We have a GM problem

[ploppsdman]

lol dude is mad about a hypothetical trade not happening that we don’t even know the rangers would want

Mad? No.

I'm pointing out that there are opportunities but we're not taking calculated risks on undervalued assets outside of low value veterans (Dickinson, Michayev, Mrazek) and those risks are mitigated by picks (so is this really a risk).

Look at Dylan Strome and his success in WSH. Is he perfect? No, but he only cost money and he's working on being the caps leading scorer again

Bottom feeder teams must take chances and hope a lottery ticket hits.

Otherwise, embrace the abyss.

 

[ColbyChaos]

Kaiser is a 5/6 at BEST and we seemingly have no issues tossing away second rounders.

Kakko has 7 pts in 10 games. We can revisit this in two years but I like my odds of Kakko being far superior to Kaiser & a random pick.

 

[Pez68]

Mad? No.

I'm pointing out that there are opportunities but we're not taking calculated risks on undervalued assets outside of low value veterans (Dickinson, Michayev, Mrazek) and those risks are mitigated by picks (so is this really a risk).

Look at Dylan Strome and his success in WSH. Is he perfect? No, but he only cost money and he's working on being the caps leading scorer again

Bottom feeder teams must take chances and hope a lottery ticket hits.

Otherwise, embrace the abyss.

I can't wait to revisit Dylan Strome come playoff time.

 

[Mjul Qvist]

I guess we have bandwagoners in here, since when do Die hards not get annoyed and frustrated when they have been watching a pathetic losing team for ten years? You people just don’t get it, you have zero analytical skills, I have already studied Davidson, I dont need any more time to see what he can do. Great GMs show flashes of genius from the beginning, even in the little tweaks and small moves, trades, draft picks, some on ice with great shifts, etc. It’s just not very apparent that the team is moving in the right direction at all, this team is trash, he said the team will improve this year and we are dead last place again, and don’t give me the crap about goal differential, it’s not even exciting to watch games, none of the lines are entertaining. He needs to go.

Hopefully Danny reads this and hires you to be adviser of some kind. I´ve been fan over 30 years now and seen worst than this. Last time they didn´t have a plan but got little lucky and managed to make it golden era. If you look at Oilers, Avalanche etc. they didn´t become contenders in three years. It took time. But I know, you don´t get it. You don´t want to get it because your brain is in a everything is sh*t here except for p*ss mode.

 

[Sarava]

Why do people keep referencing the Oilers for how long this takes? 4 1st overalls in 6 years, a top 4 pick 6 out of 7 years...all this including one of the greatest players of all-time...and 15 years in they still haven't won a cup. That's not a model that should be referenced, unless we are discussing failed rebuilds.

 

[GIADF]

Why do people keep referencing the Oilers for how long this takes? 4 1st overalls in 6 years, a top 4 pick 6 out of 7 years...all this including one of the greatest players of all-time...and 15 years in they still haven't won a cup. That's not a model that should be referenced, unless we are discussing failed rebuilds.

They had a pretty easy path to the Cup too. Kings were terrible and Demko getting hurt sunk Vancouver. Someone correct me if I’m wrong but I’m pretty sure the Canucks entirely changed their style of play with Demko out.

 

[MHO]

This is going to sound so unsatisfying but hear me out. When you look at the Blackhawks roster on paper, even if every player was playing up to expectations, it doesn't look it should be the worst team in the league. But I think the league is much better than it used to be. How many teams can you look at and say that the Hawks roster on paper is better than? There aren't any cupcakes anymore as every team has some talent.

I feel like if you put this exact team in the NHL of 15 years ago, it would be 23rd or 24th, kind of exactly where we think they should be now. It's just that the league is so much more talented than it used to be. Unfortunately, they play in the NHL of 2025. But what is encouraging is that they have kids all over the place that look like they will be able to contribute and KD seems to be finding guys outside of the top 10 of the draft.

I'm still excited about this team despite the fact that they often look like dogsh*t. They have $23M coming off the books between Hall, Athanasiou, Bailey, McCabe, Martinez, Kurashev, Donato, Maroon, and Smith. They're going to want to replace some of that with guys still on ELC's like Korchinski, Slaggert, and maybe Savoie or Levshunov. I think now that Murphy is hurt, he's gonna be here next year as no team is going to want to trade for him now.

So they're literally going to have to spend in FA just to get to the floor and add in a top 3 pick with another 1st and 2 2nds to the pool, I still think they're in good shape.

 

[Mjul Qvist]

Why do people keep referencing the Oilers for how long this takes? 4 1st overalls in 6 years, a top 4 pick 6 out of 7 years...all this including one of the greatest players of all-time...and 15 years in they still haven't won a cup. That's not a model that should be referenced, unless we are discussing failed rebuilds.

That is just one example that everyone makes mistakes. It is not easy to make full rebuild and before you declare Davidson as the worst gm of all time I would like to see few more years. So tell me what should be the perfect timeline for full rebuild?

There is not one model or path to success. Winning the Cup is ultimate price but being contender is what I count success. This organisation went 49 years without cup and do think every year was total failure in that span?

 

[featherhawk]

It will be interesting to see who they bring in in the Offseason for sure. Next year should be more like what San Jose seems to be doing at the moment, more kids less of the Vets that are either Washed or Approaching WASHED status... Want them to start identifying younger leaders/vets in the NHL that match our rebuild timeline...This year was fine with the washed Vets but next year we cant do that so much...Kids need playing time...

 

[Clownish]

That is just one example that everyone makes mistakes. It is not easy to make full rebuild and before you declare Davidson as the worst gm of all time I would like to see few more years. So tell me what should be the perfect timeline for full rebuild?

There is not one model or path to success. Winning the Cup is ultimate price but being contender is what I count success. This organisation went 49 years without cup and do think every year was total failure in that span?

"Timeline" is one of the dumbest new fan words. There's no such thing as a franchise scheduling when they are good or when they feel ready to compete and there's no easy button by simply losing every game every year, get a top pick, and it magically becomes a cornerstone piece. It's why trading a player like Hagel for a bunch of magic beans and lottery tickets sounds great in theory, but they're still looking for just one guy who is half as valuable to a winning hockey team as he is. It's why telling a player like Kane that he's not welcome back after going for a Cup with the Rangers. At least the players now defer to Donato and Taylor Hall instead of Kane.

 

[GIADF]

It will be interesting to see who they bring in in the Offseason for sure. Next year should be more like what San Jose seems to be doing at the moment, more kids less of the Vets that are either Washed or Approaching WASHED status... Want them to start identifying younger leaders/vets in the NHL that match our rebuild timeline...This year was fine with the washed Vets but next year we cant do that so much...Kids need playing time...

Assuming Marner and Rantanen extend, trying to find some options 30 or under. Here are a handful that caught my eye, but I'm not exactly dying to see the Hawks sign any of these guys.

Ehlers - 29, UFA
Mangiapane - 29, UFA
Kakko - 24, RFA
Kuzmenko, 29, UFA
Sam Bennett - 29, UFA
Roslovic - 28, UFA

I might have missed some, I just skimmed the list from Sportac. I like Sam Bennett the most from this list but I could see his game aging poorly and a contract that takes place mostly in his 30s could be a huge bust.

 

[Sarava]

That is just one example that everyone makes mistakes. It is not easy to make full rebuild and before you declare Davidson as the worst gm of all time I would like to see few more years. So tell me what should be the perfect timeline for full rebuild?

There is not one model or path to success. Winning the Cup is ultimate price but being contender is what I count success. This organisation went 49 years without cup and do think every year was total failure in that span?

I'm not declaring Davidson a failure or the worst GM. I'm 100% unsure about him. He's done the easy part so far, and there's not much else to go by.

However, the Oilers example maybe would be a reason to consider not doing a rebuild to this much of an extreme. There's degrees of rebuilds you can take on and the Hawks chose to go all the way down to the last stud - sort of like Edmonton did.

 

[Hawkaholic]

I guess we have bandwagoners in here, since when do Die hards not get annoyed and frustrated when they have been watching a pathetic losing team for ten years?

The die hards watched the Hawks lose for the first 25 years of my life, some a lot more. Lol

 

[Hawkaholic]

Otherwise, embrace the ababyss.

That's what we are doing lol. What's the point in finishing 8th-14th last every year?

 

[Larmer83]

Changed my vote from Meh lets wait and see to I am starting to be alarmed. The "starting" part has been brewing for a while. In no particular order:

From 2022-2023, moving on from McCabe, Caleb Jones, and Jack Johnson made sense. Not signing replacements for the 2023-24 forced roster spots for Vlasic, Korchinski, and Kaiser with Tinordi as the remaining left-handed Dman.

KD swings the pendulum for this season by signing Martinez and Brodie. The 2 years given to Brodie was bad. But at the beginning of the season the message was prospects were going to have to earn a position in theNHL. Implied in that is that goes for vets as well. Brodie has dragged down every partner he's had but he continues to find a place in the line up.

Trading 2nd round picks in the 2024 draft to move up is fine. Not getting value for those slots is a problem.

Adam Gajan. Yeah, draft hindsight is always 20/20 but in this case it was a 19 year old passed over in the previous draft and his claim to fame was his play in a short tournament. Michael Hrabel and Trey Augustine were drafted after Gajan but before the Hawks selected Kantserov. Did the Hawks make some really good value selections in the past 3 drafts? Yes, but this looks like a really big miss. I hope he can turn it around.

Coming up is the trade deadline and I don't expect much in the way of a return. After that is hiring a new coach as I don't believe Alpo Sorenson is the answer.

A big concern is if KD starts to feel some pressure does he somehow speed up the rebuild time line?

​

 

[Mjul Qvist]

"Timeline" is one of the dumbest new fan words. There's no such thing as a franchise scheduling when they are good or when they feel ready to compete and there's no easy button by simply losing every game every year, get a top pick, and it magically becomes a cornerstone piece. It's why trading a player like Hagel for a bunch of magic beans and lottery tickets sounds great in theory, but they're still looking for just one guy who is half as valuable to a winning hockey team as he is. It's why telling a player like Kane that he's not welcome back after going for a Cup with the Rangers. At least the players now defer to Donato and Taylor Hall instead of Kane.

They had Hagel, DeBrincat scoring 40 and Kane producing over 90 points and where did that take them? People are crying here after what 2,5 or 3 years team rebuilding that draft picks are failure and gm is failure. Some of the fans must be dumb and doesn´t know what the full rebuild means. Sure it is a risk but I´m ok with that and not much I can do about it anyway. Elliotte Friedman asked Davidson about this and Kyle knows the risks but he sees that going with full rebuild the upside is better.

However, the Oilers example maybe would be a reason to consider not doing a rebuild to this much of an extreme. There's degrees of rebuilds you can take on and the Hawks chose to go all the way down to the last stud - sort of like Edmonton did.

Sure. There is a risk going that route or become the next Buffalo Sabres but I like that Kyle has balls to do that. And he is sticking with it even if it might not work. That is what I appreciate in him. They could´ve kept Hagel and DeBrincat etc. but what else there could be right know? Zach Benson ja Jett Luchanko?

 

[WarriorofTime]

Why do people keep referencing the Oilers for how long this takes? 4 1st overalls in 6 years, a top 4 pick 6 out of 7 years...all this including one of the greatest players of all-time...and 15 years in they still haven't won a cup. That's not a model that should be referenced, unless we are discussing failed rebuilds.

It’s not just the Oilers though. Colorado and Florida sucked for a long time. In MacKinnon’s fourth year, they were historical level bad. Carolina missed the playoffs nine straight years and 11/12. Say what you will about Leafs playoff fails but theyre pretty consistently top ten in standings these days and also fit the bill. Hockey just has a stupid long lag time between the start of collecting high draft picks and that translating into a winning team. But the teams that suck ten through fifteen years ago are the best positioned and that’s a pretty consistent trend in the cap era.

 

[Mjul Qvist]

A big concern is if KD starts to feel some pressure does he somehow speed up the rebuild time line?

Listening this I have no concerns about that (from 1:25:23):

32 Thoughts: The Podcast

Hockey fans already know the name, but this is not the blog. From Sportsnet, 32 Thoughts: The Podcast with NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman & Kyle Bukauskas is a weekly deep dive into the biggest news and interviews from the hockey world.

www.sportsnet.ca

 

[Larmer83]

Listening this I have no concerns about that (from 1:25:23):

32 Thoughts: The Podcast

Hockey fans already know the name, but this is not the blog. From Sportsnet, 32 Thoughts: The Podcast with NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman & Kyle Bukauskas is a weekly deep dive into the biggest news and interviews from the hockey world.

www.sportsnet.ca

I listened to that podcast the day after The Winter Classic. That can change if season ticket sales continue to erode next offseason.

 

[Mjul Qvist]

I listened to that podcast the day after The Winter Classic. That can change if season ticket sales continue to erode next offseason.

Maybe but Danny knew what was going to be when he hired Kyle. He chose this path. So maybe he is more patient than part of the fans?

 

[Larmer83]

Maybe but Danny knew what was going to be when he hired Kyle. He chose this path. So maybe he is more patient than part of the fans?

Let's hope so.

 

[BobbyJet]

They had Hagel, DeBrincat scoring 40 and Kane producing over 90 points and where did that take them? People are crying here after what 2,5 or 3 years team rebuilding that draft picks are failure and gm is failure. Some of the fans must be dumb and doesn´t know what the full rebuild means. Sure it is a risk but I´m ok with that and not much I can do about it anyway. Elliotte Friedman asked Davidson about this and Kyle knows the risks but he sees that going with full rebuild the upside is better.



Sure. There is a risk going that route or become the next Buffalo Sabres but I like that Kyle has balls to do that. And he is sticking with it even if it might not work. That is what I appreciate in him. They could´ve kept Hagel and DeBrincat etc. but what else there could be right know? Zach Benson ja Jett Luchanko?

There is also the school of thought that draft picks are always a crap shoot as opposed to players who have a taste of NHL and have shown what they can (or can't) do .... and have become available for whatever reason. It is the test of a good GM to know when to take the risk and acquire a player who could blossom. That time will come for KD - so far he has just brought in re-treads (similar to Stan). Similarly, which underachievers. Hawks have their share should be kept and given a long leash? GMing is not easy.

 

[WarriorofTime]

There is also the school of thought that draft picks are always a crap shoot as opposed to players who have a taste of NHL and have shown what they can (or can't) do .... and have become available for whatever reason. It is the test of a good GM to know when to take the risk and acquire a player who could blossom. That time will come for KD - so far he has just brought in re-treads (similar to Stan). Similarly, which underachievers. Hawks have their share should be kept and given a long leash? GMing is not easy.

The biggest crapshoot is that the nhl like all sport leagues will go through periods where drafts are just kinda down for a multi year stretch so the top players in the draft on draft day just end up being kinda meh. The best career player may be someone who broke out at 26 and was a fifth round pick which could be literally any team at that point. This allows the “already be good, stay good” teams to roster churn more successfully especially as someone who got drafted ten years ago has a late 20s breakout to approach a top player status more so than a new kid just coming in and establishing themselves. There are good and bad times to rebuild and it’s basically impossible to determine when you’re blowing it up and deciding to rebuild the following five years.

 

[featherhawk]

Assuming Marner and Rantanen extend, trying to find some options 30 or under. Here are a handful that caught my eye, but I'm not exactly dying to see the Hawks sign any of these guys.

Ehlers - 29, UFA
Mangiapane - 29, UFA
Kakko - 24, RFA
Kuzmenko, 29, UFA
Sam Bennett - 29, UFA
Roslovic - 28, UFA

I might have missed some, I just skimmed the list from Sportac. I like Sam Bennett the most from this list but I could see his game aging poorly and a contract that takes place mostly in his 30s could be a huge bust.

So from that list I like signing Kakko

 

[GIADF]

So from that list I like signing Kakko

Given Seattle just traded for him I’m sure they’ll extend him as an RFA, so not sure he’ll be an option. In retrospect maybe it would have been worth outbidding Seattle for him had it been an option.

Isn’t Ehlers injury prone?

I’d be happy if they got Roslovic.