Keep Trollin, Trollin, Trollin

Eleven days until the NHL trade deadline....breathe, just breathe...

One the things I try do accomplish with my insignificant little rag, here, is encourage fans to use common sense, and actually put that lump three feet above their ass to use. For that, I've failed miserably, and I apologize. Past free agent insanity and trade deadline speculation has been around for quite a while, but this year is BY FAR the worst. The rumors don't have to make sense, or even fit within the salary cap. Just grab some names, throw them in a hat, pick a few out, and harass a beat writer. They really make NO sense. Thanks to this wonderful tool, called Twitter, the Hawks beat writers are more accessible than ever to field these dumb theories. Most, if not all of these writers, are better people than I, but then again, who isn't? The majority of them ignore the complete stupidity of the general public, but one of them displays these ignoramuses for all the Twitterverse to see. Tim Sassone (@TimSassone)of the Daily Herald. He retweets a fraction of the painful stupidity he must endure on a daily basis. I have to both thank him, and curse him for this gift.

First of all, I have to thank him for pointing out this on going stupidity, and for also point out that people are just too damn lazy to actually take the time to research their question before asking. People will ask the same question over and over, even if the answer was posted on the Times Square video screen and they were forced, Clockwork Orange style, to stare at it for 36 hours. They are just too lazy. I'd be a little grumpy too, if people asked me questions, I answer them, and they ask me the same question again, and so on. Frustrating. He generally comes off as a grumpy old man to the general noodnik, but I've been in that situation, and my fuse was much shorter than his, let me tell you.

Secondly, I have to curse him, because the few people that WILL research their own questions, see this and think, "What the hell is wrong with Chicago Blackhawks fans?", followed up with a blog like this very one. DAMN YOU FOR MAKING MY MIND RACE, TIM SASSONE!!!! While I don't always agree with everything he says, I do agree with a good portion of it. If I agreed with everything, I'd have to have him arrested for identity theft. Moving on...

After watching a few of these tweets scroll by, I thought I would share them with you, and give a little shot of what Mr. Sassone must be thinking with each. Fun little game, no? Without further ado:

Same. Real slow. “@ArmchairAnalyst: @TimSassone How was Cam Barker in Chicago? Oiler fans killing him for injury history, giveaways, etc.”

— Tim Sassone(@TimSassone) February 16, 2012

Cam Barker, good old Cam Barker. Well, Cam was so bad in Chicago that we traded him away for the rotting carcass of Kim Johnsson and a promising, yet still unknown, prospect named Nick Leddy. Cam Barker proceeded to stink up the joint in Minny, thus bringing on his eventual release. Lets just say his career isn't ascending.

How is Price available?RT @TheBarBeQueMan: CBC last week said carey price available. 2nd time tweeting this Tim!!RT @TimSassone:

— Tim Sassone(@TimSassone) February 16, 2012

Who said this, and WHY would the Canadiens dump a 24 year old All-Star goalie that they just fully committed to, just 2 summers ago? He is going to be a restricted free agent in July, and will probably double his salary somewhere, if not Montreal. They have nothing else in their system, and there isn't much out on the market, unless they are going to roll the dice with Josh Harding. Highly unlikely. Price has done nothing to show that he's worth giving up on.

Absolutely not. RT @nelsonrbmoniz: @TimSassone is it true that Kane might be on the trading block?

— Tim Sassone(@TimSassone) February 16, 2012

Probably not w/that contract. RT @Stonewing: @TimSassone do you think Keith has a good trade value? GMs might remember player he used to be.

— Tim Sassone(@TimSassone) February 16, 2012

I'm not really sure what you consider "good trade value", but a 27 year old defenseman with a $5.5 million cap hit until 2023, doesn't exactly make me come running for dinner, unless I'm Uncle Dale in Florida. You forgot to factor in that he is the team's #1 defender, and ice time leader. Diminished production or not, how do you expect to fill that hole?

Worth looking at. RT @04PowerPlay: @TimSassone If Dallas is dealing D, what bout Souray. Still has a shot,+11, cheap and a UFA next year.

— Tim Sassone(@TimSassone) February 16, 2012

I said this over a week ago, cheap and powerplay help, but everyone ignores me.

Should be but aren't. RT @Chicago_Sean: @TimSassone Does Coach Q's system not require the forwards to block shots? If not, why?#Blackhawks

— Tim Sassone(@TimSassone) February 16, 2012

No, actually, they promote letting opponents take as many shots as possible on their own net. If that doesn't happen, they turn around and shoot on their own net. It's a proven system. Really. Obviously, The forwards aren't doing their jobs defensively. Doesn't this question answer itself?

Done for year. RT @JtotheBRD: @TimSassone RT any return date set for Carcillo? #Blackhawks could really use his energy right about now.

— Tim Sassone(@TimSassone) February 15, 2012

Have you been living under a rock for 2 months? What part of "season ending knee surgery" wasn't beaten through your skull? You obviously know enough to know he's injured. Were you suddenly locked up abroad? Did you fall into a coma?

Not a fan. RT @CraigNigrelli: @TimSassone, Tim, Babchuk's bomb from point would certainly help the hawks pp.he's regular scratch for Calg.

— Tim Sassone(@TimSassone) February 15, 2012

A regular healthy scratch for a team that's just struggling to stay afloat in the playoff race. That sounds like someone we NEED to have! How about Babchuk for Keith? Good trade value, no?

No chance. RT @JtotheBRD: @TimSassone RT there are rumblings here in #Toronto, Kane for Ryan Miller. 1for1. Any rumblings there in Hawktown?

— Tim Sassone(@TimSassone) February 15, 2012

Zero. -- RT @lastcallcasual: @ChrisKuc Any chance the Hawks go to France and find Huey if the goaltending continues to suck?

— Chris Kuc (@ChrisKuc) February 15, 2012

Other than the painful cap hit, and poor skills, sounds like a good idea. The only problem is that if you're looking for Huet in France you'll be looking a long time. He's playing in Switzerland.

It was as soon as David Poile stopped laughing. “@tbarszcz: @TimSassone Is this idea dead? Suter for Morin, Bickell, Hjalmarsson and pick?”

— Tim Sassone(@TimSassone) February 14, 2012

If Nashville would make that trade, to a division rival that they have to face 6 times a year, they are the most stupid team in NHL history.

Don't know. RT @John_Faker: @TimSassone is there a open rink in Columbus?The gf and I would like to go skating.

— Tim Sassone(@TimSassone) February 13, 2012

Tim Sassone, beat writer by day, Columbus tour guide by night.

Please, not tonight, lol. RT @elpostman77: @TimSassone Patrick Kane for Ryan Miller?

— Tim Sassone(@TimSassone) February 13, 2012

I applaud this answer but nonetheless...

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Crashing Around You

Unfortunately for the Hawks, this epic slide they are riding has provided SO much material for the columnists, bloggers, and twatards. The problem is that 90% of them look like complete and utter imbeciles. Of course, I'm not excluding my very own imbecilic tendencies, but some of these people put me to absolute shame. I addressed some of the silly trade scenarios last week, but I didn't really address what some of the problems may be. Of course, I don't have press credentials, and I don't have access to any more information than the average fan does, but I see things, unlike seeing dead people. These are a few of my opinions, of which I'm NEVER short on.

Currently the Blackhawks are 29-20-7 with 65 points and in 6th place, right behind tonight's opponent, the Nashville Predators. They are have lost eight in a row, and are 2-7-1 in their last 10 games. Obviously, it's not time to throw the red flags around, but it is certainly time to raise the concern level to a healthy orange. The team is hurting, both physically and mentally, but WHY?

• Goals Against
  The easiest place to throw the blame is between the pipes. Call me loyal and biased, but since I've been known to impersonate a goaltender on occasion, I tend to spread the blame around a little more than most. When any other player, beside a goaltender, makes a mistake, there is someone behind them that has a chance to bail them out. If they do, all is forgotten. If not, the goalie is a sieve and a scapegoat. Goalies certainly can be at fault as well, but it's not always their fault. This would be a boring sport if goalies were perfect. Hockey purists will watch how a play breaks down, not just look at the final result and spit out "that fuckin goalie fuckin sucks, fuckin trade him", as they are spitting chewed up tortilla chips all over their beer bellies. This by no means, is to say that the Blackhawks goalies haven't had their issues, because they have. Noticeably. But look at the situation this way; if you don't/can't trust the team in front of you, what does that do for your confidence? It leaves you second guessing, and trying to overcompensate. This is where the problem lies.
  
  Neither Crawford or Emery are upper echelon goalies that will carry a team on their back for long stretches. They were never expected to be that kind of player, well, at least from anyone who actually knows something about the sport, other than which are the cutest players and which ones they can get to respond to their tweets. They are serviceable goaltenders that can be, and have been, successful players. Let me repeat; can be, and have been, successful. BUT, this is when they are in their comfort zone, not facing an inordinate amount of oddman breaks nightly, or facing the obligatory shorthanded breakaway against. I've been there myself and I'm CERTAINLY no all-star. When you see an opposing player come out of the penalty box and find the puck on their stick for a break-a-way for three games in a row, you start to think to yourself, "What the fuck, guys?".
  
  They have DEFINITELY played sub par lately, but did you see these kind of mistakes early in the trip? Not so much. They look gun shy, and like they are overcompensating, which is NOT where they are most effective. I'm not saying this is acceptable, but they need help getting out of this funk.
  
  What happened to the defensive brotherhood? What happened to helping your goaltender out, rather than hanging him out to dry? Players are left to camp in front of the net, without so much as a stick getting tied up. The odd-man breaks against are laughable. It's open season on goawies, Elmer Fudd! The defensemen, AND forwards for that matter, are relying too much on their ability to block shots, and not enough on actually playing the physical aspect of defense. It's time to get tough, and clamp down. SHOW your goalies that you have their back, and would take a puck to the grill for them. IT GOES A LONG WAY! When a team shows no respect to their netminder, he has no reason to show them respect. When a goaltender sees a player sacrifice himself for the players behind him, it becomes contagious. Put another goalie in there behind the same defense and they will be looking like they have Tourette's too. It's a matter of what you're conditioned for, and these two have been conditioned to try and do other people's jobs, as well.
  
  There is nothing on the market that will be a significant upgrade over what they currently have, so get used to #50 and #30 until, at least, the offseason. This brings me to my second point...
• Defense
  I honestly believe this is where the majority of the problems stem. The Blackhawks have a #1, a #2, maaaaaybe a #4 and a bunch of #5's and #6's on their roster, and now that the forwards are all dinged up, the spotlight is on the defense. That spotlight is showing a GLARING hole right in the middle. A BLACK hole, to be exact. With the latest injuries to Hjalmarsson and Montador, the hole has gotten even bigger.
  
  The last few years, they had a 1a/2a type player, in Campbell, that offset the hole. You basically had 3-1/2 guys, and 3-5/6 guys. So that middle pair wasn't a traditional 3-4 pairing, but it worked itself out. Campbell held his partner together by carrying the puck more. That's gone, and this hole has opened up something that has been there all along, just disguised.
  
  Hammer is a beaten man, mentally and physically. He won't take the body, and just gets the absolute tar beat out of himself, on a nightly basis, and he's a great PK guy. Without his safety blanket, he's looking confused and trying to make up for what Leddy DOESN'T do on the back end.
  
  Leddy was suppose to be the heir apparent to Campbell, but he's young and still wet behind the ears. FULL of potential, but you don't step on the ice and turn into a Brian Campbell right out of High School. He's about 2 season's away from shouldering that load, at the very least. Even Duncan Keith, or Brian Campbell himself, weren't "Brian Campbell" at that age. It's not a knock on the kid, but give him some room to grow, instead of throwing him to the wolves, so they can feast. And, for god sakes, GET HIM OFF THE PK! That shiny new toy starts to look rough when you're constantly drilling it into the concrete.
  
  It has been pointed out, more recently, that Montador was a solid defender on a playoff team, and a pretty successful PK unit last season. He's no slouch, despite all the hate being thrown around. YET, he's been relegated to the #5 spot, and tethered to Sean O'Donnell, John Scott, Sami Lepisto, and Dylan Olsen. Two big painfully slow Yetis, a rusty doghouse/press box resident and a slow green kid. Not only that, but he has yet to sniff the terrible Hawks PK. Help a guy out a little. Shit! Better yet, in the words of Jerry McGuire, "Help ME, help YOU!"
  
  I, pretty much, just summed up the rest of the clowns, as well. A bunch of 5's and 6's, like a weight watchers meeting.
  
  If the Hawks ARE going to make a deal a the deadline, this is where it needs to be. If the back end gets it's shit together, the rest will follow in suit. A middle/bottom of the lineup defender can made an immense difference on this shit show we're seeing nightly. Move Montador up as a #4, and find a legit #3 guy. Move Hammer and Leddy down, and you have the makings of something solid. This is not going to be easy to accomplish, so maybe you move Hammer and let Leddy play #5 with O'Donnell. However it may play out, the Hawks can work with their existing talent at forward. They currently HAVE the talent up front, but the middle of the train is dragging the rest down.
• Offense
  The offense isn't doing itself any favors, but the entire league knows they have the talent to help get this train rolling. First of all, Quenneville needs to stop fucking with the line combinations. When you can't have a consistent line mate for more than a period, your flow tends to get mucked up. Make them learn to work through the ebbs and flows a little. When the top line can't figure out if Vik Stalberg, Michael Frolik, or Andrew Shaw are the #3 guy on a shift to shift basis, you're not going to get much going. Lets not even get INTO Stalberg going from the 1st to the 4th line. He's your #3 forward, or your #10. Make a decision!
  
  Secondly, There seems to be a little "wrist" issue going on with 3 of the top 4 Hawks forwards, and it's affecting the scoring of the whole squad. Toews, Kane and Sharp have all had issues, in the last 12 months, with their wrists and it's starting to rear it's ugly head. While these are injuries that can be played through, it doesn't help when they have to work the puck 2/3 of the ice by themselves, sometimes. The craziness on the back end is forcing the forwards to back check deeper than usual, and get beat up before they even hit the opponents blue line. Wouldn't things be much better if the forwards could streak out of the zone, knowing that a defenseman other than one named Brent Seabrook could hit them with an outlet pass putting them in 2-on-2 rather than a 2-on-3 or 4? As things currently sit, if they don't bust their asses back like the building is on fire, the defense is doing them no favors. Fix the defense, and the offense will open up.
  
  Lastly, The one area of contention on offense, that they CAN control somewhat, is the powerplay. They just have too much talent on this roster to be THIS bad on the powerplay. Most of the blame on this one, though, the coaching, because everyone can clearly see that this philosophy isn't working. When something doesn't work, you change it. PERIOD. They've beaten the hell out of this carcass, and need to open up their options. This team CAN have a top 10 powerplay, when you put the pieces together correctly. I'm not even asking for top 25%, just top 33%. They are SOMEHOW 16th in the league, so it's nothing a little hot streak can't fix.
  

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Look at All These Rumors, Around Me Every Day

With the All-Star weekend come and gone, the next significant NHL mile marker is the trade deadline, and with this deadline brings some fan insanity. While the regular season trade deadline is nowhere near as insane as the free agency madhouse in July, it isn't all that far behind either. The big difference is that the competing team's fans are full of delusions of grandeur, and the non competing team's fans are ready to go into full "fire sale" mode.

Luckily for Blackhawks fans, they the ones buying and that happens to open up a whole new can of worms. The Rumors. In just a few days, I've seen enough stupid rumors to make me want to jump off the Madison Street bridge, and I know some of you would fully support that. I thought it would be entertaining to share a few of the best delusions, for those of you that have a little common sense. Here we go:

• Viktor Stalberg for Tim Thomas. I'm really not making this stuff up, folks. Ever since Tim Thomas decided against visiting the White House, the Intarwebs have been abuzz with rumors that the Bruins were going to unload him. Before we even GET to the Stalberg part, WHY would the Bruins do this? Before this "incident", Thomas was a great teammate, and one of the most dominating people at his position. He didn't say anything negative, he just simply declined an invitation. Whatever his beliefs are, he's allowed to have them. To trade Thomas over THIS is just a stupid notion from stupid people. The Bruins are one of the best teams in the NHL and defending Stanley Cup Champs. While I understand he's not a kid anymore, he is still and All-Star, Conn Smythe, and Vezina winning goalie. This would have been like trading Duncan Keith in the middle of last season for skipping the White House trip. While he was playing like shit all last year, no one seriously wanted to trade him.
  
  The second part of this rumor is the Stalberg piece. I'm all for selling high, but does anyone really think the Bruins would make that move straight up? If they would, and Stan Bowman didn't pull the trigger, the ball on the tip of Michael Jordan's statue should be replaced with Stan's head. The Bruins simply aren't that stupid. TRADE FAIL!
• Patrick Kane going anywhere. Let me start this off by saying that if you you've conjured up some delusion in your melon, where it is acceptable to trade the young and very talented #88, you belong in a mental health facility. Seriously. There is no valid scenario where he gets traded, slump or not. Just stop being stupid. You sound like lunatics, even though this idea MAKES you lunatic in the first place. Pat Kane is one of the young faces of the entire league. What do you really think the Hawks could get in return, that is better than what he already gives them? If you answered anything other than NOTHING, you're wrong. While teams would line up to feed the Hawks a bunch of players that will never equal Kane, the Hawks would be a bunch of fools to trade him, at this point. Cool your Jets, Couch Potato GM's.
• Ryan Suter or Shea Weber from Nashville. Again, Does anyone really think the Hawks would be able to part with enough talent to pry either player out of Nashville's cold dead hand? The answer you're looking for is NO. Furthermore, Weber is a Restricted Free Agent come July 1st and Suter is an Unrestricted Free Agent. Weber currently carries a price of $7.5 million a season, which is out of the Hawks price range, and, again, Nashville is not letting him go. The Suter saga has coughed up some drama, recently, and his modest $3.5 million price tag makes Hammer look like a complete joke, but the Preds would have to WANT to trade him to a division rival they may face in the playoffs. They aren't that stupid. You can cook up all the theories you want, but it takes two to tango, and this isn't NHL 12.
• ANY Goalie. Get used to Corey Crawford and Ray Emery as your goaltenders for the 2012 Playoffs. There is not enough turmoil for Stan to pull the trigger on something that is going to turn the chemistry of this team upside down. There isn't anyone capable of the task that's on the market, anyway. If you're looking for the Hawks to hand the keys over to a question mark like Evgeni Nabokov, you must be a compulsive and degenerate gambler. If a move like that goes bad, the fans and media will turn on Bowman faster than Jay Cutler. Bowman is not going to make a risky move, that puts the Hawks ability to keep the puck out of the net in question. DENIED!

Names you may see that have a chance of landing in Chicago are Hal Gill, Bryan Allen, or Mark Eaton. Bowman will be looking in the wheelhouse of a veteran future free agent that they can get for minimal return, much like they did for Campoli, last year. More recently, Marek Zidlicky is rumored to have voiced his unhappiness in Minnesota, but the Wild would have to admit it was time to throw up the white flag on this season, and I'm not sure that they think they can't hold to to that last playoff spot, but doing so without their top defender is almost impossible. If he gets moved, it will carry a heavy price tag, especially the way the Hawks blatantly stole Nick Leddy from them. A name I wanted the Hawks to take a look at during the off season is Sheldon Souray in Dallas, and I think he could cheaply add some depth as well as a big shot on the point for the powerplay, but what do I know? I'm just a blogger with a day job.

While everyone is throwing out the names of wings like Tuomo Ruutu, I wouldn't count on that ship sailing, either. Bowman seems to be pretty confident in the depth of the wings on this team, so churning that up probably isn't worth the trouble.

The moral of the story is that, IF the Hawks make a move, it won't be for anyone significant. A depth move at most, so all you play-at-home GM's need to clam down.

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There Will Be Rumors Floatin' Around on Judgment Day

"NHL Sources Say" reported that the Hawks were looking at several defensemen. The three names that have been leaked are Colorado's Matt Hunwick, the New York Ranger's Steve Eminger, and Anaheim's Sheldon Brookbank. None of these guys are going to make that big of a difference on this team, so DON'T get your hopes up for some blockbuster trade. It's not happening. These guys are #5 defensemen AT BEST. All this aside, lets take a look at these guys:

Matt Hunwick - 5'11" - 190 - 25 years old.

Assets - Has above-average puck-moving skills. Displays some two-way ability and some offensive upside. Doesn't make many mistakes when he has the puck on his blade.

Flaws - Size and strength are a concern for his long-range NHL potential, since he can struggle when he's forechecked heavily. Isn't great at defending or when without the puck.

Career Potential - Puck-moving defenseman.

Steve Eminger - 6'2" - 203 - 27 years old

Assets - Has great tools. Displays plenty of two-way acumen, as well as tremendous size for the blue-line position.

Flaws - Needs to shoot the puck more often in order to maximize his scoring potential. Must limit critical errors in the defensive zone.

Career Potential - Inconsistent defenseman.

Sheldon Brookbank - 6'1" - 202 - 30 years old

Assets - Always thinks team first, and is willing to stand up for his mates. Has improved his overall defensive play over time.

Flaws - Lacks the skating ability and overall talent to thrive at the National Hockey League level. Will take bad penalties on occasion.

Career Potential - Rugged depth defenseman.

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Boston "D" Party?

The other night it was leaked that there were rumblings the Blackhawks were interested in acquiring current Boston Bruin Mark Stuart. This would fit into Stan Bowman's latest mantra that they were looking into another Defenseman. He's a big physical guy, at 6'2" and 213. Think a less talented Brent Seabrook, as Seabs is an inch taller and 5 lbs heavier. He has never had more than 17 pts in a season, but that's not what his forte is. He has a big body and loves to throw people around. Outside of Seabs, the Hawks have no one on Defense that can realistically pound someone into the glass. Boynton tried, but ended up with his ass parked on a stool in the penalty box, or with a big red light flashing in his face. If Quenneville or Havi kept the defense the way they've had it, Deuce and Leddy / Seabrook and Hjalmarsson / Campbell and Hendry, Stuart could play with Campbell. I like Jordan Hendry, but Mark Stuart is an upgrade. They could also head back to the more traditional pairings of Deuce/Seabs, Soupie/Hammer, and have Stuart play with Leddy.

This is a scouting report on Mr. Stuart:

Assets
-Is a fluent skater and loves to lay on the body. Flourishes in a stay-at-home role and also owns leadership qualities.

Flaws
-Isn't a natural player with the puck, and won't ever be confused with Bobby Orr on the score sheet. Could stand to play with even more aggression.

Career Potential
-Defensive defenseman.

Awards
-2004NCAA - West First All-American Team
-2004WCHA - Defensive Player of the Year
-2004WCHA - Second All-Star Team
-2003WCHA - Third All-Star Team

This trade looks good, if the Hawks only need to yield a draft pick, because Stuart only makes $1.675 million, but they would still need to move some players around to make that number fit into the current team. Stuart is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, so this would be strictly a rental. According to Jesse Rogers of ESPN, the Hawks have also been looking into Steve Montador of the Buffalo Sabres, Ladislav Smid of the Edmonton Oilers and Matt Hunwick (would be nice to see someone wearing my number 48, in a Hawks jersey) of the Colorado Avalanche.

UPDATE
Stuart was traded, along with Blake Wheeler to the Atlanta Thrashers for Rich Peverly and Boris Valabik. That's 25 minutes of my life that I'll never get back.

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