Chicago goalie situation...

[magicrat07734]

Glass or Forsberg rest of the way?

[Wonko]

Tough call. It would appear they will go with whomever has the hot hand. Makes for a frustrating situation for folks trying to replace Crawford (myself included). I think Forsberg is the safer bet, but expect Glass to play after every Forsberg loss.

[PenguinHunter]

Lehner? Do they make a trade to add a guy like Lehner?

Luongo or Reimer? Florida is out of it... do they move one of their guys?

Mrazek? I have heard his name in the rumours?

Nilsson or Markstrom? One of these guys? Vancouver has a great prospect in the mill... can Chicago get one of these guys?

I honestly thing they can't plan on finishing the season with Forsberg and Glass.

[als_revenge]

FWIW, tsn just posted that Crawford is dealing with vertigo and there is no timetable on his return. I feel terrible for Crawford....

[lucafen4]

Lehner? Do they make a trade to add a guy like Lehner?

Luongo or Reimer? Florida is out of it... do they move one of their guys?

Mrazek? I have heard his name in the rumours?

Nilsson or Markstrom? One of these guys? Vancouver has a great prospect in the mill... can Chicago get one of these guys?

I honestly thing they can't plan on finishing the season with Forsberg and Glass.

Lehner/Mrazek would make the most sense. They'd want someone established. I don't see Nilsson or Markstrom getting moved. Van's plan is to keep Demko in the AHL this season (maybe a peek at him in March/April for a couple games)...

Lu has a no trade clause... somehow I can see Snow getting involved...maybe send one of his G's to Chi and nab Lehner from Buf as a replacement?? Can't see Chi riding this out with Forsberg & Glass.

[hockeyrobot]

I hope there can be some kind of deal worked out. Reimer to the Hawks would be grrrreat for me.

[tobias]

Barring a trade, I think that it's a matter of, "If you win, you keep playing. If you lose, the other guy is up."

Now, are the Blackhawks in a realistic position to make a trade for a goalie? They are last in their division, and have to pass a number of teams to make a wildcard position. Do you trade future assets away for a rental-type goalie to try a salvage a season that realistically isn't salvageable anymore? I suppose that it's a business, so you have to sell hope to sell tickets, but I think that even for the PR Machine that is the Blackhawks, trading for a Lehner (free agent) or washed up veteran (with term) isn't a wise choice.

[okiegoon]

Same here, Crawford and Murray + Allen on my team....I picked up Elliot but this is a mess. I'm with tobias that Hawks should stand pat with Forsberg and Glass....now if I can jsut figure out what to do with my G-men.

[FFleming5]

Season over already? That's a laugh... the Hawks have won a few cups and are 5 points out of the race? That's hardly insurmountable for a team that has the veteran presence that the hawks have. But the bigger question is, is just making the playoffs enough? And I'd say the answer to this is No it is not enough. The Hawks have some systematic problems with the construction of their team. There has been too much outflow of talent over the years, and they guys they have aren't cutting it. I'm not sure what you do to fix it as it's not a simple solution: the team is lacking both on the back end and on the front end. They are also missing talent on their checking lines. Maybe some of these guys develop this year and next? They better hope so.

Trading Panarin for Saad was a bad call IMO, and i've said that for a while. Panarin has shown he is the best player on Columbus, and he was the third best player on Chicago for the past 2 years. Saad does not replace what Panarin brought in terms of offense whatsoever. Hawks would've been better off keepin Panarin and trying to land some D. It's looking a little light in those cupboards right now.

As far as adding a goalie goes, maybe it makes sense? Maybe it doesn't... Lehner would look good in Chicago... Mrazek could be a cheaper option as it looks like Detroit want's out and has for a while - not sure if Mrazek helps Chicago.

[als_revenge]

Barring a trade, I think that it's a matter of, "If you win, you keep playing. If you lose, the other guy is up."

Now, are the Blackhawks in a realistic position to make a trade for a goalie? They are last in their division, and have to pass a number of teams to make a wildcard position. Do you trade future assets away for a rental-type goalie to try a salvage a season that realistically isn't salvageable anymore? I suppose that it's a business, so you have to sell hope to sell tickets, but I think that even for the PR Machine that is the Blackhawks, trading for a Lehner (free agent) or washed up veteran (with term) isn't a wise choice.

They are 3 points out of the final wildcard spot. (Mind you, LA has a game in hand and Minnesota and Colorado are sandwiched above them). It's not a great spot, but I wouldn't say the season can't be salvaged at this point. If they do something, it should be ASAP.

[hockeyrobot]

It has to be ASAP. The West is still wide open. Their core is on the decline in terms of NHL ages. Edmonton/McDavid won't be in the playoffs this year. They have to take a shot now.

[FFleming5]

It has to be ASAP. The West is still wide open. Their core is on the decline in terms of NHL ages. Edmonton/McDavid won't be in the playoffs this year. They have to take a shot now.

Agree, I said this at the beginning of the season for the Hawks. Aging core, and lots of competition, but do you sell your top picks/prospects for Lehner, Mrazek, a Van or an Isles goalie. None of those guys have proven able to keep the puck out of the net consistently.

I think the window is closing for a lot of teams as Toronto will be a Cup contender after this year also. I'm still not buying Edmonton though, I don't think Todd McClellan is going to get it done

[tobias]

The Blackhawks don't have the cap space to take on a goalie who is signed beyond this season, unless they know that Crawford is going on LTD and will miss next season.

Of the names mentioned above, that leaves us with Mrazek and Lehner (both RFAs). From Buffalo's perspective, they would want far more for Lehner than Chicago can, or definitely should, give up. As sexy of a name as Linus Ullmark has been, they cannot possibly trade away Lehner with the plan being to go with Johnson and Ullmark next year, or hope that they can strike a deal with a goalie in the summer. That's foolishness.

Now, Mrazek - If Detroit is truly over him and his apparent attitude issues, they might have incentive to move him out of conference. Again, though, he's an asset on a team that is not doing so hot, so they need to maximize any return they would get for him, should they decide to move him. I would see the price being too much for what Chicago should responsibly give up (they don't have a lot of young assets themselves anymore).

And in all of this, Chicago has to know for sure that Crawford is out for the regular season, or else they're over the cap as soon as Crawford returns. Maybe he pulls a Kane and returns in the playoffs, when there would be no cap issue, but this is yet another IF in a long time of IFs. Not to mention that there isn't a lot of confidence (perhaps outside of Lehner) from the list of goalie options to even credibly say that whoever they trade for would be better than the Forsberg/Glass combo that they have now. Another IF.

Put me on the side of the fence that says that they shouldn't, and believes that they won't, make a trade. Of course, I'm just a guy behind a keyboard with no connections or inside knowledge of the situation, so take my opinion for a grain of salt.

Cheers!

[tobias]

Season over already? That's a laugh... the Hawks have won a few cups and are 5 points out of the race? That's hardly insurmountable for a team that has the veteran presence that the hawks have. But the bigger question is, is just making the playoffs enough? And I'd say the answer to this is No it is not enough. The Hawks have some systematic problems with the construction of their team. There has been too much outflow of talent over the years, and they guys they have aren't cutting it. I'm not sure what you do to fix it as it's not a simple solution: the team is lacking both on the back end and on the front end. They are also missing talent on their checking lines. Maybe some of these guys develop this year and next? They better hope so.

Trading Panarin for Saad was a bad call IMO, and i've said that for a while. Panarin has shown he is the best player on Columbus, and he was the third best player on Chicago for the past 2 years. Saad does not replace what Panarin brought in terms of offense whatsoever. Hawks would've been better off keepin Panarin and trying to land some D. It's looking a little light in those cupboards right now.

As far as adding a goalie goes, maybe it makes sense? Maybe it doesn't... Lehner would look good in Chicago... Mrazek could be a cheaper option as it looks like Detroit want's out and has for a while - not sure if Mrazek helps Chicago.

Hold your laughs.

Saad wasn't brought in to replace Panarin's offence. No one expected him to. But his speed, grit, forecheck, penalty kill ability, his longer term contract, his chemistry with Toews, and his experience from winning a couple of Cup wins is what he was brought in for. He has checked those boxes. It was a good trade.

You are totally right in what you said about just making the playoffs not being enough. And, guess what... Panarin was with them the last two seasons, and they had two first round exits. 11 playoff games and 2 goals for Panarin during that time. Not good enough.

They gambled on the salary cap and lost with their Toews and Kane contracts, but I doubt that there is a 'Hawks fan out there who would trade a Cup win or two or three for more team-friendly contracts. They's in a downward trajectory right now, and I believe that it's time to hold onto their assets and start thinking about how to minimize the impending bleeding.

[stevegamer]

If I'm Chicago, I try to get Mrazek over Lehner, but either could work to at least give them a more proven goalie.