Who's on third (line)?
It's interesting that Marty Havlat skated on the third line at practice Tuesday with Dave Bolland and Andrew Ladd.
Are the Hawks preparing for life after Havlat? Maybe. There are rumors out there that Havlat might be the guy GM Dale Tallon tries to move to create cap space. Havlat makes $6 million and is an unrestricted free agent after the season.
Do the Hawks need Havlat to make the playoffs? Not of they think of him as a third-liner. Besides, if they are able to trade him Tallon could turn around and use that cash on a top-six forward or a defenseman, or both.
More and more, this is looking like the way to solve the cap problem - as long as Tallon can find a team that wants Havlat and as long as Havlat stays healthy.
The lines at practice Tuesday were:
22-10-88
32-19-33
16-36-24
55-46-28
Larmer fan
The great Steve Larmer will be honored Wednesday night before the Anaheim game on what the Hawks are calling "Heritage Night." There are a few of them planned the rest of the year.
In my 20-plus years covering the team there isn't a player I appreciated more than Larmer, whose two-way brilliance was the perfect compliment to linemate Denis Savard.
If Larmer isn't a Hall of Famer, he's darn close.
No Avery fan
The Dallas Stars stink and maybe Sean Avery is the reason why.
Dallas signed Avery to a four-year, $15 million contract as a free agent and all he has been is trouble. Avery was suspended by the NHL indefinitely on Tuesday for making inappropriate comments about Calgary defenseman Dion Phaneuf and his girlfriend, actress Elisha Cuthbert, who once dated Avery.
Even Mike Modano thinks Avery is a goof. Mike Modano, who is the Dallas Stars!
If the Stars had any guts they'd buy out Avery right now and try to save their season.
He is the reported locker room lazy, and his efforts defensively have shown brain cramps.
It seems halvat was truly effective when playing with the big three in Ottawa.
And since we are just developing a Big Two in Chicago, he seems stuck without another premier offensive talent on his line.
If someone ever deserved a night it would be former peterborough pete Larmer.
The guy played his way in to the AHL, NHL, and was always willing to do his job with excellent positioning and a good stick.
Is there anybody who could say anything bad about his hawk career?
I doubt it.
Congrats, Grandpa!
Hey there Rain, Keenan wasn't the one responsible for Larmer leaving, but he did give him an ulcer. Larmer was going to quit rather than play for Darryl Sutter after Sutter started doing the Keenan act. The Hawks knew Larmer meant business, so they had no choice but get rid of him. And all that made an impression on Keenan, as Keenan acquired him for the Rangers and then won the cup. Drives me crazy that great Hawks players have to leave town to get a cup.
The '94 Rangers won because they only really had just a couple actual guys who came through the Rangers' system (Leetch, Richter, Dr. Karpovtsev, Kovalev). Most of them were better known as either Oilers or Blackhawks.
Stephane Matteau will live forever out there for his two 2-OT goals againse the Devils, one in Game 7, that left Howie Rose just screaming, "Matteau! Matteau! Matteau!"
has looked at his best this year playing with Kane & Sharp, tho that mainly happened when Kane was double shifted on that line and that hasn't happened too often. I'm not sure why they wouldn't try him with Kane more, with havlat on his offwing, rather than moving him to the 3rd line...if you are planning on dealing a player, I think you want to put him in a position where he looks his best so as to maximize the return and clearly havlat is an offensive player who plays his best when he has linemates have similar skill.
putting him on the 3rd line is like a demotion and if the hawks are looking to trade him, then they must not be expecting/wanting much back...which suggests any deal would be a salary dump, so they could free up cap space to sign a guy like sundin. if that is what they are contemplating, that would be one of the dumbest things they could possibly do, imo.
havlat should still fetch a decent return despite the fact he is a UFA - he obviously has terrific offensive skill, and is still in his prime, tho also has a history of missing significant time due to injury...however, if put in the right situation, i think he could be a very dangerous offensive threat and productive player.
NJ was reportedly interested in him at the deadline last year, likely to pair him with elias, with whom he is very good friends off the ice. NJ also has a pending UFA in John Madden whose experience would be very useful to the hawks and he would not create the cap management problems a guy like sundin would (and obviously having started the season in training camp, Madden would be ready to step in right away and contribute).
in any case, as it gets closer to the trade deadline, havlat's cap hit becomes less of an issue to other teams and his skill would make him a much sought after player for the stretch drive and playoffs for a contending team - to simply dump him to free up salary would be more asset mismanagement that the hawks have been famous for. If they then turn around and add Sundin, a 38 year old guy just starting to skate now in preparation for a return, who despite his skill has never led his teams to much playoff success, and who would create even greater cap issues & inflexibility for the hawks, that would simply compound their problems.
Selanne & Niedermayer returning half way through the season didn't exactly turn the ducks around last year, and they were already familiar to their teammates on & off the ice....bringing in a guy like sundin half way through a season...the risk (screwing their cap space further) is too high given the potential return (a 38 yr old who only last year in explaining why he wouldn't waive his no trade clause, commented that he didn't want to join a new team in the middle of the season since he thought it was important to be part of the "journey" for the entire season, from the beginning of training camp to the Cup).
As for Avery, when you hire a guy with no experience to be your (co-)GM (i.e. Brett Hull), this is what happens...actually if they cut Avery & their losses now, I think that team could still be a contender, though the loss of Morrow does hurt them. Tippet is a solid coach and former GM Armstrong, now assistant GM in St. Louis, the architect of that team got shafted last year...while Tallon still has his job.... go figure.
1) I always read Sopel comments at work and I'm not logged in there so I never ante in: YES, he's -7. He was also on ice for the first 6 goals scored against the Hawks this year so that means he's been pretty much even since game 4. He has trade value, is what I'm saying. Everyone's so down on the guy because Tallon gave him a contract.
2) Steve Rain: you make some allusion to Havlat for Gionta. Don't ever invoke trades that didn't happen unless you have specific knowledge. If I'm NJ, I would NEVER do that trade. If you have evidence, I'm all eyes.
3) Gotta prepare for life after Havlat anyway. I'm a big fan of his highlight-reel goals (that backhander against Phoenix this year is the BEST goal I've ever seen at a game I've attended, and I saw Bob Probert once score on a wraparound and Jean-Yves Leroux falling down on a breakaway.) But he's not on this team next year. Not at his price.
4) Signing Huet was a mistake? Personally, I have no faith in Crawford. Maybe it's just me. Niemi -- how many pro games has he played? Many consider our goalie situation to be a problem -- I think it's a nice problem. Khabby's gone, unfortunately we couldn't trade him before an injury. Huet will be fine. He wasn't the problem this weekend. If the other guys don't have the same confidence in him, that's THEIR problem. I don't remember the Red Wings teams of the last 15 years having confidence in any of their goalies, from Vernon to Osgood to Legace, etc . . . And if that's what we aspire to with Jonathan "second coming of Stevie Y" Toews . . .
5) I get scared of the supposed deals the Hawks are involved in. Sundin? No way. Sopel and Buff for Nylander? Yikes. Shanahan? What a nice 147th birthday gift that would be for him. I'd rather see Aliu and Beech.
1) 2.5 mil a year for Sopel is a bit much. That said, the guy's been a solid contributor everywhere he's been. He's slow. Other than that, he plays the game smart and within himself. Solid veteran somebody might deal for at the deadline.
2) If Havlat goes to NJ, it will be for less salary coming back. My guess is that's when you'll see a Nylander deal happen, with minimal value going back to DC. Who knows, could even be a 3-way, all at once deal.
3) I remember both Probie and JY's goals you refer to! There is no way "Marty Bananas" is coming back next year. Deal him. Like I said, I think somehow, some way, Nylander is the return. Say what you want, but Marty is a bit of a black hole (when the puck goes in, it doesn't come back out), but Nylander is a true set-up guy.
4) I'm totally with you. Everyone's down on Huet after he's played ten games. Sometimes the "logic" of Hawk fans amazes me. Khabibulin mostly blows for three years then starts playing in his contract year and now everyone wants to raise #39 to the rafters because they mistakenly think he's taking us to the Cup (or close) this year. Crawford is a mediocre goalie in the AHL. Why would he be any better in the NHL? I DO think Niemi is the real deal, though. Crawford is up now because he's in a backup role, which is what the Hawks envision as his NHL future. Niemi is down because he's #1 at Rockford and that's what the Hawks see as his NHL role. Huet can play better, though. And people need to stop thinking the end is nigh if Khabibulin gets dealt. Like Havlat, he's not back next year either.
5) If they signed Sundin for two years, I'd be fine with that. They are NOT trading Byfuglien for Nylander.
STEVE RAIN: They gave Skille a shot. My ten year old Sheltie has more hockey instinct. When he learns how to play defense, he'll be a decent third liner. Blunden and Bickell are third or fourth liners at best. Brouwer does a lot of good things without the puck that don't get noticed by 90% of the fans. When a guy parks in front of the net and takes the abuse necessary to stay there, but nobody puts the puck on net (Black Hole Havlat), then that's not his fault. And Byfuglien, I strongly suspect, is still hurt.
Wouldn't a buy-out on Averys contract count against the Stars cap?
I remember when the hawks got yanic perrault, and he did squat. Great expectations, but did not produce.
huet is the same. he has not been very good at all this season. save cap room by dealing him.
First of all I don't believe there were great expectations for Yanic Perrault, by the time the Hawks got him his career was done and he was good for faceoffs and that was it, anyone that was expecting more out of him was crazy, second Huet is expendable but has he played like a 6 million dollar goalie??? he's not going anywhere not when there are cheaper alternatives out there for other teams. Those goalies aren't as good as Huet but he's not playing at the level that he needs to play to make anyone want him and that salary.
Well, I guess you have to pick your battles, but again this just proves what an absolute moron Dale Tallon truly is.
I know that Marty Havlat has been injury prone, and will never win the Selke, but how does this team GET BETTER without him? If anything the Hawks should hold onto him banking on the fact that Havlat has to STAY healthy this year if he has any hope of banking on a large contract from somebody next year. The hawks with Havlat are better off then the Hawks with a Shanahan or Sundin, which I don't see the Hawks getting either one. If the Hawks hit the skids, trade him in March and get something back for him. He has value. Should have traded him to New Jersey last year for Gionta when they had the chance.
I'm sorry but since the master mind tallon, maxed out his cap, and was forced to deal Robert Lang, this team has been scrambling since. You have two goalies who both thrive on consistent playing time, trying to play the good soldier. Huet, getting his chance now, is looking a lot like Khabibulin did his previous years with the Hawks, and Khabibulin is looking like everyone hoped Huet would look. Meanwhile, we have 2 unproven possible studs wasting away in Rockford, because idiot Tallon over estimated the market for a mid 30s goalie making 6.75 million a year, and has had to pay them both.
On top of that you have a hole at the 2nd line center, and I can't wait to see how many chances Bolland blows when Havlat creates space for him and Bolland shanks it wide, or shoots it right into the goalie's chest, like he does on the power play or in games like Anaheim. 3 goals.....12 for the year. That is one amazing talent..........
How many lives does 22 and 33 get? How are they a top 6 and Havlat is not? Seriously? It is a joke. When does a Kontinola, Bluden, Bickell, or Skillie get a chance?
The most important thing is that the Hawks need to start winning these games they have in hand over teams. They need to start racking up Ws. Shoot out losses are nice on the road against top teams, but with the tiebreaker being Ws, they better start finding a way to win. Then again, it's hard to win a shoot out when your lack of skill players is glaring.
Loved Larmer. Grew up watching the Hawks in the mid 80s and Larmer was amazing. I was devastated when Keenan shipped him off. I do remember the pentaly shot at the stadium where he teed it up against Belfour. And no, I can't see Ed Belfour giving him that goal. The Eagle was one competitive SOB, no way he gives one up for free.
Huge game tomorrow. Huet needs to find a way to win this game for the Hawks. If Huet gets shelled, give Crawford a shot against Phoenix or Detroit, if Khabibulin isnt back. Need to see if that mid March run he had last year, was a mirage......
Some great points but I think Havlat is expendable at this point. The best we can hope for is to make the playoffs, this team is not a contender so why not trade him and try and get something for him for next year and beyon? I agree if you get rid of him just to pick up Sundin or Shanny then that's silly. I would love to see Sundin in a Hawks sweater but it doesn't make sense really, he's only got a couple years left and the Hawks at best are a couple years away from being a serious contender so to plug Sundin in on this team right now doesn't compute. This is a contract year for Havlat and you are going to loose him at the end of the season, there is no way they can or should keep him. If they keep him until March and he hasn't played the way he's capable then your just dumping him and getting what you can instead of possibly getting better value for him now. You were right on the money about trading him last year...... a missed opportunity.
I think you still have to give Brouwer a chance, he uses what size he has and goes to the front of the net, that's way more than Buff does. I would rather see 22 than 33 out there right now, he's not a top line winger but neither is Byfuglien. Brouwer has 9 pts and is + 6 in 16 games, Buff has 6 pts and is -1 in 19 games. Brouwer right now seems to know what it takes and what his role is going to be in this league, we need more guys like him that are willing to pay the price and camp out in front of the net. I wouldn't mind seeing Skille back either, Kontiola shows a lot of promise and is having another nice year in Rockford but Bickell and Blunden aren't ready.
Right on the money with the goaltending and with the Larmer comments, he was one of the best and I am excited to bring my son to the game tomorrow night.