Break's over, back to work!

The trade freeze ends tonight at 12 and the Blackhawks have work to do. I've been eagerly reading ESPN's NHL trade rumors every day since before the break to see what might happen in Chicago. I've heard Tim Thomas, Dan Ellis, Marty Turco, Dwayne Roloson, and Tomas Vokoun's names thrown around as possible replacements for Cristobal Huet. There have been times when I've thought, "If this is all that's available, forget it." But Vokoun changes everything. Here is a goalie that is sitting on a .931 save percentage and a 2.36 GAA. Oh yeah, and he plays for Florida, which means he hasn't been getting much help either. Put him on a team who has a good defense, who know what he could do?

The trade that has been rumored is Cristobal Huet, Corey Crawford, and Kris Versteeg from Chicago for Tomas Vokoun and either Dennis Seidenberg or Jordan Leopold coming to Chicago. I have also read that this trade is a totally false rumor. I sure hope not.

Here's why...
This would be a great trade on many levels. First of all, we get rid of the very inconsistent Cristobal Huet. He is one of the big salaries that Chicago really needs to dump, especially because he's not always pulling his weight. Second of all, we're getting an upgrade in goal. Huet has a slightly better goals against average, but is trailing Vokoun in GAA (.903). Thirdly, we would be gaining another good defenseman. Fourthly, we're making more cap space for next year by moving Versteeg. Do I really want to move Versteeg? No, I like him and he's a promising, young player, but we have to make cap space and he's one of the players that we had to pay more money than we wanted because Tallon screwed up this summer. Lastly and leastly, losing Crawford doesn't really affect us, at least right now. He might have been someone we might have called up later, but we're not using him in Chicago right now.

What worries me...
Stan Bowman (GM) has come out and said that he thinks our goalie situation is fine, that we can do just fine with what we have. Quenneville said earlier this week that Niemi has earned the starting spot and he's going to keep it, which would hint that the 'Hawks aren't going to get someone else to be the starter. Huet even spoke this week (like his opinion matters) and said:

"Look at the games to see if we have helped the team win, and I think the answer is yes. Stats are stats. We both have a large number of wins compared to losses and we're pretty much getting the job done.''

Let's not forget one very important stat, Huet's playoff series wins: 0. You might say, "Yeah, but Niemi is gonna be the new starter. So Huet's numbers don't matter." Look at Niemi's track record, though. He's a pretty good goalie for a rookie, but he's not a franchise goalie. Also, his best games are when he's had a long break. When he plays a bunch of consecutive games, he gives up too many goals. Also, you can't realistically count on a rookie to carry you through the playoffs. I don't remember any time in recent memory when a rookie goaltender has won the Stanley Cup. And this is the year we need to win the Stanley Cup. It's our best chance. Don't screw this up, Bowman. Make the trade.

Heading Into the Break

The Blackhawks started off the year strong. REALLY strong. However, they've tailed off lately. Here are my strategies for fixing their problems over the break and down the road.

Goaltending
Everyone is talking about this in Chicago. It seems that the Blackhawks have all the pieces, yet a solid goalie eludes them. Going into this year, I knew that Cristobal Huet wasn't gonna cut it. In fact, when I heard that Niemi was the back up, I said that he would become the starter before the year's end. Has it happened? Not officially, but Niemi has started the last four games, so you tell me. The Blackhawks have won their last four games also; so does that mean that Niemi is our answer. No.

Niemi is good for a rookie. I think he's shocking a lot of people, but he's not a solid starter. Niemi is REALLY good when he's had a long break. It becomes problematic when the Hawks start him 4 times in a row. Notice, the last 3 games have gone to a shootout. Granted, we won those games, but Niemi gave up 3, 4, and 4 goals respectively in those games. This just isn't a satisfactory GAA.

Some may argue that Huet isn't doing much better. However, in the three game losing skid, 4 of the 9 goals Huet allowed were re-directs. You can really expect a goalie to have a high save percentage on those. Also, the loss to Phoenix, Huet only gave up one goal in regulation and OT before we lost in the shootout. Does this mean that I believe Huet is the answer. No.

We need to use both goalies and give them both plenty of breaks. If one goalie is really hot, play him for a few games, but let's not pretend that we have a solid "starter/back-up" rotation, because we don't.

There has been speculation that the Blackhawks might pick up a goalie at the trade deadline. This hasn't happened yet, mostly because there's no one who is any more dependable than Huet out there. This is exactly why Stan Bowman came out and said that the Blackhawks aren't going to trade for a goalie at the deadline and they're gonna ride the season out on what they have.

Is this a death sentence? Maybe. But not necessarily.

What do we do, then?
Play better D. The Blackhawks made an excellent move in trading Cam Barker while he's having a decent season and looking like he's worth the money he's getting paid (first time since we drafted him in the first round). We got an experienced, veteran defenseman who has comparable ability that we can let go after the season and dump salary. Plus, we got another prospect.

Hopefully, this move will mean that we will play a little bit better D.

Stop taking so many penalties. Penalties are killing us right now. Our 6th or 7th ranked penalty kill isn't getting it done right now. Know how to make them play better? Stop making them play at all. Get disciplined and stop taking penalties.

Play 60 minutes. 5 out of the last 8 games, we've gone into extra time. In every case, we had the lead at some point in the game and gave it up (a 3-goal lead in the San Jose game). Once you have the lead, it's not time to stop playing offense. Run up the score. And defense, just because you're ahead doesn't mean your job is done. Take away passing lanes and shooting lanes.

I don't have all the answers and I certainly don't know why a team who was so red-hot at the beginning of the season has suddenly started to falter a little bit, but I think that these are some of our main problems.

And We're Back...

Okay, so it's been a while, I realize. Two posts ago, I was pondering whether or not the Blackhawks would keep Kane, Toews, OR Keith, as if not all would stay. Thankfully, a sports organization actually did what I wanted them to, they signed a strong, young nucleus of great players by keeping all three. Since that time, the Blackhawks have proven themselves quite capable of being considered a top-tier team in the NHL.

As we near the midway point of the NHL season, the Blackhawks still sit at the top of their division. They boast quite a few victories over some real contenders. In this list include the Flames (twice; once coming from behind by 5 GOALS!), the Sharks (twice; at one point during one of the games, the Blackhawks led 7-0), the Penguins, and the Kings. Sure, the Blackhawks lost to the Kings once (in a shootout) and the Sharks once (by a goal), but the 'Hawks have looked impressive.

The Blackhawks have really been sporting a one-two punch in net with Cristobal Huet playing well at the moment and back-up Antti Niemi answering the call nearly every time (he has only lost twice, one of them in overtime). Together, the Blackhawks have 7 shutouts; the most in the league.

The goalies aren't the only ones working either. Most of the shutouts are due to solid defensive play that have kept the goalies from needing to make very many saves. And when you don't have to make many saves, it's easier to make those more difficult stops. The 'Hawks can thank one of the best defensive pairings in the league, Brent Seabrook and Duncan Keith, as well as the young and promising Niklas Hjalmarsson. Cam Barker has been playing up to his potential ever since the Blackhawks brought him back from his much-deserved stint in Rockford last season. Also, a player that hasn't impressed me much, Brian Campbell, has played well the last 5 or so games, so let's hope that continues.

Finally, the Blackhawks offense has been solid. It has been hard to count them out of any of their games. They usually don't have much trouble winning when they score first. Even when they don't score first, they have come from behind in several games this season. Recently, the 'Hawks fell behind the New York Rangers 1-0 in a game that the Blackhawks were dominating. The 'Hawks managed to tie the game and pull out the win in overtime. Also, the Hawks fell behind against the Bruins one week ago, 1-0, in a game that they battled back and eventually won in a shootout. Lastly, I must mention the game against the Flames early on in the year, in which the Blackhawks fell behind 5-0 at one point in the first period before the 'Hawks scored 5 unanswered goals to tie the game and force it into overtime. In overtime, Brent Seabrook notched the game-winner (the first of three game-winners he would notch so far this year).

On top of all this good news, the Blackhawks also have taken advantage of opportunities to get ahead of the ever-threatening Red Wings. This year, the Red Wings have struggled with many injuries. After the Blackhawks lost in their first meeting with the Red Wings, they picked up two shutouts against them this last week. One Red Wings posted on a comment board after the game something to the effect of "You Blackhawk fans better not get used to beating the Red Wings. If you didn't notice, the Red Wings are missing 9 players and the Blackhawks are only missing one." I decided not to get involved in a war of words online, but I had to disagree with the guy's statement in two ways. First of all, the Blackhawks had 4 players out that game (Dave Bolland, Adam Burish, Ben Eager, and Cam Barker). Secondly, and more importantly, just because the Red Wings were not at 100% when the Blackhawks posted the two shutouts, it doesn't mean that the Blackhawks aren't the better team. If you think about it, part of being a good team is staying healthy. The fact is this: the Red Wings are mostly old and experienced players which make them good, but also more susceptible to injury. The Blackhawks are young and quick, which make them good, but also means that they may not have all too much experience. The Blackhawks were just able to exploit their advantages better during the two shutouts.

All of this is good news and is very promising. I'm almost afraid to say it because most of the time I'm let down, but the Blackhawks have made a believer out of me this year. And I know I'm not alone, because in the final minutes of the shutout in the United Center, the home crowd chanted "We Want the Cup!" Let's get going...

Bolland Undergoes Back Surgery

It appears the Blackhawks can't seem to stay healthy this year. First of all, we signed an extremely expensive forward with a torn rotator cuff to a 12-year deal. Next, we lost Adam Burish to a torn ACL in the second game of the year. In the same game, we lost Ben Eager who suffered a concussion. Jonathan Toews also suffered a concussion. Thankfully, Eager and Toews came back last night. However, this comes with the news that Dave Bolland is out with a back injury and today we found out that he had a herniated disk operated on, leaving him on the sidelines for the next 3-4 months.

On the surface this seems like a recipe for a bad season. In some ways, it's taken its toll. The 6 games that Toews was gone (although he hadn't produced much offense prior to his injury), the Blackhaws lost 3. Coming back last night, Toews put one in net to put the 'Hawks up by 2. Remember his rookie season when Toews was out for a week or two with a leg injury? They struggled badly. When he came back, the 'Hawks "magically" began winning again.

However, the other injuries have not taken a huge toll yet. The Blackhawks are still tied for the lead in their division. It's good to see others step up in their place. I feel that, now, when we get Hossa in late Nov./early Dec. we will be stronger than ever.

The other, somewhat cynical, view of this is that it gives the Blackhawks all the more reason to dump these guys this summer and re-sign Toews, Kane, and Keith instead. Not Eager so much, because he's cheap anyway, but Burish and Bolland are soon-to-be money pits. Let's delve into this a little deeper.

Think about it, Bolland is 23. He already has back problems? Back problems are not things that just "go away". This will continue to plague him and the Blackhawks in the years to come. We don't need another Havlat. Bolland is one of the players the Blackhawks had to run around and throw entirely too much money at to get him to stay because that dumbass, Tallon, had his head shoved up his ass. Currently, Bolland is leaching $3.375M/year for the next five years. Trade him at the trade deadline after we have played without him for 3-4 months and keep the salary cap space.

Burish is a UFA after this season and isn't that expensive to keep around. I could go either way on this guy. After an ACL injury, he will never be as fast as before. For that reason, I say let him sign with someone else. However, if we can fill a spot with a cheap guy, I say do it, because we have too many roster spots to fill next year and not enough money to do it. It's a toss up.

Until then, I hope the 'Hawks continue to adapt and develop guys from the AHL to save cap space and improve our team.

Kane, Toews, or Keith?

So the Blackhawks seem to have the best team they've had in years. They currently lead their division with the NHL's biggest off-season acquisition, Marian Hossa, sitting on the sidelines recovering from rotator-cuff surgery, Jonathan Toews trying to get his mind right after a big jolt from Willie Mitchell which gave him a concussion, and their two ruffians (Adam Burish and Ben Eager) out for a long stint. It's hard to imagine what they'll be like when they are healthy. However, it seems that the Blackhawks will not be able to hold together all the talent at their core. The major names that come up are young phenoms: Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, and Duncan Keith.

These three guys have played at a level way beyond their years and losing even one of them would be a fairly big hit. As it stands, though, it seems that the Blackhawks might only be able to keep one of them. As I mentioned earlier, the Blackhawks signed Marian Hossa to a $62.8M/12-year deal. As great as the name sounds, the contract is crippling. Many praised the Blackhaws right after the signing for coming to terms on such a long deal in order to spread out the money enough to avoid paying such a high price per year. However, the Blackhawks have backed themselves into a corner that will make it difficult for them to excel after this year. The Blackhawks now have (and yes, I borrowed these stats from ESPN) 12 players for next year for $42.5M, leaving 11 roster spots to fill with $11M of cap space left. How can the Blackhawks afford more than one of these phenomenal young players?

Kane and Toews have been playing for $875K/year for the last 3 years, because they were still on their rookie signing contracts. I'm not sure what Keith was being paid, but he'll want more than that too. As a Blackhawks fan, you'd really want to believe that these guys would take a hometown discount to stay together and win some championships, but the likelihood is nil. First of all, these guys know they're worth a lot of money, and if they don't, I'm sure their agents will inform them. Either way, they're gonna want their payday. Second of all, it's not easy to take less than what you're worth because the Player's Association won't be too happy with you driving down the price of skilled hockey players.

What can we do?
1. Do what the Blackhawks organization will probably let happen: let them go. Wave goodbye to the guys that have earned you millions in attendance and merchandise sales; the guys who you built an entire advertisement campaign around; the guys who brought hockey back to life in Chicago. Say, "Thanks!" and let someone else pay them what they're worth.

or

2. Cut some minor characters
Dustin Byfuglien is a pretty interesting character. He's a big guy we can throw in front of the opponents net to completely blind the goalie, then have him move out of the way just in time for the puck to hit the net. However, this seems to be the only thing he can do (other than stuff in rebound goals), which a lot of people can do. We're paying him too much money for what he does ($3M)<---and no, that's not three Monopoly dollars, that's three million. Drop him like he's hot, put him on waivers. Save that $3M for someone who's worth it.

Cut Brent Sopel. There's $2.5M of defense that someone from Rockford could easily make up when he's gone. Put the $2M that he's gonna be paid next year to Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, or Duncan Keith.

Brian Campbell. Sounded like a good idea at the time. Get rid of him. He sucks. He's nothing close to what we paid him for. Twice last year, during the playoffs, Campbell turned over the puck to the Red Wings for breakaway goals. Here's where you could really cut some losses: $7.14M. I'd rather have Jordan Hendry.

Cristobal Huet. He finished the season 11-2 with the Capitals in the post-season prior to the Blackhawks signing him. Another guy who sounded like a good idea at the time. However, he's terribly inconsistent. Let him go. Antti Niemi has played just as well as he has and for less money. $5.65M back in the Blackhawks pockets.

This won't solve all our problems, but at least we might be able to sign one more of those guys. The rest of our spots can be filled by guys from Rockford. The Blackhawks have turned lots of minor-leaguers into success stories (Dave Bolland, Troy Brouwer, Niklas Hjalmarsson). I think that with enough solid players around the call-ups will help them develop enough that they can play at a high level.

I'm no contract genius. Maybe everything I've said is illegal or stupid, I don't know. But, all I know is I want to see Kane, Toews, and Keith in the red, Indian-head sweater next year.

Week 4

We're now four weeks into the NFL season. I don't think me or Bryce have blogged as much as we've wanted to, but I've decided that there are too many things to blog about to stay silent.

Antwan Odom and the Bengals are impressing the hell out of me

Not that I like it. I was near inconsolable when the Bengals beat the Packers while I was at the game. I felt a little better when they continued to beat the Steelers a week later. Then again, they had to go to OT to beat the Browns. The Bengals are 3-1 and really, they ought to be 4-0 had Stokley not made that fluke of a catch for a TD at the end of their game on Week 1.

We see a Bengals team this year that features a decent defense with Antwan Odom racking up sacks and tackles. Rey Maualuga was not a bad addition either. To that, add a healthy Keith Rivers who was knocked out for the season with a broken jaw by the most beastly receiver I've ever seen, Hines Ward.

The Bengals lost T.J. Houshmandzadeh to the Seattle Seahawks in the off-season, however, this offense seems more alive than it's been in a while. Carson Palmer is healthy this year--a much better option than Ryan Fitzpatrick--and Chad Johnson has not been disappointing either. Cedric Benson, whose career seemed to be dead, is running pretty well this year.

It's things like this that make the NFL interesting.

Josh McDaniels blunders in the off-season, starts the season 4-0?

Should I subtitle this "Orton looks less like a pedophile, more like a QB?"

Everyone shook their head and said "Idiot" when McDaniels got caught trying to trade his Pro Bowl quarterback, Jay Cutler, for his man-crush, Matt Cassel. Cutler proceeded to pout and make a big scene until he got traded to the Bears. Who was going to take Cutler's place? The Broncos acquired Kyle Orton--amongst many draft picks--who seems to be managing games and making throws to lead the Broncos to a 4-0 start. It seems, maybe, that Cutler wasn't the critical piece, but defense was. Their off-season acquisition of Brian Dawkins was smart and whoever was responsible for that move is probably preparing to move into a bigger house.

Another rookie QB tearing it up?

Mark Sanchez, other than today, has looked awesome this season and has taken his team to a 3-1 start. Sanchez still has a lot to learn, as he exhibited today, but he looks to be the next Matt Ryan/Joe Flacco. It doesn't hurt that Sanchez has considerably more pieces in place than fellow rookie start, Matthew Stafford. With guys like Jerricho Cotchery and Dustin Keller to throw to and Thomas Jones and Leon Washington to hand off to, Sanchez doesn't have to carry the whole load.

The defense isn't too shabby either. Shaun Ellis, Kris Jenkins, and Darrelle Revis are good places to start. I predict the Jets to make it to the playoffs--for real this year.

The Titans are 0-4?
Who could have predicted this? This team started out the year 10-0 last year, right? They only lost 3 games last year, right? Needless to say, this team has already missed the playoffs this year...


Packers/Vikings
There's never been a more heart-breaking game...and it hasn't even happened yet. Either way it turns out, it won't be okay. Ultimately, I want the Packers to win, but if they do, what does that say to whatever legacy Favre has left. I know that I was mad at Favre for coming back again this year and for playing for the enemy, but last week's last second TD pass made me remember Favre's magic and I missed having him on our team. I kinda don't wanna see him lose. However, I would hate to see him beat his old team. It just isn't right. I would hate to see Favre happy to see the Packers lose.

My predictions? Packers lose by 10 or more. The Vikings have a balanced attack and Favre has something to prove. I don't think we can really stand up to that. Best case scenario? Packers are hungry on the ball on defense and send a lot of blitzes, force a lot of turnovers. Ultimately, we'll just have to see.

Week 1: Packers

It wasn't pretty. Before the Packers' final touchdown, Rodgers only had 134 yards passing on the night. Rodgers missed his receivers when they had their coverage beat. Rodgers could have had at LEAST one more deep TD pass like he had to Jennings for the game-winner. However, the Packers still managed a win (over their rival no less!), but more importantly they did two things they couldn't do last year that cost them many games:

1. Rodgers led a 2-minute drill, 4th quarter comeback

Time and time again last year, the Packers came up short because they were offensively stagnant in the fourth quarter. These were times when Packers fans wish they had "He Who Shall Not Be Named" back. I'm sure Rodgers knew what everyone was saying when he walked on the field for the final series. "Will he do it?" Did Rodgers really answer the question? Last night he did. I do not necessarily think that this means that everything has changed since last year, but it's a good sign and was very reminiscent (as Bryce and I discussed last night) of the deep ball Jennings caught to win the game in Denver two years ago.

2. The defense held in the fourth quarter

The Packers always gave up vast amounts of points in the second half last season. They seemed to be going down the same road last night when they gave up their lead. After Rodgers answered his call last night, my first though was (and Bryce can attest to this, because I sent him this text) "We have to play defense." I knew the things that the Packers always struggled with late in the game. However, the defense answered its challenge by picking off Jay Cutler for the FOURTH time. It was very reminiscent of the Packers' playoff game against the Seahawks many years ago when Matt Hasselbeck so infamously said "We want the ball and we're going to score." Al Harris picked him off that day for a game-winning touchdown. Although Al didn't score last night, the effect of his interception was still game-winning. Good job D, and great job Dom.