goals. That is pretty darn impressive when it comes to the 4th line stats. In addition, they are a nice shut-down line. Bollig is showing that he deserves that 3 year extension. Is Smith next? He should be. If that is the case (and it probably will be), then that will mean 19 guys will be under contract for next season. Handzus, Brookbank, Khabibulin, Raanta, Regin and Smith's contracts all terminate at the end of this season. Smith, Raanta, possibly Regin will end up with contracts. (Will Regin sign a 2 way contract?).
WHO STAYS:
I believe 100% that Khabibulin is DONE. I mean DONE for good. Brooksy I'm not convinced he will return and the same goes with Handzy. So, this gives opportunity for players like Teravainen to get a chance. Others that could get that opportunity to finalize the roster are: Hayes, Hartman, Danault, McNeill, Clendening, Nordstrom, Dahlbeck and LeBlanc and whatever surprise the Hawks throw at us. Remember, Bowman loves to sign veterans, so don't be surprised if he accumulates a low priced veteran that he won't think will change the chemistry any.
OFF SEASON TRADES (possible):
Could there possibly be any offseason trades? YES. But, that list is small. I only see Oduya in that list or possibly sending Rozsival with another player in a trade. Other than that, I don't see much else.
RUNDLBAD & REGIN
So,……let's wait for the remaining games to see how Rundblad and Regin hang with the team, and see the Hawks transform into their playoff selves within a few weeks. This is the fun time for hockey.
That is exactly what happened tonight. Shaw had 2 goals and Toews had 2 goals and Saad had a sweet assist on Toews first goal. The 2nd line of Sharp - Regin - Kane still didn't do much. Kane and Sharpies points came on the PP tonight, but as a second line, they didn't make a dent in the scoreboard.
THE 4th LINE:
The 4th line continues to make impressions on everyone. Bollig nets his 7th goal.
Look at that line. Bollig 7 goals, Smith 8 goals, and Kruger 6 goals. That is pretty darn impressive when it comes to the 4th line stats. In addition, they are a nice shut-down line. Bollig is showing that he deserves that 3 year extension. Is Smith next? He should be. If that is the case (and it probably will be), then that will mean 19 guys will be under contract for next season. Handzus, Brookbank, Khabibulin, Raanta, Regin and Smith's contracts all terminate at the end of this season. Smith, Raanta, possibly Regin will end up with contracts. (Will Regin sign a 2 way contract?).
WHO STAYS:
I believe 100% that Khabibulin is DONE. I mean DONE for good. Brooksy I'm not convinced he will return and the same goes with Handzy. So, this gives opportunity for players like Teravainen to get a chance. Others that could get that opportunity to finalize the roster are: Hayes, Hartman, Danault, McNeill, Clendening, Nordstrom, Dahlbeck and LeBlanc and whatever surprise the Hawks throw at us. Remember, Bowman loves to sign veterans, so don't be surprised if he accumulates a low priced veteran that he won't think will change the chemistry any.
OFF SEASON TRADES (possible):
Could there possibly be any offseason trades? YES. But, that list is small. I only see Oduya in that list or possibly sending Rozsival with another player in a trade. Other than that, I don't see much else.
RUNDLBAD & REGIN
So,……let's wait for the remaining games to see how Rundblad and Regin hang with the team, and see the Hawks transform into their playoff selves within a few weeks. This is the fun time for hockey.
Thursday, March 6, 2014
Morin Stays Put...For Now
I figured that something HAD to happen with Brandon Pirri and/or Jeremy Morin by this trade deadline.
Both players were unhappy being repeatedly sent down to Rockford and neither given a true opportunity to showcase their talents on the NHL roster.
* Both players contracts with the Hawks terminate at the end of this season.
* With the addition of Peter Regin and Pierre-Marc Bouchard (both centermen), this spelled the end of Brandon Pirri's tenure with the Hawks organization for good. Surely, that was the case. Shortly afterward the Hawks trade Pirri to Florida for a future 3rd (2014) and 5th (2016) round pick.
* Hawks brass,...and even the fans, are well aware of Morin's status and his displeasure of being sent down to Rockford. So, what do the Hawks do? Interestingly enough, the Hawks fill their cap space by adding defenseman David Rundblad. (btw...Rundblad is a stud. But, I didn't see that coming....not surprising however).
* Hawks have not added Morin to their roster, as of yet (However, this is surprising).
* Hawks may be interested in adding Teuvo Teravainen at the end of his season in Finland. This is not too far fetched at all. If that was the case, someone will get sent down (most likely Regin).
Jeremy Morin was the AHL player of the Month for February, and he continues his torrid pace of scoring a point in 13 straight games. Good for J-Mo. I really do like the fact he is making it hard on the brass. What do we do with this kid? Okay,...let's note that J-Mo in no way is a 4th line guy or even a healthy scratch type player. He can fit on the 3rd line with a proper connection. Morin - Shaw - Versteeg...that could work. 3 guys who are horses. Bickell - Handzus - Morin.....NO WAY..., Versteeg - Handzus - Morin. Ehhhh,...
See the problem? Where do you put him? He's truly a top 6 forward, but the only time he can play is NOW. While Hossa is hurt, this would help the team. Great,...then you send Regin down and lose a centerman? So, I'm a bit perplexed about why the Hawks couldn't trade Morin. Let's keep our ears and eyes open for future happenings. Something will happen before/by years end.
Both players were unhappy being repeatedly sent down to Rockford and neither given a true opportunity to showcase their talents on the NHL roster.
* Both players contracts with the Hawks terminate at the end of this season.
* With the addition of Peter Regin and Pierre-Marc Bouchard (both centermen), this spelled the end of Brandon Pirri's tenure with the Hawks organization for good. Surely, that was the case. Shortly afterward the Hawks trade Pirri to Florida for a future 3rd (2014) and 5th (2016) round pick.
* Hawks brass,...and even the fans, are well aware of Morin's status and his displeasure of being sent down to Rockford. So, what do the Hawks do? Interestingly enough, the Hawks fill their cap space by adding defenseman David Rundblad. (btw...Rundblad is a stud. But, I didn't see that coming....not surprising however).
* Hawks have not added Morin to their roster, as of yet (However, this is surprising).
* Hawks may be interested in adding Teuvo Teravainen at the end of his season in Finland. This is not too far fetched at all. If that was the case, someone will get sent down (most likely Regin).
Jeremy Morin was the AHL player of the Month for February, and he continues his torrid pace of scoring a point in 13 straight games. Good for J-Mo. I really do like the fact he is making it hard on the brass. What do we do with this kid? Okay,...let's note that J-Mo in no way is a 4th line guy or even a healthy scratch type player. He can fit on the 3rd line with a proper connection. Morin - Shaw - Versteeg...that could work. 3 guys who are horses. Bickell - Handzus - Morin.....NO WAY..., Versteeg - Handzus - Morin. Ehhhh,...
See the problem? Where do you put him? He's truly a top 6 forward, but the only time he can play is NOW. While Hossa is hurt, this would help the team. Great,...then you send Regin down and lose a centerman? So, I'm a bit perplexed about why the Hawks couldn't trade Morin. Let's keep our ears and eyes open for future happenings. Something will happen before/by years end.
Monday, March 3, 2014
Brandon Bollig Gets 3 Year Extension
Brandon Bollig gets his wish. He gets to dress up and play hockey for the best organization in professional hockey…The Chicago Blackhawks. Great job Brandon. Well done!
Apparently,….it is reported that the contract is $1.25m yearly. Not too shabby.. I would have figured he would have made $750k per year. So, I guess the Bollig camp did well.
Bob McKenzie @tsnbobmckenzie
Brandon Bollig's AAV on 3-year extension with CHI is $1.25M. You can buy MANY line rickeys at The Hoot Owl with $1.25M. #slu #scaryisntit
Brandon Bollig
...now cue the haters.
Beyond excited to remain a Blackhawk for the next three years. Thank you all for the support.
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