Report from Saturday's morning skate

Enough of the drama, Huet is playing terrible right now. End of subject. That doesn't mean he wasn't successful in Montreal or had good numbers last year. He is letting this team down and it is unacceptable. Nice post Stanley Cup

I was at the game last night and in some ways I feel bad for Huet as he is losing the home crowd with each game and seems a little snakebit. I firmly believe he is busting his behind but he simply is not getting the results. At this point he should not be considered a number one goalie until his save percentage is at least .900. At best he should be splitting time with Niemi until it is. Guys with a .844 save percentages can't be thrown out there everyday to work out their problems because save percentages that low are not solely due to quality chances or bad luck - it is bad play. I know the Hawks want Huet to be the guy because they're paying him a lot of money but a large contract doesn't stop the puck. It will be very interesting to see who is in goal the next couple of games. The pressure is rising......

As far as the rest of the team goes I thought it was fate lending a helping hand and rewarding Toews with that gift goal for all of his strong efforts before that. His line dominated play last night. The 4th line is really struggling though. Fraser was a -2 last night with only 5:44 of ice time. And Bolland is a bit of an enigma. He had more ice time than anyone other than Keith and Seabrook but was invisible most of the game. For some reason the PP has gone into a funk....need to spend some quality time in practice on this aspect. Lastly, are we seeing a coming out party for Hjalmarrson?? The more this guy plays the more it looks like he might turn into a number two or three defenseman.

Hawks lose again only because of a couple of really bad goals let in by Huet. I really feel for him and I am sure his team mates feel for him too but the bottom line is winning hockey games and I wonder how long this will go on for? All last year he clearly struggled and this year is even worse. The center ice goal was a fluke that it got to the net but still should have been stopped. Alex Auld clearly outplayed Huet for the win.

Before I get blasted for being a hater of Huet.....

The first 2 goals I can accept. The 1st goal was a scramble, it went off a few bodies and went by him. Fine. The 2nd goal, Campbell failed to tie up his guy, and it banked off of his skate from a point shot. Fine. However, the 3rd goal pisses me off more then anything. Maybe because it happened in front of me at the game, but NO NHL GOALIE should ever let in a 60 ft shot, with clear vision, from the half boards, and the shot gets no higher then your pads when in your butterfly. That's BS. Can't happen, and its time for this the guy to sit until he finds his game. He has no confidence, and he's on the verge of losing the home crowd. Before he is lost and costs this team games at HOME they can't afford to lose later on in the year, he needs to sit and get his head right, and his game right. Both are gone.

The 4th happens, but I just don't get how you dont' react when you are still in the crease. Leaving the crease in anticipation to play the puck? Fine. The Hawks spin control, mainly Jud Sirrot and his non stop @ss kissing of the Hawks, can spin it however he wants on the postgame, but it's ridiculous. Crazy bounce? Of course, but come on.....You can't let that in, in a 1 goal game in the 3rd, at home, after your team kills off a 5-3 power play.

The soft goals and being outplayed by backups continues for a guy who should be a number one. Until that changes, this team HAS TO SCORE FOUR goals every game to win.

Lastly, what the hell is going on with the UC glass? The lively bounces are ridiculous as are the glass plains falling out after each monster hit. 4 times already in 5 games.....It's getting old....Fix it.

Bolland is a great #3 center, but until he starts capitalizing on point blank chances (whiffed on a one time pass with less then a minute to go) I refuse to buy in he's a legit #2 center. Nobody gets more chances, yet fails to capitalize. Dave Bolland, everyone......

Maybe he is just stretching his banana

what banana story?

I'm not going to get into the insults and name-calling. The more you do it, guess who it's making look bad. You're obviously not a dumb guy. Get over it. Please. It's just not worth it.

Now, back to hockey.

I AGREED with you last year on Habby and Havlat. I'm not sure there was ANYONE else in all of Hawk Nation who espoused that P.O.V. except me and you.

"in one breath you say the market will establish their value, the next breath you imply that these guys are going to have to accept less because the cap strapped hawks supposedly have leverage since these guys are RFAs & not UFAs..."

OK, I am going to spell this out simply. Don't twist my words or worse yet, put words in my mouth.

Accept less than WHAT? What you say they're worth?

The market will set what they're worth. UFAs get more on the open market because it's simply a matter of outbidding other teams. With RFAs, there is a qualifying offer that entitles the Hawks top compensation. You know these guys will get top QO''s entitling the Hawks to a 1st and third round draft pick, and that's only if the Hawks choose not to match. This is why RFAs have less leverage than UFAs do. Sorry, just a fact.

(To your point and mine last year about UFAs Bulin and Havlat— you don't sign 'em to extensions, you should deal 'em by the deadline because they have all the leverage, right?)

The market will be established by how much money another team can throw at them, that the Hawks cannot possibly match— and at the cost of a first and third round pick. But ask yourself, WHY HAVE ALMOST NO GOOD PLAYERS GOTTEN GOOD RFA OFFER SHEETS the last two years?

WHY?

Chico, MOST teams are up against the cap. If they're not, they're typically small market teams and then Kane, Toews or Keith have to decide if they want to spend their careers in Phoenix or Columbus or Chicago, and that's only IF they get offer sheets.

Dude, for years, Detroit has signed players for less than market value because guys wanted to play there— only because they were a winning team. Not because Detroit's a great place to live. And the Hawks have Chicago to offer.

And do you really think they signed Hossa without having a plan to sign Kane, Toews and Keith? Really? Because most NHL teams plan their caps 2-3 years out minimum.

Marty will miss his second second game tonight w/ a bad groin. Minnesota is 1-5. Yikes. Any fresh bananas up there???