All rumors lead through Chicago
ST. PAUL, Minn. - It's funny how the Hawks are smack in the middle of nearly every rumor flowing over the border from Canada. Some make sense while others do not.
Are the Hawks interested in free agent center Mats Sundin? They've kicked the tires, but Sundin hasn't even said if he wants to play again.
Signing Sundin would mean the Hawks must clear anywhere from $7 million to $10 million of salary cap space. Moving out Nikolai Khabibulin would be a start, but that's only $6.75 million and the Hawks were only about $300,000 under the NHL's $57.6 million salary cap as of Monday.
It could be done, of course, but we'll see.
Now the Hawks are rumored to be one of the teams interested in Ottawa center Jason Spezza, who is said to be on the block.
Spezza is a nice player, but he's going to make $8 million a year through 2013. The question is, could the Hawks take on that salary with Brian Campbell set to make $7 million for the next seven years and Toews and Kane's deals up in two years? They're going to get somewhere in the neighborhood of $6.5 million a year each.
And the Hawks also have Duncan Keith to pay soon and he's going to require at least $5 million, likely more.
It's fun to throw rumors out there, but in today's NHL the money puzzle must fit.
check your spelling?sarcasic(sarcastic)
my last post to you,because you lack hockey knowledge.
that was 1 year out of 10 with injuries. he coached with good players 9 OTHER YEARS.
He went to conferance finals 1 YEAR out of 10.
YOU THINK HE'S TOE BLAKE.
Hope you keep your word about your last post to me
Don't do a "180" now...
Please tell me you were being sarcasic. I don't know if you kept tabs on the NHL last season but Q's Avalanche delt with more injuries to higher profile players (Smyth, Sakic, Stansy) than the Hawks yet managed to get his team in the playoffs.
As far as the game passing Scotty Bowman by (it's spelled by, not bye) if you really believe that there's no use trying to talk any sense to you.
we will see your Q does when he misses key guys in the line up,
like savard did.savard more creative and smarter than Q.
bowman is 78 years old not 48years old,so the game has past him bye long ago.
so theirs you hope.
do watch hockey?ruutu when in chicago couldn't score into soccer net and mr injury prone was on the sidelines more than on ice.In carolina he is the same way.
bowman and quienville are certainly not the answers.you think these 2
will take you over the top.ya right.
"...these 2 will take you over the top."
NO, I am not saying they will. But they will take you in a positive direction and they do see mistakes and fix them. There is hope with Q and Bowman; there is little to no hope with Tallon and Savard.
Shanahan is not a center so signing him doesn't solve the Hawks #1 problem.
As far as the Sundin rumors go, just because something isn't in the Toronto Sun doesn't mean it's not true. Please, like that Leaf propoganda machine would have Mats signing anywhere but TO. Yes at this point is all rumor, but to suggest it can't be possible because it's not in The Sun is laughable. Did The Sun have the Hawks signing Campbell or Huet? And who's to say he'll want $7-10M? Vancouver was falling all over themselves to offer him that kind of money and nothing happened.
Spezza is a problem child in Ottawa and can't figure out how to play with that super skilled team. Not only that but his contract is ridiculus.
The truth of the matter is there aren't too many #2 centers out there that teams would want to move at this point in the season. Or the price to nab say Savard from Boston would be too high for Tallon (or Bowman). Remember, this team is not a #2 center away from winning the Cup. However they are a #2 center away from being extreemley competitive and that would allow the correct pieces to fall into place, ie. Sharp to wing, a center to play with Havlat, someone to take defensive pressure of of Toews.
This is where the Sundin rumors make sense from the Hawks' perspective. With every passing day Khabi's cap hit goes down and makes him easier to move. With each passing day the actual cap hit on a $5-7M contract for Mats also goes down. Of course this is all dependant on what Mats wants to do, he holds all the cards. But wouldn't it be interesting if Sundin's agent contacted the Hawks, not the other way around?
But, come on....You think Matts Sundin is signing with the Hawks for anything less then 10 million? Please....Why would he? This isn't a team that with him wins the cup. He isn't going to give the Hawks any sort of break. Not to mention when you trade Khabibulin, you will have to take some money back. Not many teams sitting out there with enough cap room to absorb his salary. So the Hawks will have to PRAY that the market for him dies down, and he has very few offers out there. If not, the Hawks will have to pony large for his services, and like I said there is no way in hell he's in Chicago anytime soon.
Rumors are rumors but just to throw them out there is a joke. TSN.ca had the Hawks in the hunt for Richards, Huet, and Campbell, and NO WHERE anywhere is there a link that I can find that states the Hawks are interested in Sundin or Spezza, so save me that crap.
But Sundin is a swepstakes winner and we cn't get into a bidding war for a player likely worth what he brings to us for only one year. I would not accept a two year contract with him, unless we have option to buy out -- and even then I need to review salary cap rules.
I have commented/agree in other posts about the #2 center post. In short I would trade Buff for that #2 center. I am convinced Buff will never be the sum of his enormous talent and as a big size player he just isn't ever going to be physical or fight. We can't wait for Buff to be a bruising, scoring winger this year. Under Q he may start scoring, but he will never be that bruising player. He would surely be attractive still at this point in his development and is the best we can afford to offer for a #2center. We can't tear up our team by moving other key players. Bickel and Blunden can give us some physical play on3rd/4th lines. They have more size than Fraser, so send Fraser down. This last move works out best if we acquire a #2 center who can win at least 50% face offs. I don't think Sundin wants to play in Chicago, so he might require more money to sweeten the deal. Maybe Spezza is the player Otttawa has to trade. But if he has a ridiculous contract, we have to pass. We first must sign our own players long-term next year (Kane, Toews, Keith). Then maybe we can somehow set our sight on Hossa? I realize I am saying much the same in this reply as I do in reply to other stories/posts. It is good to get as many post replies since there are a lot of knowledgeable and strong critiques among post people.
Someone brought up a great point... They said the Wings roll out line after line of skill. They have to follow the same cap as everyone else.
How do they do it?
Eh hem... They have a GM who is capable of making shrewd deals and spending money in the right spots. Tallon isn't doing that.
As the Hawks continue to make news, it's time to dump Tallon. This team definitely has the talent to make the playoffs if we can make a couple moves and put the right pieces of the puzzle in place.
I sat there and watched them toy with the Hawks when they wanted to on saturday and it was frightening. It really was. They scored 3-4 ridiculous goals, and each line was quick with some skill.
They are amazing.
Tallon can only pray that he finds such players. However, the one's I have seen aren't exciting me as of now.
The wings were actually a horrible team for almost 20 years until Illitch bought the franchise in the early 80s - I saw it first hand, living near detroit at the time - not many may remember it now, but they had crowds of 5 or 6K at the Joe many games, so I see some parallels with the recent ownership change with the hawks.
The first thing Illitch did was lay a solid foundation for the franchise from which to build a contending team on - his first hire was jim devallano (along with nick polano & neil smith) away from the then dynasty islanders - and devallano is the guy who eventually brought in bowman as coach to finally put them over the hump & win a Cup, 10 years after illitch bought the team & afte they "turned the corner"...
the hawks persuading bowman to join them is in some ways a similar move - bringing in the best hockey people out there to advise & build the organization, but it is going to take time for the hawks to match the wings' success.
detroit was one of the first teams to scour europe & Russia for talent in the mid 80s and has established a great network of scouts that continues to provide talent despite relatively poor draft positions.
The hawks are in the process of being revamped tho they have an advantage in that process that detroit didn't have - the cap now limits the talent detroit & other big money teams can assemble on one team - evening out the competition.
As for the hawks, I sense that with the Savard firing, it has become clear that Tallon is now GM in name only now - it is Bowman & now Quenneville that have a lot of say in terms of player evaluation & team needs - Tallon may "announce" trades, but I doubt he makes them without input/direction from Bowman & Quenneville...
Sundin? No thanks. Spezza? Can't afford the terms. Whatever deal comes out of the Khabby dilemma will be Dale's last. If he can somehow manage to improve the team without taking on someone else's heavy cap hit, he will still be here. If he pulls another swap for a Hogs fill in, he's done by New Years. And we don't need another 6 plus million dollar player on the books. Look to the near future 1-2 yrs down the road. There going to be several players asking "Where's mine?". Dumping Khabby and Havlat's $'s will help, but that future payroll will be blown up with Kane/Toews/Keith. And what about next summer when Hossa comes calling? Believe it!
This is the reality of the salary cap. And who knows if the salary cap will go down or stay the same, due to the US and Canadien economy. If you must have that elusive #2center, then give up Bufuglien -- somone may bite. We don't have anything else that interests another team YOU'RE TALKING #2 CENTER they aren't cheap acqusitions! Look around and see how well off any team is if you take away their #2center. Who would that team plug in? A prospect? Another player moves to center hole? As for the other team, is that other player (moved to center to cover that hole) better at wing, like Sharp situation in Chicago? The only help you may have this year is if Skille or the goaltenders come up. None of those three are expected to be difference makers, so you have to improve mainly through a trade. Kontiola/Davis, Bertram may ultimately move up; will they be more than third line material? Based on skill alone, that's debatable -- need to see them perform well at Rockford to even start thinking how much they might help. I do think Barker and or Hjalmarsson can become good puck moving defensemen, but both would be so much more if they were also big banging defencemen. I would dump Sopel more due to the albatross that is the three year contract than any other reason. Even exchanging Sopel for someone of less value is worthwhile if it saves salary cap room. Keep Walker as a spare, since his minutes when managed is worth the gamble when you know he at least gives us physicality at a position where we are insufficent in this particular aspect of the game.
The Hawks are about halfway to being a serious contender. Tallon has made some seriously good moves the last 2 years but they barely make up for the bad. (Or, considering the logjam in goal, maybe they haven't.) This team needs toughness at defense. They have size, they have strength, but the opposition comes into the Hawk zone knowing they might take two or three solid hits a game. That engenders NO respect, much less fear. They definitely lack direction on the forward lines after the top one. They should NEVER break up Kane-Toews-Sharp to try to spread the scoring, they should add or develop scorers instead. And that will take time. A second center will help a lot but should bring them no closer than perhaps a round 1 win. Tallon has proven lacking in talent recognition and development. Lots of nice third and fourth line players.
is only going to encourage more rumors. After a great play by havlat & campbell to set up sharp for the first goal, the hawks made glaring errors reminiscent of how they started the season.
on the first minny goal, there was poor communication between campbell & fraser, who both left brunette alone at the side of the net for an easy goal after huet committed himself. the pp had just ended, with toews back on the ice - someone, either campbell or fraser had to take brunette but neither one did. being the dman, campbell should have done so when he saw fraser peel off.
Campbell's trying the spin-o-rama inside the blue line in traffic was also ill advised (came right after they had mentioned that the coach's told the players to protect the puck when in possession & keep it simple)- campbell's miscue led to a 2 on 1 against - and no one came back to pick up the late 3rd guy miettinen, who walked in alone on huet who had no chance.
then the hawks 5 on 3 pp didn't look nearly as dangerous as recent pp's and failed to create any good chances that I saw - just shots from the point with little or no screen in front. minny's subsequent 5 on 4 pp saw crisp passing and overcommitting by the hawks defense, which left burns all alone at the side of the net again for another easy goal, with sopel out of position to defend against the pass to the open Burns.
while the hawks badly outshot minny, most of their shots were from bad angles or without traffic in front of Backstrom to provide a screen or otherwise bother the goalie. on the pp they should be isolating & finding guys in good scoring positions, but it seemed like they were content to pass the puck around the outside and take bad angle shots or point shots with no traffic in front that the goalie could easily handle.
once they were down, it also seemed like some guys were looking to take matters in their own hands, making non-optimal decisions (like sharp taking a shot from a bad angle rather than taking a look, which if he had, he would have seen toews open & in a better scoring position).
the effort was good, though it didn't seem as cohesive as the previous four games - the execution & decision making needed to be better. minny is a good team & the only team still undefeated in regulation, but the hawks can't be content with just a "good effort" against a good team on the road. this was a game they could have won if they had worked better together with more focus, more communication and better execution.
Overall, I thought they regressed a bit back to their "old ways" tonight. JT is fighting things a bit - he looks somewhat tentative out there - I think he is still adjusting to being captain - i'm sure he'll break out at some point, but I think he could use some veteran support to take some of the load off.
I'd rather take Shanahan over Sundin, and Spezza is a a very expensive enigma - Hawks would be well-advised, imo to let Ottawa keep their problem child and let them figure out how to get him to go all out every night.
While some sheep and some media members may sit around and get excited for what they feel will be playoff hockey in Chicago, I say otherwise. This team has some SERIOUS holes that the genius, and mentally challenged Dale Tallon has failed to fill:
-Face offs: I have season tickets. I find it humorous that always at home the Hawks win the faceoff battles on the scoreboard, yet in key situations are no where to be found. In fact, you have to miss Yanic Perrault. Who can win a face off on this team? The answer is no one.
-The Ghost of Robert Lang: While I agree, watching this man live, wanted to make you drink heavily, the fact is that they don't have a second line center. A guy like Martin Havlat needs skill around him, as does Patrick Sharp. Pairing them together, does nothing except amplify this to anyone who watches this team. Until they get a LEGIT second line center, anyone who proclaims playoffs, should stop drinking the red kool-aid. Dave Bolland makes me weep for Patrick Poulin.
-How many 4th line players does one team need?: Ladd, Burish, Fraser, Bfulin (spelling...I know), Adams, and Eager. Great, if this was 1991, we might have a chance. Ladd is a joke. The man throws his weight around, but proves that the enigma label is very valid. As does #33. Somewhere Dirk Graham is laughing. Dave Bolland is a bust. He does nothing except kill pentalies. Great. But a 3rd line center? Please. Detroit and the upper echelon teams roll out skill after skill, while we roll out Bolland, Ladd, and Bufin. No wonder we finish 25+ pts behind them each year.
-Dale Tallon Love Childs: So we have Dave Bolland, Kris Versteeg, Jack Skillie, Jordan Hendry, Cam Barker, Petri Kontrella, etc. So Dale loves overpaying for veterans (Brent Sopel, Khabibulin), yet refuses to give up on his love childs when he still might be able to get something for them. It's sad. The guy sucks. I'm sorry. I agreed with the Savard firing, but Tallon is a joke. Has McDonaugh given another Gm a blank checkbook but forgot about the cap?
-Trades: Who? When? Where?: Who are they going to get? There is a better chance of Denis Savard suiting up then Matts Sundin coming to Chicago!!! Where are these rumors coming from, Tim? Check out Torontosun.com and find me an article that mentions the Hawks in the running. It's not there!!! Ottawa views themselves as a legit goalie away, so Jason Spezza isn't going anywhere, per the ottawasun.com and tsn.ca. The only chip the Hawks have is Khabibulin, but Huet is a gaping 5 hole and lets in more soft goals then Jimmy Waite. Not to mention they are about capped out. Tallon deserves an F. Plain and simple. He's a joke. Go back to 1994 and justifying that after facing 5 shots and letting in 2 goals while facing 24 shots and not letting in goal, that Belfour is still facing harder chances then Potvin.....
I love the Hawks, but Dale Tallon is an absolute moron, and the lack of a legit #2 center is going to haunt this team for months. Huet looks god awful and you have to hold onto to Khabibulin as he may be your #1, until IF and WHEN Huet finds his game.
Earth to Toews, Bfulin, Ladd, and Huet. Wake up!!! Talk is cheap, either put up or shut up. Enough is enough. Tired of the marketing machine. Score. Or shut up.
It is multiple choice to choose which resounding, concise, accurate post deserves a reply. "Deserves a reply" is not nitpicking, it is carrying some points one step farther.
Your reference to Versteeg, Bolland as love childs is going too far. They are better than fourth line fodder, but perhaps only very strong third or passable as second line material. Not each player on the Red Wings, after all, is first line material. There is room for Versteeg and Bolland to develop, and it is critical to surround them with at least one good linematte and two solid defensemen when they are on the ice. You want to see what they can do, you need to allow this to happen by each player performing with confidance. While I do not believe Bolland will be a big point producer, he is a capable point producer. Versteeg is better than we've seen so far. I question if he is a very good finisher, but he isn't bad in this respect. Usually true snipers or pure goal scorers have other aspects of their game which prevent them from being the total package. Versteeg is on the small side-- so what -- he has good wheels and that is the important consideration when looking at his size. The GM has to complete his roster with enough size among other forwards, and the correct blend of size/skating among the blueline crew. Huet? He's not so terrible as you say. But is he the goalie I want leading us through the playoffs? No. Is Khabby? I could live with it this year, except he will maybe prevent another deal due to his salary. The alternative is to rely upon Huet and two promising rookies. If you accept the fact that you aren't likely to advance past one playoff round. ok -- just don't admit to the fans what your private expectation is. I would trade Bufuglien in a heartbeat if we could get a legitimate #2center. Preferably a center with size and whom is a scorer, or can help his wingers score. I also advocate a reward and punish system of playing time being the reward. But you really should ultimately have three scoring lines, or two scoring and one versatile line able to score some, but also play strong defensively. The fourth line is the energy/extra's line and it is composed of players who must: 1). skate well; 2). willingly play physical/check; 3). must have at least average ability. The Rockford express is aimed at a spot more at a fourth line spot than anywhere else. Right now we have to play Fraser (face offs, defensively can be relied upon) and Burish (competes, is a heart and soul player). The ideal is to have a hungry Skille in their place. Even a Cr Adams is ultimately better than Fraser and Adams because he meets each of the criteria I listed above. There is bound to be a moment in a game(s) whereas a better talented player makes the play or scores. Brouwer? He can stick only if he is very good at what he does. I see him a stride or two short often chasing for the puck or not able to administer a check. Brouwer can still be useful on powerplay and as a third line player if he has the best 3rd line forwards to complement his game. I did want Kontiola experiment to happen; but I'll go along with Sassone, who feels Kontiola needs another year development. Makarov is that polished scorer we could have used. That is garbage about his needing work down low in traffic. He is a salary cap victim. We need Aliu, Beech, Makarov sooner the better. Bufuglien can't be made a physical player, so deal him if you can get that #2center. If someone bites on one of our less than bluechip prospects, include that player in the trade (example: Brouwer, maybe Bickel. Even Blunden, but he is valued as someone who will come up here and hit everything that moves). So what do you think of all this STEVE RAIN & OAKLAWN POSTER & anyone else who would agree/disagree Ps. Spezza and Sundin aren't coming here. Realistically, what would we give up? Tear apart our club. A bidding war for them. Forget that noise. Would you trade Aliu, Beach, Niemi to get that #2center?
To a certain extent.
Bolland to me seems to be a heavily promoted guy who hasn't done anything to warrant the love he receives. yes, he may be able to be a 3rd line center. However, I'll buy his jersey if he becomes a valuable 2nd line center. I just don't see it. Much like I didn't see Dowell in that limited role last year. A pentaly killer and role player? Fine. THat's as far as his ability will take him.
Versteeg, I'm torn on. When I sit in my seat at each home game, I differ on this guy. Yes, he has some skills, but he also is a horrible finisher like you mentioned. Jury is still out on him. I thought Skillie brought more energy then Versteeg. Brouer, god only knows. Savard hated him, so now he gets a fresh chance. They need him to park his body in front of the net and tie up defenders so the skill guys can set up shop. Collect garbage goals. No more, no less.
My whole thing, is that I see way too many non skilled players on this team and it only forces the Hawks to rely heavily upon Havlat, Kane, Toews, and Sharp (if he is is playing with skilled players). THe fact remains, is that they are under skilled. Look, they are 0-3 in shoot outs which is a prime example of skill. THey also haven't won a road game, which tells me that the opposing coach is checking these 2 lines, and foricing their special teams and 3rd line to beat them, which won't happen.
The goal should be the playoffs. You have very few guys who have playoff experience and we don't know how a Kane, Seabrook, Keith, Toews, Sharp, etc will react to the playoff type games which is usually a lot more physical and defensive. THey have to take that next step. No matter who they load this roster with, without playoff experience to expect anything is ridiculous. Some guys step up and some fade.
I just want idiot Tallon to wake up, and get this right. I was hoping Aliu or Beach or Markov would have made this team, but I 100% agree those were cap hits.
Lastly, what defenseman is being auditioned for a trade right now? With Wisniewski coming back in December and the Hawks high on Hendry and Hljarmason (spell) somebody is being set up for bait....the question is who?
Assuming Wisniewski stays healthy, we aren't as poor in the area of neutralizing heavy forecheck (I will assume under Q and Bergevin, Seabrooke responds). Barker had some encouraging parts of his game on display against Minny: namely, he skated, made passes, his coverage was ok. Barker also lugs the puck up ice ok, and if used on PP he has a valued slapshot. So if he plays like he was at the end of last year, then he is the trade bait. Personally I would trade Bufuglien before other teams realize he will never be the sum of all his enormous talent. Much as I hate to loose his big body up front, I see him as the key to landing that #2 center while keeping our best prospects (Aliu, Beech, Niemi/Crawford). I would not put Skille in that group, but I also would not trade him. He has speed and possibly some scoring ability. Moreover, he is very hungry and more motivated than other prospects. We just need to use these prospects plus that #2 center next year. Add Makarov and Hjalmarsson to that mix. I don't see Barker and Hjalmarsson on the defense together long term. We need a mean, big size d-man who can match up against big forwards. Seabrooke is the only one we have. Rookie camp showed we have some of these type but they are far from playing here (and the d-man management likes best of them is Lalonde, who one day may force a Keith or Hjalmarsson trade IF Lalonde is good enough). I am in favor also of moving Ladd and Brouwer and using big-sized forwards in 3rd/4th line role who will hit: that would be Blunden and Bickel. They can skate,too, and that's a bonus. I feel we will see Brouwer and Ladd are a waste of our time, but they are getting an opportunity now. If Ladd needs a goal to restore his confidance, I only half buy that. Brouwer is ok for the powerplay, but too slow (still) for a regular shift in the NHL. He is just a stride or more late in arriving to make a hit, or make a play. It's a shame, because he is a smart player with descent skills - maybe good shot, hands but not good enough for a top line job. He almost has to be a player rotated between occasional shifts and powerplay - a luxury if you have very good third and fourth line players that he slots in with. As for Versteeg, he I think is not so bad a finisher as he has shown. I saw enough of him at Rockford and I know he can be tricky and he competes. He has enough good qualities to make him at least a very good third line player, if not useable on the 2nd line. I beleive Bowman, not Tallon, will figure out whom to move and we will see new prospects maybe in the Rockford shuffle next year. Davis and Bertyram have valued collegiate experince and may be the best prospects/not far away from NHLburies them because he hasn't made final call on Bickel/Blunden/Skille - maybe due to the fact he has a trade or two to make? What would be the way to sort things out is if a Sharp or Kane could develop into the big threat like Vanek has become for Buffalo. Right now it is a pipedream in the making for Kane or Sharp on wing with Toews to become a lesser version of Datsyuk/Zetterberg talent and brains/good defensively as well. Kane has to wise up on some aspects of his offensive game before he can follow in Vanek's footsteps. Sharp would do better if he didn't have center respnsibilities. Please reply anxious to hear your views on my thoughts
You seem to have a very good take on the prospects. I read up on them as much as I can, and check their stats on the Hawks site. However, I usually wait until they get called up to see how they respond.
The thing that drives me nuts about Barker is that, he is very slow footed. He seems to get beat pretty easily, and only late last year did we see him start playing with an edge (see fight at home vs Vancouver in march). He could be a very valuable asset on the power play, or he could be another Anton Babchuk. With Sopel. and the new NHL, the Hawks can't afford to many slow footed guys.
The longer the hole at center on the 2nd line lasts, the longer the Hawks will continue to struggle on the road. They need to fill this void quickly.
All we can do is hope that Tallon, or Bowman, have a plan.
Other then that, I agree with pretty much everything you said. Andrew Ladd, and Bufuyglien are huge enigmas that need to be moved, or need to start producing.
and you make many valid points - Agree with you about Tallon - it was a joke when they named him GM, but with Scotty around now, Tallon is a GM in name only and will eventually join his buddy Denis on the sidelines, sooner if he fails to consult with Scotty & Quenneville on any move.
I think this team has a lot of the pieces necessary to being a legit playoff team - most importantly a bona fide head coach with proven experience & his name on the cup who can teach the young guys.
What they are missing as you point out is a vet 2nd line center to take & more importantly win faceoffs and take some of the heat off Toews.
Hawks have some good young assets they could move to fill that hole, though they first have to move Khabi and that might be a bit risky the way Huet is playing & not rising to the occasion.
Early returns suggest Tallon got hosed in the Ladd deal - at least Ruutu showed up & made his presence felt on the ice, Ladd has been mainly invisible both on the score sheet & on the ice.
I think they are working on a deal, perhaps a couple to clear some cap room and address their most glaring holes - they have a lot of decent young assets available to offer in return and I suspect bringing up barker is part of the evaluation process in that regard.
Tonight was a bit of a step back I thought, but hopefully they'll continue to learn and be ready to take another couple steps forward starting next game. Longer term, with Bowman effectively calling the shots, and now Quenneville in place, I think this team is headed in the right direction.
Didn't the Canucks offer Sundin $20 million for two years? The guy's numbers are undeniable, but is that really the kind of investment you want to make on a 37-year-old who hasn't suited up since the end of last season?
I'm much more interested in Spezza, but that money puzzle is pretty intimidating -- I'm already thinking Campbell's not going to be here for all seven of those years, though.
As far as fun rumors, I have to believe that McDonough is trying to figure out a way to have Jeremy Roenick, Chris Chelios and Ed Belfour back in the Indian-head sweater somehow. I can't figure out if Belfour is still playing in Europe or not... let's ditch both goalies and bring back the (considerably older and more ornery) Eagle!
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