Chicago BlackhawksVerified account@NHLBlackhawks #Blackhawks announce a 3-year contract extension for Senior VP/GM Stan Bowman, which will run through the 2020-21. http://onego.al/XxM7o
ELLIOTTE FRIEDMAN JANUARY 26, 2016, 11:26 AM Generally, when North American hockey fans consider Russian free agents, they think about the potential returns of Ilya Kovalchuk or Alexander Radulov. Those are the biggest names we know. Roman Rotenberg wants to talk about Artemi Panarin. “We are very proud of his success,” Rotenberg said by phone from Russia. “This is a young man who was never drafted. I saw how hard he worked over here. On the ice, off the ice. Now, he is in Chicago, on the number one line in the NHL…His contract was up and he had a choice. He stayed until he was ready. He didn’t have to play in a lower league or a different league.” Rotenberg, 34, is one of the powerful young faces in the country’s hierarchy. His hockey responsibilities include a vice-presidency of the Russian Ice Hockey Federation and vice-president of 2015 KHL champion St. Petersburg. His father, Boris, is a close confidant of Russian President Vladimir Putin. I’d reached out a few times, most recently regarding expansion into China, and we connected on Sunday. When the KHL was founded in 2008, there was a ton of debate about how much of a rival to the NHL it would be. It didn’t turn out to be as much of a fight as expected. The decline of the ruble really hurt, although Rotenberg points out “what is happening with oil prices is a global issue, not just a Russian problem.” The two leagues respect each other’s contracts, and, asked how the current relationship is with the NHL, Rotenberg offered few complaints. He talked more about ideas for future development of the game (China, for example) but he’s also trying different things in his backyard. Russia was extremely disappointed by its 2014 home ice Sochi showing, as a 3-1 quarterfinal loss to Finland eradicated any chance at a gold medal. The Olympics went best-on-best in 1998. The Russians have a silver medal from the first event and a bronze in 2002. Since then, they’ve been fourth, sixth and fifth. They won the World Championships in 2012 and 2014, but were blown out by Canada 6-1 in last year’s final. Those results aren’t good enough. What’s worse is opponents believe Russia’s predictable coaching — don’t worry about matchups, roll your four lines, etc. — is a major reason why. “That’s what we are talking about,” Rotenberg said. “In Russia, for a long time, the coach was God. He’d do everything, made the decisions by himself…When we lost, it was, ‘Who do we blame?’ Sometimes, we won because of our great players. In North America, in Finland (where the Rotenberg family owns the Jokerit franchise), there are more people involved. We are trying new things. From the six-to-nine age group, to nine-to-12, to the junior level, under-20, But the final exam will be the Olympics in South Korea.” North American scouts with knowledge of Russia do see some changes in St. Petersburg. An improved scouting presence, for example. As one of the wealthy organizations, it can go out and buy the best players, but newer emphasis on development is noted. Sergei Zubov, who had a magnificent NHL career, is an assistant coach there, and was recently added to the same position with the National Team. On other clubs, though, adaptation is slow. It’s a mindset that’s not easy to change. (Guarantee you this: North American coaches hope it doesn’t. They feel their Russian counterparts beat themselves.) Which brings us back to Panarin. He didn’t mention any specific names, but Rotenberg made it clear he’d like to keep many of Russia’s good, young pros as together as possible until South Korea 2018. He wants to see their potential Olympians up close and at home, not overseas — especially if they are not going to be in the NHL. His sales pitch is, “Look what Panarin did. Got ready here, went there and was successful.”
On Tuesday night in Edmonton, Connor McDavid sent out the warning shot. With one of the prettiest goals of the season to go along with two assists, there was a message to the rookies at the top of the Calder Trophy race that perhaps he’ll still have a say in that award race just yet. And then there was Sidney Crosby, who continued his impressive 2016 calendar year with three more goals. Since Jan. 1, the Pittsburgh Penguins' captain has 11 goals in 12 games to go with 18 points. If he can keep that pace up through the rest of the season, it would give him a 95-point season -- breaking the 90-point barrier for only the second time since 2009-10. Not bad for an "off year." Until recently, there wasn’t a rookie having a better season than Artemi Panarin. There wasn’t a player in the world playing better than Patrick Kane. They’re starting to be challenged, but they have one advantage the challengers don’t have -- each other. There’s not a more dangerous duo in the league right now, and if you’re looking for reasons why each of them can continue their march towards hardware in Las Vegas, stop there. They were created to be put on the ice to play together. It seemed like it happened immediately, although Kane said there was a little adjustment period to start. But not too much. “Like anyone, it’s going to take a while to develop some chemistry,” Kane said. “I thought right away we were on the same wavelength as to how we wanted to play the game, the certain style we wanted to play. We had to figure out how to do that with one another.” It’s fair to say they’ve mastered it, and the implications go beyond postseason awards. The mastery of Kane and Panarin make the Chicago Blackhawks the team best poised to win back-to-back Stanley Cups for the first time in the salary cap era. To win big in the cap system, especially when you have two guys averaging $10.5 million per season against the cap, you need major contributions coming from players outplaying their value. The Blackhawks are getting that in Panarin after GM Stan Bowman beat out three other teams that were close to signing him, and another two just behind them. Two NHL general managers made personal trips to Russia in an attempt to lure Panarin, without success. Everyone offered the same maxed-out rookie contracts. “It came down to [an] analysis of the best hockey situation for him,” said one source close to Panarin. The analysis was spot on. Especially the fit with Kane. “Panarin with Kane -- the chemistry fit right away,” said teammate Marian Hossa when we chatted recently. “It’s amazing to watch them. They don’t give up the puck easily, and they’re making highlight plays every game.” In terms of possessing the puck, they numbers back Hossa up. According to hockeyanalysis.com, when Kane and Panarin are on the ice together, the Blackhawks control 54.7 percent of the even-strength shot attempts. Both are well under 50 percent when they are separated. Kane is having a career season at 27 years old, which is a little older than the usual peak seasons for NHL stars. One more goal and he’ll have a career high. His 74 points are already the second-highest total of his career. “That’s the best age of the hockey player 27 to 32, those five years are the prime when you feel the best,” said Hossa, who rounded out his game during that stretch of his career. “He’s reaching that. He’s dominating that.” And Panarin is a big reason. “Panarin has the exact ability to do the things that are going to be great for Kane,” said one coach. The talented Russian is the first player in a long time that can play with Kane and think along his same wavelength. Before Panarin, Kane spent a lot of ice time during the past couple seasons with players who weren’t in that same stratosphere, skill-wise. He played a lot with an aging Brad Richards or Kris Versteeg or Andrew Shaw. Good players, but not the kind of players who have the skill to play the two-man game that Panarin and Kane excel at on a daily basis. The other big difference is that Kane has evolved into a goal scorer. When he broke into the league, he looked to pass first. He still has that high-end passing ability, but now he believes he can be a first-rate goal-scorer in the NHL. His goals per game have increased in each of the past three seasons, from 0.42 to 0.44 to this season’s 0.56. The goal production per game is considerably higher than his career average of 0.37. He’s worked on his shot and it has paid off. That mix of a lethal shot and high-end vision perfectly complements a player in Panarin who entered the league with a reputation of being more of a one-on-one player. He’s definitely changed that playing with Kane, although you see signs of that individual ability when he’s taking on and beating two or three players at a time with his stickhandling. “They have an ability to play in tight areas individually and make plays from those tight areas over to open areas on the other side of the ice,” said the coach. “A lot of times you see one guy on one side of the ice beating a guy one-on-one, and he moves the puck 60 feet across to the other guy. When they move it like that, the whole defense has to shift.” His conclusion? “Most players have to make little 10-foot plays,” he said. “These guys make 60-foot plays in the offensive zone, completely unique to anybody in the league.” Justin Faulk, whose Hurricanes were the rare teams to convincingly beat the Blackhawks before the break. “With those hands and everything, you never know where the puck is going. Cross-ice passes, saucers, it doesn’t matter.” Faulk played against Panarin during the IIHF World Championship in Prague last spring, and has seen a player who has made subtle adjustments to his game in order to complement Kane. There’s definitely a respect factor that exists from Panarin to Kane. Panarin has expertly found ways to get open while Kane works the puck. “Kaner isn’t scared to go one-on-one with a guy. So if he gets a step on you, you’re spread out trying to stop the other thing and if you don’t have support, he does his little spin move to his backhand. It’s tough to defend,” Faulk said. “They’re looking for each other all the time.” So far this season, they’ve found each other often, and there are no real signs that it’s slowing down.
Blackhawks Fans Invade Busch Stadium http://m.stltoday.com/sports/hockey...59c8-9b75-790a5896cf3d.html?mobile_touch=true Spoiler
Blows my mind the stars won't trade for a fucking enforcer defenseman. It's fucking frustrating as shit.
Happy with Saad trade. I was floored when they dealt the man child, but Anisimov has been terrific and signed a great deal and Dano was considered the best part of that deal coming back and should be one for the future I didnt really think they'd get all that much for 33 year old Sharp despite many hawks fans thinking they could get an a prospect plus a pick. I recall most people concerned about losing Johns mostly. Obviously Daley and Garbutt are both gone now but that was a clear salary dump. Sekac seems like just a guy.
Brian Hedger @BrianHedger 40m40 minutes ago Q expects Kruger to miss rest of reg season: "Yeah, we're going to leave it at that ... nothing gives us any indication that it's changed."
Brian Hedger @BrianHedger 40m40 minutes ago Q expects Kruger to miss rest of reg season: "Yeah, we're going to leave it at that ... nothing gives us any indication that it's changed."
Pierre LeBrun @Real_ESPNLeBrun NHL and Blackhawks hosting news conference later this afternoon in Chicago to announce that June 2017 NHL Draft will be held there. will Stan even have a 1st rounder to use?
The Chicago Blackhawks will probably make a trade before the NHL's deadline on Feb. 29. We've seen deadline deals in the past. We've seen several deals already this season. It just makes sense that all those shuffling pieces would culminate with the team making at least one more significant move before its next attempt at winning the Stanley Cup. That's all led to the logical question of who the Hawks should target. Do you go for the left winger who could finally stabilize the top line next to Jonathan Toews and Marian Hossa or one more veteran defenseman to solidify a blue line corps that already went through an undermanned playoff run? Do you focus on long-term pieces or is a rental acceptable? We've heard a lot of suggestions, with Winnipeg Jets forward Andrew Ladd being near the top of the list, but it begs the question of what the team would give up. Last year, the Hawks didn't have a first-round pick because of a deadline deal. This year, they won't have their second-rounder for the same reason. So what does GM Stan Bowman have to offer other front offices this month? Here's a look. Andrew Shaw The one significant piece off the current NHL roster that the Hawks could conceivably move. Shaw is a restricted free agent at the end of the season and the team won't have a ton of flexibility to re-sign him, especially if a long-term contract extension for Artemi Panarin is a top priority. He's an incredibly important player for Chicago and would leave a significant hole, but it could be worth it if it meant acquiring an even better piece. The young forward would definitely appeal to other teams with his $2 million cap hit. What if Shaw could be one of the leading assets in a package for Ladd or another top-line winger? Shaw's played admirably in that role but landing an upgrade there could be a difference-maker for the Hawks in the postseason. Ideally you'd be able to acquire that piece anyway, bump Shaw down to the bottom six and try to recreate last year's magic, but if some team says they want a legitimate NHL player in a package, the 24-year-old would be the guy to give up. You know this team loves Shaw, though, so it would likely take a major move to pry the forward loose. The top prospects: Marko Dano and Ville Pokka The Hawks' one-two punch of near-NHL ready prospects. Dano is the best forward in Rockford, while Pokka is the best defenseman. Both players were acquired via trade -- Dano for Brandon Saad, Pokka for Nick Leddy. They were expected to get opportunities with the big club this season, but now it seems more likely that happens in 2016-17. Unless a trade happens. If the Hawks are expected to give up one of their best prospects in a trade, it would likely mean one of these two. Teams usually prefer to get prospects closer to the NHL who are easier to project. Dano has already had success during a stint with the Blue Jackets last season and Pokka is largely considered to be polishing the edges to his game with the IceHogs at this point. Either one could slide into an NHL lineup for many teams tomorrow. Of course, the fact that Dano and Pokka are the Hawks' two big pieces near-ready for the NHL also makes them quite valuable to the team. Chicago's been able to fill out its roster so successfully this season because of cost-controlled young players on ELCs like Panarin, Teuvo Teravainen, Erik Gustafsson and Phillip Danault. Keeping a steady flow of those players toward Chicago is important and moving Dano or Pokka -- especially Pokka given the lack of D prospects -- would be a risk. Bryan Bickell If there's any day to trade Bickell, it'll be a leap day, right? Roster fodder: Panik, Sekac, Mashinter, Scuderi, Svedberg Three of these guys were already traded this season. The others are a pair of useful-but-limited big bodies. None of these players would command much of anything on the trade market, but the fact that three of them have already been moved shows the possibilities. The thing is, guys at this level tend to be swapped in the kind of minor moves that we already saw. Maybe you use a guy like Panik, Svedberg or Sekac as a throw-in -- or some kind of wizard magic convinces a team to take Scuderi. Still, if you're talking about expendable pieces, all of these guys qualify. The Rockford forwards: Hinostroza, Hartman, McNeill, Baun, Kero, Ross, Haggerty And then there are all these guys. The Hawks have a ton of intriguing secondary forward prospects who have varying degrees of potential at the NHL level. Undersized centerVincent Hinostroza and former first-round pick Ryan Hartman stand out as the two bigger names in that group. Hinotroza and Hartman both got looks with the Hawks earlier this season but failed to stand out before returning to Rockford. The other pieces could also interest other teams looking for bottom-six forward fodder and general organizational depth. None of these pieces could really anchor a significant deal, but their additions could help push the needle if talks are getting down to the wire. Draft picks And finally, the draft picks. The Hawks have eight selections in the 2016 NHL Draft and six selections in the 2017 NHL Draft, which will be held in the fine city of Chicago. Obviously these will be some of the biggest assets Bowman can bargain with in trade talks. The big question will be whether the team's first-round pick is in play again after last year's was traded to Arizona. Team president John McDonough joked at the press conference announcing the draft that he'd prefer Bowman keep that 2017 pick -- which will be 30th overall, obviously -- but Bowman obviously is going to keep his options open as much as it would pain Hawks fans not to have a first-rounder when they host the 2017 draft. Here's a breakdown of the team's picks over the next two years. Picks listed in italics have been traded, while picks that are in bold have been acquired.
Really only thing they have to trade is their first round pick this year. Makes me itchy to keep trading 1st round picks and having 2 years in a row of no first and no second is dangerous but I get that they are in win now mode
Went really awkwardly into the boards was in a ton of pain and had to be helped off the ice. Just pray it's not an ACL
If your Stan do you make a move for a Defenseman or a Winger to help the 1st line? I don't think they can add both
If its up to me, I go winger. He's going to have to make a value play though. Can you get a #3/#4 defenseman but only a marginal upgrade at wing? Go defense. If you can get a true top 6 left wing but only a #5 type defenseman, you go wing. I'd hate to give up another 1st round pick as I've said before but if it nets you Andrew Ladd, I think you have to go for it. Not having a 2nd round pick this year really sucks.
If adding a winger at the cost of a 1st nets you a Cup I don't give a fuck. I get you worry about a depleted farm but Stan has zoned into the free agent market and used that to replenish the troops. I'm sure other franchises will attempt to also hit that market hard but he has the trump card of offering playing time on a Cup contending team. I think you go for a winger. I think the team proved it could win a title with 3 defenseman last year and I think we are much deeper this year. The Hossa and Toews line missed Saad.