Sunday’s Three Stars: Ladd Scores Three, But Hawks Fall to Red Wings

Jim Neveau, PIB Co-conspirator

There was little doubt that Sunday’s contest between the Red Wings and the Blackhawks would have a playoff air to it. After all, the Wings are fighting tooth and nail just to get to the postseason, and the Blackhawks are battling it out with San Jose for the number one seed in the Western Conference.

Early on, it was all Blackhawks, as they scored twice in the first period and went into the intermission with a 2-0 lead. All systems seemed go for the team as Huet was darting around the crease, centering everything up, and in general looking like a man on a mission.

During the second period, however, everything went to hell in a hand basket for the Blackhawks. A Patrick Kane goal was disallowed because of a dubious (if not completely blown) goaltender interference call on Dustin Byfuglien, and that seemed to shift the mojo permanently. Detroit scored two quick goals through screens in front of Huet, and five minutes later Jason Williams and Valtteri Filppula scored back-to-back to run Huet and give the Wings a lead.

Andrew Ladd (Pam Rodriguez/PIB)

Then, in the “things go from bad to worse” special, Pavel Datsyuk got a breakaway and scored with two seconds left to send the Wings into the dressing room with a 5-2 lead.

The Blackhawks did come out quickly in the third period, with Andrew Ladd scoring his second goal of the game just two minutes into the frame. After some tedious see-saw battles, Ladd scored again with eight minutes left in the game to secure his first career hat trick, and the deficit was cut to one. No matter how hard Chicago tried, however, they could not get that last goal by Jimmy Howard, and it ended with Detroit on top 5-4.

After taking 300 words to wrap up what happened during the game, here are four more to sum it up neatly: “The Defense Blew It”.

Cristobal Huet did absolutely zero bailing out of his teammates during this game, and for that he should be rightly criticized. He stopped moving effectively after the first period, and it seemed as though he was playing on track spikes instead of skates. His stuck to the blue paint play in the second period effectively doomed the Blackhawks, and the fans who booed Huet certainly had every right to do so.

The real culprit in all of this, however, was the Blackhawks porous defense. Letting Detroit players set up shop unimpeded in front of the net led to the first two Red Wings goals, and poor play led to the other three. There seemed to be no urgency whatsoever on the part of the Hawks’ blue liners, and Niklas Hjalmarsson and Brian Campbell made two particularly atrocious plays that led to goals for Detroit.

Fans will point to the negated goal in the second period and say “that’s the difference in the game right there. That one goal would have meant at least a tie instead of a one goal loss”, but that is a naive way of looking at the proceedings. Yes, the game would have been 3-0 if that goal had counted, but the Hawks still would have had to play defense against a Detroit team that was out for blood. The fact of the matter is that it was the Hawks’ defense and goaltending, not a rogue official with a dumb moment, that cost Chicago the hockey game.

With that, here are Sunday’s Three Stars:

Zeroed Star: NBC

Huet and Niemi: Can They Actually Win a Cup? (Pam Rodriguez/PIB)

Two massive beefs with the coverage on NBC during this hockey game: one was the incessant usage of Olympic images. Yes, we get that Canada won the gold medal in their home nation, blah blah blah. The fact of the matter is that the Olympics are over, it’s NHL season again, and the network really comes across as trying to capitalize on massive viewership, instead of what they were trying to convey: that hockey can be exciting.

The other problem was that during the second intermission, the two talking head bozos in the studio were discussing which teams benefited the most from the trade deadline, and all they mentioned were the Penguins and Capitals. The fact of the matter is this: if the Penguins would have gotten cash considerations for a draft pick, NBC would have picked them as one of the trade deadline winners. The Capitals did have a great trade deadline, but a team that NBC completely overlooked was the Phoenix Coyotes.

I guess picking up a good power play point-man (Mathieu Schneider), a solid defenseman (Derek Morris), a gritty forward with a penchant for scoring some key goals (Lee Stempniak), and a guy who could benefit greatly from a change of scenery (Wojtek Wolski), and doing it all for about $900,000 in extra salary, isn’t worth mentioning on the Caps/Pens Television Network.

Third Star: The Blackhawks Centers

Jonathan Toews and John Madden may get a lot of accolades whenever they score a big goal on offense or make a solid fore-checking play, but one area where their significance cannot be overstated is in their ability to win face-offs.

During the third period, the Blackhawks went through a stretch where they won eight straight draws against Detroit. As any hockey fan will tell you, if you are trying to come back in a hockey game, winning face-offs is a key component to your hopes. After all, it was Madden’s won face-off that set up Duncan Keith’s shot from the point that Andrew Ladd deflected into the net, so without those guys winning those draws, this game wouldn’t have been nearly this close.

Jonathan Toews (Pam Rodriguez/PIB)

Second Star: Kim Johnsson

Ever since he was acquired from the Minnesota Wild, Johnsson has been a bit of a handyman for the Blackhawks. He plays whatever minutes he needs to, in whatever situation is required at the time, and does so with no flair but a lot of effectiveness.

Today, Johnsson was all over the ice, contributing on power play, penalty kill, and even strength alike. He also had the primary assist on Andrew Ladd’s goal at the beginning of the third period that set the tone of “we are NOT quitting”.

Overall, it was a very solid game by Johnsson, and he has been, albeit very quietly, a good acquisition by this club.

First Star: Andrew Ladd

What other guy should have gotten first star today? Ladd was all over the ice during this contest, laying out players, disrupting shots, and scoring goals.

His first career hat trick could have come under better circumstances (i.e., a win), but with his performance in the last several games, Andrew Ladd may be proving once and for all that the Hawks’ trade of Tuomo Ruutu to Carolina for his services may have been one fo the top five moves that Dale Tallon made as General Manager of the Chicago Blackhawks.

His size, goal scoring touch, and ability to get up and down the ice quickly have made him an indispensable asset for this team, and his contributions will continue to be magnified as this team goes down the stretch run toward the playoffs.

Tags: Andrew Ladd, Chicago Blackhawks, Cristobal Huet, Derek Morris, detroit red wings, Duncan Keith, Dustin Byfuglien, Jason Williams, Jimmy Howard, Joel Quenneville, John Madden, Jonathan Toews, Kim Johnsson, Lee Stempniak, Mathieu Schneider, NBC, Patrick Kane, Pavel Datsyuk, Phoenix Coyotes, San Jose Sharks, Valtteri Filppula, Wojtek Wolski

Friday’s Three Stars: Five Goal First Stanza Keys Big Hawks Win

Jim Neveau, PIB Co-conspirator

All of the talk going into the final meeting of the season between the Chicago Blackhawks and Vancouver Canucks was about two topics: one, the intense rivalry going on between Andrew Ladd and Ryan Kesler, and the other was the Hawks seeming inability to score against the Canucks.

Both issues were resolved rather quickly, as Ladd and Kesler got into a brief bit of fisticuffs mere seconds into the game, and the Blackhawks demolished any hopes of a Vancouver victory with a five goal outburst in the first period.

Cristobal Huet

Andrew Ladd, Duncan Keith, Troy Brouwer, Kris Versteeg, and Jordan Hendry all scored for the Blackhawks in the first period, and Marian Hossa added a tally later on as the Hawks destroyed the Canucks 6-3 in front of a raucous crowd at the United Center.

The Blackhawks had a bit of a scare in the second period when Alex Burrows scored a goal two minutes into the frame, and Ben Eager took a quick penalty off the next face-off and put the Canucks on the power play. Chicago managed to kill the penalty off, and they were able to stifle the ‘Nucks offense for the rest of the contest for the most part.

Since PIB complained at length about the dumb things that Dustin Byfuglien and Mr. Eager did in their last contest against Edmonton (even going so far as to repeat a joke about Eager needing to go suit shopping when Adam Burish comes back), we’ll let Eager be this time, but without further adieu, here were tonight’s Three Stars:

Honorable Mention: Jonathan Toews

Captain Serious had two assists in the game, marking his fourth consecutive game in which he has had multiple points. No wonder Mike Babcock fell in love with him during the Olympics.

Co-Third Stars: Cristobal Huet/Niklas Hjalmarsson

It was impossible to decide between these two players for Third Star honors, so we simply decided to give it to both of them.

Cristobal Huet, even though he gave up three goals on 23 shots, was impenetrable when his team needed him the most: on the penalty kill. His two huge pad saves, brilliant glove save, and even a couple of other solid stops on the two-man Vancouver advantage in the first period were a huge momentum boost for his squad. His performance on the Hawks’ penalty kill in the second period when momentum really could have shifted in the Canucks’ favor was excellent as well.

Andrew Ladd (Pam Rodriguez/PIB)

If tonight was an audition for the role of starting keeper, Huet may have re-earned the role on those two penalty kills alone.

As for Hjalmarsson, he played his usual brand of solid defense, but his best play of the night was when he displayed some really soft hands when he feathered a pass to the goal crease and allowed Troy Brouwer to bang home a goal. The pass will not be replayed on highlight shows, but it was the kind of feed that hockey purists love to see.

Second Star: Andrew Ladd

What more can you say? Ladd got into a fight with a guy who had been talking trash about him, and then he scored the first goal of the game when he put a puck toward the net and Roberto Luongo knocked it in with the butt end of his stick.

Ladd’s intensity in the early part of the contest set the tone for the rest of the game, and really propelled the Hawks to victory in this game.

First Star: Jordan Hendry

Hendry has been the forgotten man all season for the Blackhawks. He can play forward if he needs to, and he is just as comfortable filling in on the blue line for Chicago.

Tonight, Jordan had his moment. Not only did he score on a beautiful break into the offensive zone with Jonathan Toews, but he also nabbed an assist on Andrew Ladd’s goal at the beginning of the game.

His goal in particular was something to savor. The way he handled the puck on the deke, and then flipped it over Luongo’s shoulder so effortlessly made you wonder for a split second if it was a different Hawk doing the shooting. Needless to say, he certainly earned his paycheck in this game, and illustrated why he might be one of the most important role players on the squad.

Tags: Adam Burish, Alex Burrows, Andrew Ladd, Ben Eager, Chicago Blackhawks, Cristobal Huet, Duncan Keith, Dustin Byfuglien, Jonathan Toews, Jordan Hendry, kris versteeg, Mike Babcock, niklas hjalmarsson, Ryan Kesler, Troy Brouwer, Vancouver Canucks

Wednesday’s Three Stars: Oilers Put Up a Fight, but Hawks Demolish Edmonton

Jim Neveau, PIB Co-conspirator

On a night that they out-shot their opposition 47-14, you would think that there would be plenty of praise to be heaped upon the Blackhawks.

Their 5-2 victory, however, didn’t come as easily as one would come to expect when playing the worst team in the NHL. They fought tooth and nail to a 2-2 draw after two periods, and it was only in the third period that the Hawks finally outlasted the Oilers and put the game away with three goals.

Marian Hossa, Dave Bolland, Niklas Hjalmarsson, Dustin Byfuglien, and Jonathan Toews picked up the tallies for the Blackhawks in the victory.

Niklas Hjalmarsson (Pam Rodriguez/PIB)

There were two main story lines that emerged in the contest, and none of them had to do with the final score.

One such story line was the complete lack of discipline that a couple of Blackhawks players displayed during the game. One offender was Dustin Byfuglien, who took a quick shot at Edmonton goalie Devan Dubnyk, and promptly caused all of the Edmonton players around the net to start trying to throw down with the 6-foot-3 Byfuglien.

Observers have complained that Big Buff doesn’t use his size often enough to his advantage, but it is in situations like this that he doesn’t use his brain often enough. If you’ll recall, it was Byfuglien taking a shot at a goalie who covered the puck that incited the line brawl last season against the Vancouver Canucks.

Needless to say, there is no earthly reason why Byfuglien needs to hit the goalie’s glove with his stick after the puck is already covered up, and it’s this kind of undisciplined play that leads to penalties, and penalties during the playoffs are magnified even more. If Dustin can’t keep his wits about him, then he could end up costing his team some games.

In the third period, Ben Eager took a stupid roughing penalty, much in the same vein as Byfuglien’s. With Adam Burish coming back soon from his ACL injury, Eager might want to look for some suits to wear up in the press box, because Joel Quenneville will not tolerate foolish play (thanks to Forklift from the Hawks blog “Hockee Night” for the suits joke).

Even with the dumb plays like these two players, the Hawks still had a pretty easy time defeating the Oilers on home ice. The road is going to get a lot harder, as they will take on the Canucks on Friday night and the Red Wings on Sunday morning.

And with that, here are the Hawks’ Three Stars:

Third Stars: Brian Pochmara, Kelly Sutherland, Lyle Seitz, and Mark Shewchyk

Dustin Byfuglien (Pam Rodriguez/PIB)

If anybody tried like crazy to have an impact on the game in the second period, it was the entire officiating staff.

Not only did the referees fail to call Edmonton’s first goal a goal (the zebra behind the net raised his arms up like he was calling a field goal), but they also missed a blatant slashing call on Edmonton’s second goal. Gilbert Brule took his stick like Paul Bunyan with an axe and broke Niklas Hjalmarsson’s stick and dished the puck off to a teammate for a goal.

After blowing calls on both Edmonton goals, they even had the audacity to break up a potential fight between Ben Eager and Zach Sortini in the third period. The fans at the United Center booed heartily, and with good reason: after two weeks of Olympic hockey (i.e. no fights), the refs took away a spectacle for the fans before it could even get underway.

Needless to say, the entire officiating crew for the game tonight looked like they were fresh out of remedial refereeing school, and it made the game extremely difficult to watch during the middle stages.

Second Star: Marian Hossa

There are rarely players who can make a goal and an assist feel so ho-hum, but Marian Hossa just happens to be one of those athletes.

On a night that many of his teammates didn’t pick up the intensity until the third period, the Slovakian Olympian played a fast-paced, up and down the ice with cruel intentions type of game, and he was the driving catalyst behind the team’s entire offensive attack in the second period.

Toews has to settle for a pic instead of 1st Star (Pam Rodriguez/PIB)

His feed to Dave Bolland in front of the Edmonton net was a thing of beauty, calculated perfectly to be just out of reach of Dubnyk’s stick and right onto the tape of Bolland for his first goal since coming off of back surgery.

If the rest of the team could take the lead from this offensive stalwart, they would be a lot better off.

First Star: Niklas Hjalmarsson

Sorry Captain Serious, but just because you got a goal and an assist on your bobblehead night doesn’t automatically win you First Star honors.

Instead, we’ll go ahead and honor the Hawks defenseman who not only was robbed of a slashing penalty when his stick was broken in his hands, but turned around and scored what ended up being the game winning goal at the very beginning of the third period.

Going by his coach’s philosophy of “putting pucks on net ends up turning out good”, Hjalmarsson set up on the blue line and fired a rocket of a slapshot toward the goal. With Toews running a screen on Dubnyk, the puck went right into the net, and Nik had his second goal of the year.

The goal itself obviously was great for giving Chicago the lead, but it also demoralized Edmonton completely. Instead of being tied and playing to preserve it, Nik scoring only 20 seconds into the period and completely knocked the Oilers out of the game.

It certainly had to have been a great feeling for him, and he did his small part to help the team win.

The Hawks will next take to the ice on Friday night at the United Center when they take on the Vancouver Canucks. Puck drop is at 7:30pm CST.

Tags: Adam Burish, Ben Eager, Chicago Blackhawks, Dave Bolland, detroit red wings, Dustin Byfuglien, Edmonton Oilers, Joel Quenneville, Jonathan Toews, marian hossa, niklas hjalmarsson, Vancouver Canucks

Shots From The Slot – Trade Deadline Edition

Co-conspirator Christopher Ralph

“Shots From The Slot” scans Hawks hockey cyberspace for all the latest and greatest articles.

*Last night I played the role of GM Stan Bowman in Being Stan Bowman, contemplating 10 possible actions the Blackhawks could take.  In the end, making no moves was deemed the bes course of action by myself and the real Stan Bowman. (PIB)

“1. The best damn move I might make – head out to West End sports pub tomorrow afternoon, sit back, relax, have a few cold ones and watch my Blackhawks hammer the Oilers. No more moves might just be the best move I could make Being Stan Bowman.”

Tomas Vokoun and/or Dan Hamhuis might’ve been nice, but price likely too high.

*Puck Daddy gives us a grade of “B” even with no last minute deals (Yahoo Sports)

“Everyone will overreact to the fact that they didn’t improve their blue line or between the pipes, but it says here they didn’t need to; partially because their goaltending is better than given credit, but also because doing anything with Cristobal Huet(notes) and his contract is problematic. Defenseman Nick Boynton(notes) was signed for minor league depth. The Blackhawks pretty much stand pat. GRADE: B”

*Tim Sassone reports: Bowman: we like our team (Between The Circles)

Stan Bowman has not wavered in his belief goaltenders Cristobal Huet and Antti Niemi can lead the team to the Stanley Cup.

But actions spoke louder than words on Wednesday as the Blackhawks general manager let the trade deadline pass without acquiring the goaltender some believed the Hawks needed to go all the way.

Now it’s up to Huet and Niemi to prove Bowman’s faith in them is well placed.

*Unless you’re the Detroit Red Wings, “in the NHL believe Stanley Cups can’t be won without top-flight goaltending.

With the last chance for teams to shore up that position, the clubs that seemed by many to most be in need of an upgrade in net — Philadelphia, Washington and Chicago — either focused their efforts in other areas or were unsuccessful in their attempts at an upgrade.

Also, a number of high-profile goaltenders expected to be on the move — Florida’s Tomas Vokoun, Dallas’ Marty Turco, Nashville’s Dan Ellis, Montreal’s Jaroslav Halak and Carey Price, and the Islanders’ Martin Biron and Dwayne Roloson — all stayed put.” (NHL.com)

- Sounds like son Stan has been talking a lot with dad Scotty Bowman!

*What you see is what you get Blackhawks fans…(Jesse Rogers)

* John Jaeckel: “No deal.” (HockeyBuzz)

A certain amount of guesswork here, but I did hear from a good source that the Hawks were trying unsuccessfully to make something happen this afternoon “possibly” involving a goaltender.

I’m not letting the Blackhawks off the hook here. At the same time, a little perspective is perhaps a good thing. Before the “Huet being traded” rumor first broke on ESPN Radio 1000, the prevailing wisdom was that the Hawks’ best hope for their current goaltending situation was to improve their defense.

* Great to see the six Olympian Blackhawks honoured tonight (ESPN)

Western Conference Contenders:

*Nothing really scary from any of the main contenders in the West. Sharks did even less the Blackhawks. The Avs may have gotten worse. The Wings did next to nothing, but are now healthy. I’m not really sure what Darryl Sutter and the Flames are up to anymore. The Kings picking up Jeff Halpern was a nice depth move. The Predators did well to keep Hamhuis and picked up Dustin Boyd for a song. Some thought the Canucks would make a big splash, but nothing major here.

*Check out the detailed Trade Deadline Diary! (RotoTimes)

*In a Shocking Development, the Big Trade Deadline Winners are the Coyotes! (Icy Coyotes)

On what was a very quiet day for the rest of the NHL, the Coyotes ended up being right up there with the Capitals in terms of who improved their team the most. By bringing in Wolski to bolster the offense, Schneider to spark the power play, Stempniak to bring a little “truculence” to the proceedings, and bringing Morris back into the fold, the Coyotes served notice to the rest of the NHL that even though they are still the butt of lots of jokes, they are deadly serious about winning this season.

*Follow Paint It Blackhawks on Twitter for all the latest breaking Blackhawks news. (Twitter)

Tags: antti niemi, Chicago Blackhawks, Colorado Avalanche, Cristobal Huet, detroit red wings, ESPN, kris versteeg, NHL, Olympics, Puck Daddy, stan bowman, Team Canada, Tomas Vokoun, Trade Deadline

Blackhawk Ruminations: Is Cristobal Huet’s Wednesday Start a #1 Audition?

Jim Neveau, PIB Co-conspirator

Early on Wednesday in a not-so-surprising announcement, the Blackhawks announced that Cristobal Huet would be their starting goaltender against the Edmonton Oilers. With Antti Niemi getting yanked on Tuesday night against the Islanders, Huet had to have assumed that he would get his first starting nod since a 2-1 shootout loss to the Phoenix Coyotes on February 5th.

The real question, of course, is whether Huet is merely getting a start because of the back-to-back, or is he auditioning to get his number one job back from Niemi?

Looking at this season’s performances against the Oilers, the argument could be made that it’s simply Joel Quenneville playing the percentages. After Niemi started the first game against Edmonton (Huet had been pulled in the famous Calgary game the game before), Huet has started the last two, giving up four goals and winning both contests on hostile ice.

Cristobal Huet

The other argument for it being simply a standard coaching decision is the back-to-back nature of the games. Long Island isn’t exactly close to Chicago, and Quenneville probably decided that he was going to give Huet the second start of the back-to-back because of the travel element.

Finally, there is the idea that Joel wanted Huet to shake off the rust from having not started a game in a month. His slow glove hand and slowed reaction times in the second period of the Islanders game yesterday give credence to the idea of getting him some much-needed playing time.

On the other hand, Niemi’s performance since being given the keys full-time hasn’t exactly been stellar. Yes, the Blackhawks won the first three games of the Niemi era, but considering that he has now given up 14 goals in his last three and a third games, he hasn’t exactly been lighting up the crease.

Also, Quenneville may have re-evaluated the decision to strip the number one job from Huet because of the performances Huet had before he was demoted. While he did give up three goals on only 19 shots to the Blues on February 3rd, the defense in that game was particularly atrocious, and leaving a goaltender out to dry isn’t exactly the most effective way to win a hockey game.

Also, in the game against Phoenix, Huet did stop 21 of 22 shots in a defensive struggle, and the only shot he missed was a shot that changed directions very close to the net, leaving Huet no time to react.

Huet and Niemi: The Twin Combatants (Pam Rodriguez/PIB)

Whether or not Huet is auditioning for his starter’s job back, there is one thing that is for certain: if he can’t beat Edmonton, then he probably wouldn’t be able to beat anyone.

An Idea Inspired By A Movie (No, Seriously)

Judging by Antti Niemi’s performance in shoot-outs this season, he is clearly the right guy to have between the pipes when the game goes down to a skills competition.

This fact, however, shouldn’t stop the Blackhawks from taking an idea from the “classic” hockey movie “D2: The Mighty Ducks”. When the game goes to a shoot-out, coach Gordon Bombay (played by Sheen off-spring Emilio Estevez) stays with his goaltender Goldberg until the very last shooter, Gunner Stahl. Due to his penchant for going glove-side on his shots, he goes with his back-up goaltender Julie to face him down.

Long story short, Julie gloves Stahl’s shot, and the rest is history.

The point of this story is this: why can’t Joel Quenneville start Cristobal Huet, and if the game goes to a shoot-out, switch keepers and put Antti Niemi in?

Sure, you can say that there is the “cold goaltender” aspect to it, but wouldn’t this be a really cool idea? Sure, you could lose the extra standings point, but when you have as big of a division lead as the Blackhawks do, it wouldn’t kill the coaching staff to think outside the box occasionally.

Finally, a Shout-Out

Paint it Blackhawks wants to thank WCWP, a radio station out of Long Island University that had our very own Jim Neveau on its airwaves last night to preview the Blackhawks/Islanders tilt. Thanks for the fun time guys, and good luck in your future endeavors!

Tags: antti niemi, Chicago Blackhawks, Cristobal Huet, Edmonton Oilers, Joel Quenneville, New York Islanders, Phoenix Coyotes

Being Stan Bowman – Blackhawks Trade Deadline Banter

Being Stan Bowman – Blackhawks Trade Deadline Banter

PIB Co-conspirator Christopher Ralph

If you have never watched the “insanely brilliant and brilliantly insane” Being John Malkovich flick circa 1999, check it out. From IMDB:

“A puppeteer (John Cusack) discovers a hidden doorway in his office, which turns out to be a portal into John Malkovitch (the famous actor)’s mind. Upon entering the portal, one gets to be inside Malkovitch’s mind for 15 odd minutes.”

The movie also stars Cameron Diaz and Catherine Keener.

Would it not be the ultimate experience for the armchair GM in all of us to find a hidden portal doorway into Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman’s mind? Even if for just 15 minutes on trade deadline day.

The Blackhawks have landed a new goalie, trading another! Not the one we might have expected to be coming to the Windy City, and not quite the one we might have thought would be shipped out. The Hannu Toivenen and Danny Richmond for Joe Fallon was already reported by my colleague, Jim Neveau. Toivenen was a 1^st round pick in 2002, while hometown boy, Richmond, was drafted in the 2^nd round of the ’03 draft. The once promising pair are long shots to make the parent club, but are still young enough to yet be late bloomers.

Bowman already made a nice move before the Olympic break with the now widely reported and analyzed Cam Barker for Kim Johansson and Nick Leddy deal with the Wild.

He’s also keeping himself busy on the trade front, picking up tough blueliner Nick Boynton from the Ducks for future considerations. The ‘Hawks have assigned him to Rockford. I really like this pick up – a nice solid depth defenseman for a deep playoff run.

A sign of things to come heading in to tomorrow’s 3:00 PM trade deadline or has Bowman already played his cards?

Essential Trade Deadline Links:

*Check out Greg Wyshynski’s 10 player shakeup list over at Yahoo Sports where there will be plenty of live blogging commentary tomorrow. (Puck Daddy)

*Blackhawks impending cap crunch (NHL Numbers)

*How is a trade made in the NHL? Here is the complete process. (NHL.com)

Okay…getting back to the theme of the article, Being Stan Bowman.Let’s say for argument’s sake that my co-conspirator Jim Neveau has found a portal doorway in his high tech PIB executive office that allows us 15 minutes inside the mind of one Stan Bowman. Neveau graciously let’s me have first crack and I logically choose the last 15 minutes before the impending trade deadline as my trial run.

Tomas Vokoun {Photo: VanMurph - Flickr}

I’ve done my homework, crunched the numbers, and contacted opposing GMs by any means possible – I-Phone, email, Blackberry, satellite phone, CB, walkie talkie, tweeting, mail, Skype, Morse code and even contacted Islander GM Garth Snow via shoe-phone.

Here’s a look at 10 trade options and my thoughts as Being Stan Bowman:

10. After the clinic Dwayne Roloson put on tonight in a 41 save 5-3 victory against the Hawks, the Isles veteran netminder might be the perfect ‘tender to solidify the goalie for a run at the Holy Grail. No matter what I say to the media (remember I am Stan Bowman for the next 15 minutes!), I am not confident in our French goaltender Cristobal Huet. Antti Niemi – I like. Roloson is perhaps the perfect compliment depending on the price – a soldifying veteran presence.

Dwayne Roloson {Photo: ShutterSpeak - Flickr}

*Tim Sassone notes Huet rumours are running rampant, heading anywhere from the Islanders to the Panthers or Leafs. (Daily Herald)

9. If I could swing a Huet-Vokoun based deal, with us obviously adding to the Huet end, slap my face and call me Scotty! The champagne tastes fantastic from Lord Stanley! Moving Huet should make me GM of the year – accomplishing Mission Impossible. Sources have it as Corey Crawford and Kris Versteeg having to go to the Sunshine State with Huet, but not sure if my counterpart GM Randy Sexton will pull the trigger.

*Bowman calm with trade deadline looming – comparison with pops. (CBC.ca)

8. Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli won’t stop pestering me to take Tim Thomas off his hands. A killer Finnsih combination of Tuuka Rask and Antti Niemi is not going to happen, so I send Chiarelli packing, unless of course he`ll take Huet off our hands.

*Doubting Tim Thomas and the Blackhawks goalie needs (Puck Daddy)

7. I’ll likely just say no to Turco. Having the third defenseman out there, with Marty Turco’s brilliant puck handling would be nice, but can’t see a deal with Turco in the cards. The Stars are likely holding onto him.

*If Turco was a trade target, the terms have changed, as Rosenblog stated. (Chicago Tribune)

Sense a trend yet? Goaltending is the obvious focus heading into the headline. If the move is right for the club, an upgrade is still desired despite a league best goal against average (GAA). The other focus, again only if the right deal comes about, is to possibly add another mobile blueliner with a physical presence.

6. We love JR, but Roenick’s claim that Habs netminder Jaroslav Halak is perfect for the Blackhawks may not that out in left Wrigley Field – however, not likely to happen. Halak’s play might make Carey Price the more expendable of the two for Montreal. (ESPN).

5. GM Garth Snow also managed to return my shoe-phone call and tried to sell me on Martin Biron instead of Roloson. This Frenchman is worst than what we have, Snow-man! Let me make this perfectly clear – no dice!

4. Brian Burke (who else thought he had a twin during the Team Canada – USA gold medal epic game? Ken Hitchcock! Same blue shirt, same stance while watching the game) was reported going to give me the overpaid defenseman Jeff Finger for our overpaid infamous netminder, Cristobel Huet, to maybe help facilitate a Vokoun deal.

*TSN`s Darin Dreger later tweeted away that deal. (My NHL Trade Rumours)

3. I covet Dan Hamhuis. Might be a rental. Not sure I can make it happen, but this young stud blueliner brings an even greater mobile, physical dimension to our blueline. Predators GM Poile already picked up Denis Grebeshkov from Edmonton picked up. I know Versteeg don`t really want to leave town, but he might have to be part of the package I dangle to Poile to get this one done. The Flyers are reportedly heavily after Hamhuis, but maybe I can work some magic. I want to have two Hammers on the blueline – Hjalmarsson and Hamhuis!

*The Dan Hamhuis Derby (On The Forecheck)

2. Before I picked up Nick Boynton, I was looking at other tough blueliners to bring on board. Flames Robyn Regehr – Darryl Sutter not going to part with. He tried to sell me Cory Sarich – not going to do it! Penguins Jay McKee – Neveau explored this option (PIB). His injury-prone history troubles me. Before we let Leafs d-man Jeff “Slip Through Our“ Finger get away in a possible Huet deal, I was thinking of acquiring hit machine Garnet Exelby, but thought better of it.

1. The best damn move I might make – head out to West End sports pub tomorrow afternoon, sit back, relax, have a few cold ones and watch my Blackhawks hammer the Oilers. No more moves might just be the best move I could make Being Stan Bowman.

Lastly, check out NHL Trade Rumours, 21^st century style – a great rumour generator, reported to be nearly twice as accurate as Eklund! (On The Forecheck)

*Follow Paint It Blackhawks on Twitter for all the latest breaking Blackhawks trade news. (Twitter)

Tags: antti niemi, Brian Burke, Chicago Blackhawks, Cristobal Huet, Dan Hamhuis, Darryl Sutter, Dwayne Roloson, kris versteeg, Marty Turco, niklas hjalmarsson, stan bowman, Tomas Vokoun, Trade Deadline, Trade Rumors

Blackhawks Deal Fallon, Acquire Toivonen and Richmond

Jim Neveau, PIB Co-conspirator

When five Blackhawks players attended the Rockford IceHogs game on Saturday night against the Peoria Rivermen, GM Stan Bowman must have been in attendance.

While he wasn’t spotted mingling with the players in their private box, there is evidence that he was at least keeping an eye on the proceedings. This is because Bowman dealt Joseph Fallon to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for Danny Richmond and Hannu Toivonen. Toivonen just happened to be in net for the Rivermen on Saturday night at said IceHogs game.

The deal really may not have an immediate impact on the Blackhawks, but it could indicate a subtle shift in the Hawks’ off-season plans. It has been widely speculated that Corey Crawford may be on the way out of town one way or the other, because of his expiring contract and the salary pinch the Hawks find themselves in.

Rumors have also been circulating that the Hawks have been looking at packaging Crawford with Cristobal Huet in a trade to acquire another goalie. Whether that’s to get a guy like Marty Turco, or Tomas Vokoun, it would certainly be an interesting move for a team that’s pretty much settled on Antti Niemi as its number one keeper.

If you have heard the name “Danny Richmond” before, it’s because he is a former member of the Blackhawks organization. He has played 350 career AHL games, and at the age of 25, he could still possibly make an impact with the parent club in the near future.

Tags: antti niemi, corey crawford, Cristobal Huet, Danny Richmond, Marty Turco, stan bowman, Tomas Vokoun

What an Olympics: Toews, Keith, and Seabrook Return Home with Gold

Jim Neveau, PIB Co-conspirator

When Sidney Crosby’s gold medal winning goal tickled the twine in overtime against the United States, it brought to a conclusion one of the most thrilling Olympic tournaments of all time.

You had Canada’s surprising defeat at the hands of the US in the preliminary round, Slovakia’s defeat of defending gold medalist Sweden in the quarterfinals, and those same Slovaks putting a Yukon-sized scare into Canada in the semi-finals.

Hawks Gold Medalists

Then, in the blink of an eye, Canada went from being 24 seconds short of victory to being right back in a deadlock against the United States in a game that the Canadians had all but sealed away.

With all of drama that unfolded over the two weeks of the Olympics, there was one sub-plot that has a particular interest to Blackhawks fans: the stellar performances of many of Chicago’s players.

Obviously, most of the attention is going to go to Kane’s US team and the Canadian trio of Keith, Seabrook, and Toews doing battle for the gold medal, but in reality, the story is bigger than that of a single game.

Jonathan Toews secured himself a place among hockey’s elite forwards at these Olympics, taking home Best Forward honors and being named to the tournament’s All-Star team. Ryan Miller, Zach Parise, Brian Rafalski, Pavol Demitra, and Toews’ Canadian teammate Shea Weber were also on the team, announced Sunday.

Toews also had the distinction of the best plus-minus mark in the tournament with a plus-9, and he was on the ice for one goal against Canada during all seven games they played.

Toews’ name was made in the quarter-finals when he was assigned the duty of stopping the Russian All-Star line of Alex Ovechkin, Alex Semin, and Evgeni Malkin. They went a combined minus-6 with one assist in the contest, and it was largely due to the effort of Toews and his linemates.

His goal and seven assists were also instrumental in Canada winning the tournament.

Duncan Keith also had a spectacular tournament, playing more minutes than any other Canadian player (over 145 minutes in seven games, or a little less than 21 per contest) and chipping in six assists.

Ryan Miller (Jim Neveau/THW)

His biggest impact, however, was on the defensive side of the puck, where he played stellar D against some of the best forwards in the world, and all the while still maintaining his trademark ability to make things happen with deep passes out of the zone.

Brent Seabrook didn’t play a lot in these Olympics (he averaged a shade under 8:30 per game), but when he was on the ice, he made his presence felt. Even though fighting is not allowed in the Olympics, he still ratcheted up the physicality every time he stepped off the bench, and without players who are willing to muck it up, Canada would not have won the gold medal.

On the United States team, Patrick Kane may not have had the flashiest stat line (only three goals and two assists in six games), but he stepped up when it mattered the most. His two goals in the semi-final game against Finland, and his two assists in the gold medal game were an example of why this young man was on the team.

He may not have played up to the hype that United States fans had for him, but Kane acquitted himself well during the medal round of the tournament, and should the NHL’s players find themselves representing their countries in Sochi in 2014, Kane will certainly be one of the USA’s top players once again.

The medal-less Slovaks had an interesting tournament as well, and one of their leading players was Marian Hossa. The slick-skating winger had an outstanding tournament offensively, scoring three goals and notching six assists, including three helpers in the team’s stunning victory over Sweden in the quarter-finals.

He had a goal and an assist in the bronze medal game against Finland as well, but obviously his contribution wasn’t enough to get his countrymen a medal.

Tomas Kopecky, often the forgotten Blackhawk at these Olympics, may not have lit up the scoreboard (he only had a single goal in the entire tournament), but he did make good defensive contributions in his 11 minutes of ice time per game, and he did score the game winning goal against Sweden.

Overall, the Chicago Blackhawks made the hockey world aware of just how talented they are with their performances at these Olympics. With two-thirds of their contingent returning to Chicago with medals gleaming around their necks, the organization should be extremely proud of the way they presented themselves in Vancouver.

If their performance on the world stage was any indication of how they will play in crunch time this season, then fans in Chicago could be in for a thrilling ride this spring.

Blackhawks’ Three Stars of the Olympic Quarterfinals

Jim Neveau, PIB Co-conspirator

On Wednesday night, the Chicago Blackhawks had one of the best nights their franchise has ever had.

No, they weren’t on the ice as a full team, but the six members of the Hawks who were chosen to represent their countries at the Olympic Winter Games were all victorious in their games in the quarterfinal round. Canada defeated Russia 7-3, Slovakia stunned Sweden 4-3, and the United States out-lasted Switzerland 2-0.

It was certainly a fantastic day for the Indian head logo. It was the last day of the Olympic break for the rest of the team, and the other members all played themselves into medal contention with their victories.

Three Olympians Share a Moment Before the Break (Pam Rodriguez/PIB)

Now, with the semi-final games looming later on this afternoon and evening, it seems like an appropriate time to discuss the Hawks’ Three Stars from the Quaterfinals:

Honorable Mention: Tomas Kopecky (1 G)

Tomas Kopecky isn’t exactly an offensive juggernaut, as we have seen with his performance so far this season with the Blackhawks. On Wednesday night, however, Kopecky was good enough when he needed to be.

In the third period, Kopecky went down the ice with Blackhawks teammate Marian Hossa, who put a shot off goaltender Henrik Lundqvist. Kopecky put the rebound behind the net-minder to give Slovakia a 4-2 lead over Sweden, and it ended up being the game-winning goal in the contest.

We’ll get back to Hossa later, but Kopecky was there when the Slovaks needed him to be, and he helped make sure that one of the biggest upsets in the tournament still came to fruition.

Third Star: Duncan Keith (0 G, 2 A)

One of the biggest assets Team Canada has had in these Olympics has been the solid play of Duncan Keith.

He has made a name for himself as a Norris Trophy contender during the season, and he has continued to prove it in his services to Team Canada. He has played a solid two-way game, and has served as one of the point-men on the Canadian power play.

His two assists were a big factor in Canada’s huge win over Russia, and his stellar defense has been on display the entire tournament. If he plays for the Blackhawks the way he has for his country, expect some serious hardware to come his way at the NHL Awards later this year.

Marian Hossa (Pam Rodriguez/PIB)

Second Star: Marian Hossa (0 G, 3 A)

Normally, the kind of effort that Hossa had against the Swedes would warrant First Star status and platitudes galore, but on this night, Marian has to take the backseat to a greater accomplishment.

Nonetheless, the Slovak forward has been having an excellent tournament so far. His three assist night against the Swedes was great, and he has shown no ill effects from the shot to the head that he took right before the Olympics started.

Freshness will not be an issue with Hossa as time progresses, and he looks like a man amongst boys while he is on the ice. If Slovakia is to have any hope of defeating Canada during the semi-finals, it may rest on the stick of Mr. Hossa

First Star: Jonathan Toews (0 G, 2 A)

What else is there to say for Jonathan Toews? He is a +9 so far during the Olympics, and he has yet to be on the ice when Canada surrenders a goal (and remember, his team did give up five goals to the United States on Sunday).

His no-goals-scored-on status is even more impressive when you consider the job he was given on Wednesday night: defend the Alex Ovechkin line of Team Russia. Oh yeah, the Ovechkin line also happened to have Evgeni Malkin and Alexander Semin on it. The trio had an abysmal night, combining for no goals and a minus-6 on the score sheet.

All the credit in the world goes to Toews and his linemates for holding three immensely talented snipers to zero goals, and the two assists he got were simply icing on the cake.

Toews has begun to make a name for himself internationally in these Olympics, and his quarter-final performance against Russia is a perfect microcosm of his skills.

Tags: Brent Seabrook, Duncan Keith, Jonathan Toews, marian hossa, Patrick Kane, Team Canada, Team Slovakia, Team USA, Tomas Kopecky

PIB’s Blackhawks Prospect Rankings #5 Nick Leddy

PIB Co-conspirator Christopher Ralph

This is the fifth article featuring top Blackhawk prospects. As described previously, profiles will be released in order of their ranking, with the Top 20 to be eventually released. The portal place to find Blackhawk prospect information here will through the Future Blackhawk page.

Some fans might have been lead to believe the prospect cupboards were getting bare for the simple fact that all the young talent we have graduated in recent years to the NHL. Contrary to this belief, is the fact that there are plenty of Hawks prospects exuding tons of potential and having great years throughout various levels of hockey.

The #1 ranked prospect by Paint It Blackhawk is blueliner Dylan Olsen.

Kyle Beach, 11^th overall 2008 1^st rounder, is tight behind Olsen as the second ranked prospect in the Hawks organization, with blueliner Shawn Lalonde sneaking in at third. Jack Skille, the current fourth ranked prospect, will likely graduate from prospect status next season.

Nick Leddy

Nick Leddy {Photo: Brace Hemmelgarn - Flickr}

Age: 18
Date of birth: March 20, 1991
Place of birth: Eden Prairie, MN, USA
Ht: 5-11 Wt: 179
Shoots: L
NHL Seasons: 0-R
Drafted by Minnesota in 2009 (1/16).
Acquired in a trade with Minnesota in 2010.

The recently acquired (trade with Wild) Nicky Leddy comes in as the fifth ranked prospect, with the potential to easily move up in these rankings. The 16^th overall, 1^st round selection in 2009 by Minnesota was touted as one of the most explosive skaters in the draft.

As I noted in my monster 2009 Draft Preview, in the article featuring Nick Leddy, I summed the young blueliner up, stating:

“One-Timer: The recently crowned “Mr. Hockey”, as the best high-school player in Minnesota high school, is a tad on the small side, but boy is he fast! He is a very poised player and an uncanny ability to make plays at high speeds. He posses very good vision and thus makes intelligent decisions on both sides of the rink, to go with his exceptional skating ability.”

Current Season Update:

Leddy has notched 9 points (2G , 7A) in 23 contests for the Golden Gophers of Minnesota in the NCAA ranks. What is more impressive is that as a freshman he leads the club in plus/minus with a plus 10 ranking. While plus/minus can be a misleading stat, what is important to note, and thus quite significant, is the fact that the next closest Gopher is a plus 6. He has 41 shots thus far and just 2 penalties for 4 PIM. Just 2 of his 9 points have come on the powerplay.

International Tournaments: At the Under-18 Ivan Hlinka tournament in 2008, he recorded two assists in four games, representing Team USA.

Scouting Combine Performance: (also taken from my draft preview at The Hockey Writers)

Sorokin (Eug – a colleague of mine who attended the combine) enthusiastically reported: “What a physique! Absolutely murdered the vertical leap test. Put together beautifully, as he’s got the lower body to be able to skate, and the upper body to handle forwards. Should be a good one in my opinion.” TSN confirmed Leddy had the best vertical jump of the day.

ETA = 3 – 4 years

Nick Leddy #5 "In Some Good Company" {Photo: Brace Hemmelgarn - Flickr}

Risk-Reward Analysis: Risk = 2.5/5   Reward = 4/5

NHL Potential: 2^nd pairing two-way blueliner

Strengths: Leddy is an outstanding skater, first and foremost, with smooth lateral mobility and acceleration. Despite his smaller stature, he is willing to initiate contact and take a hit to make plays in all three zones on the ice. Nick has also been described as the consummate team player and a quiet team leader, preferring to lead by example. He also has an underrated shot.

Flaws/Aspects He Needs To Work On: Obviously, he is not overly big and will need to add bulk to his 5’11” frame in order to better handle forwards in the Big League. Nick will also have to continue to work on defensive zone play and learn to use his shot even more.

Fantasy Hockey Potential: Offensive = 8/10   Defensive = 8/10

NHL Player(s) Comparison: Kris Russell, Dan Boyle, Brian Rafalski

Video(s):

- Wild GM Chuck Fletcher discusses selection of Nick Leddy at 2009 Entry Draft (NHL.com)

- Leddy’s dream comes true at the draft (MSN.com)

Bio(s)/Interview(s):

Interesting Notes: (courtesy of Wild.NHL.com)

* “Leddy remains a rink rat to the core.  His father was a player, his uncle was a player (who ironically was Wild coach Todd Richards defensive partner at Armstrong high school), and it is all he has dreamt of.”

* “Leddy was offered the opportunity of a lifetime when the United States National Development Team, a full time development program in Ann Arbor, Michigan, that prepares elite American born hockey players for a future on U.S. National teams and the NHL, asked him to join the team. But his roots were so deeply embedded in his home state that he decided to remain with his high school team. In essence, Leddy turned down his country in favor of his state.”

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Tags: Brian Rafalski, Chicago Blackhawks, Dan Boyle, Kris Russell, NHL, Nick Leddy