Second City Hockey

Summer Reading - SCH's Season Review: Top Jimmy

2012-05-16T21:43:29Z

Right, to the forwards, and let's start with one of the kids. Jimmy Hayes's next season will be far more vital than his previous one. But there were signs of what Hayes can be, as well as glaring ones about what he needs to improve to become that. But all of it seems correctable, and Hayes was not without impact this season. We can say that Hayes did a little more than just come in and fill out a few games on the 4th line because of injury. In fact, his coach could have asked him to do more, it seems. But most of the arrows are pointing up.

Jimmy Hayes's Stats: 31G 5G 4A 9P -3 16PIM -1.28 Behind The Net -.085 Quality of Comp -3.83 CORSI/60

The Good: From his first shift against Detroit on December 30th, Hayes showed a determination to get to the net and a sense of where to be to score. Hayes was constantly buzzing the opponent's crease, as well as not being shy about getting into the corners to win the puck. Provided some much needed size in front and along the boards, and certainly wasn't fearful of trying to use his size as best he could. Tried to provide some physicality, though not successfully consistently.

The Bad: There were some problems. Though Jimmy Hayes is big, at the moment he isn't all that strong. So while his mere size can provide problems for small defenders, he still can be knocked around a bit by those who aren't. As McClure described him, he's kind of a big mattress. At first hard to move and unwieldy, but pushed over with some effort. Secondly, Hayes doesn't skate well. It's hard to get around that. He's slow and doesn't turn quickly, and at the pace the Hawks want to play, that's a problem. And lastly, Hayes was bordering on defensively helpless. His lack of strength didn't help when trying to get the puck out when jammed on the boards, and his positioning could be....well, it's hard to describe because it simply wasn't there. Also, the far restricted time one gets at the NHL for chances would sometimes get the best of Hayes, but it is encouraging that he was at least there to try.

Contract: Two years left on his entry level deal at a cap hit of 875K

Stick Around Or Hit The Bricks: Considering age and contract, Hayes is going to be a part of the Hawks next year. And he has a chance to be a decent sized piece next year. While Hayes has his shortcomings, he's got something that you can't really teach. That's the nose for the net and scoring chances. It sounds so simple, but we've seen so many forwards who come without it. If you could combine Stalberg and Hayes, you'd essentially have Rick Tocchet. But this isn't Dr. Moreau's Island. Hayes needs a really good summer, most of it spent on working on his skating. A player doesn't need to be a speed burner to contribute to the Hawks, you just have to be able to keep up. Hayes isn't far away from that. The defensive game can be taught. Being stronger on your skates can be gained. A bigger nasty streak would help, but Hayes isn't without the start now. Unless he completely backs up, I look for Hayes to get every chance to gain himself a spot on the top six in training camp, providing some size in front and in the corners to open up space for his more talented linemates. If he can come close to that, 15-20 goals next season is hardly out of the question.

10 Million

2012-05-16T16:11:50Z

10 Million

That's the viewership we passed this morning. 10 million views. I know I speak for Killion, McClure, and Hack when I say that landmark has left us completely speechless. We cannot express our gratitude to all of you who have made SCH what it is today correctly. We are immensely proud of what we have accomplished here, and what we will accomplish. Thank you so, so much.

Morning Links 5/16

2012-05-16T12:54:40Z

Carcillo's season, as it were, in review. [CSN]
Keith is tearing up IIHF Worlds. [CSN]
Cimaglia: there's room for improvement. [MyFoxChicago]
Paul Hornung warns Patrick Kane to be more careful. [Tribune]
End of season review of Jimmy Hayes. [Cheer the Anthem]
No, considering his skill, trading Kane would be stupid. [Tribune]
Especially considering no charges have been leveled. [Sun-Times]
So who runs the quality LA Kings twitter feed? [PD]
The Kings take Game 2 with help from a Jeff Carter playoff hat trick. No, really. [Globe]
Ten wild stats from the first two rounds. [Arctic Ice Hockey]
Scotty Bowman traces this shot-blocking defense-first style back to Roger Neilson. [Globe]
Raffi Torres will meet with the league tomorrow to appeal his 25 game suspension. [Five For Howling]
DGB has inside knowledge on all the hidden playoff injuries. [Down Goes Brown]

Summer Reading - SCH's Season Review: Marlboro 72

2012-05-15T17:52:51Z

These are starting to drag a bit, what with all the other goings on and shenanigans surrounding the Hawks while they're not playing (impressive, really). So let's wrap up the defense at once, because in reality Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook are viewed as a pair. And if they're not, they probably should be. It seems to be the only thing that's totally settled on the roster, who mans the top pairing and toughest defensive assignments. And that's a good thing.

Duncan Keith's Stat Line: 74G 4G 36A 40P +15 42PIM .17 Behind The Net Rating, .01 Quality of Competition

Brent Seabrook's Stat Line: 78G 9G 25A 34P +21 22PIM .67 Behind The Net Rating, .093 Quality of Comp.

The Good: Perhaps it's time that Hawks fans and media start viewing this pairing a little differently, and that would mean recognizing Brent Seabrook as the Hawks best all-around d-man. Because he is. It shouldn't be that much of a change. Seabrook is a couple years younger than Keith, and hence was a little behind him in his career arc and heading into his prime years. Well, he's there now. And he's the Hawks best passer from the back, possesses the biggest shot that he gets through more often (at least when the power play system actually moves penalty killers in anyway), their most physical blue-liner, their most consistent, their most positionally sound, and their most stable. In fact, it's hard for me to think of too many occasions where I saw Seabrook put a foot wrong, and that includes a stretch where he had to play with Spaz Hammer (Hjlamarsson). Quite simply, the Hawks have a not-that-poor-man's version of Chris Pronger on their roster, and should enjoy that fact.

As for Keith, there was an improvement on the season before, and we sometimes forget that he did just bank his fourth consecutive season of 40+ points. There isn't a huge list of defensemen in the league who can make that claim. Keith had his yips for sure, but they were fewer and farther between than we saw in 10-11. And while the defense was roiling in problems, most of them took place below the top pair. For the last two months of the season, Keith and Seabrook were shutting out the other team's top threats almost ubiquitously. And in the playoffs, Ray Whitney and Radim Vrbata were basically a rumor. Can Shea Weber and Ryan Suter make that claim?

The Bad: This category obviously will start with Keithers. He didn't have a perfect season. And most of the complaints will be about his offensive game. Keith just isn't that good of a passer, and his QB-ing of a power play can be hard to watch. And of course, his shot selection can border on the abhorrent. Keith needs to realize that sending a shot wide to bank off the end-boards is far preferable than finding the first set of shin pads in the way. Also, with his skating, it's hard to fathom why he's so hesitant to get a defender down and walk around him. It's certainly within his capability. But that fits into all of Keith's game, which always feels like he's trying to do everything in a hurry. It leads to a high-risk, high-reward style. The quick turns and fakes and blind passes we see when retrieving the puck are all part of it. So is the wheeling through the neutral zone. It's just what he is, and I doubt we'd want it to change too much.

What has disappeared from Keith's game is the quick stick. When he was building his Norris resume up in 08-09 and 09-10, a lot of his game was built in always having his stick in the right place and dispossessing opponents at will with a simple flick of the wrist. Once the puck was loose, Keith's feet would always see him win the race. That just doesn't happen as much these days, and I don't know why.

We also have seen Keith's short temper, the biggest case being his suspension for turning into The Rock on Daniel Sedin. But it also exhibits itself in bus-tossing teammates in the press, or trying to make things happen that aren't there when things aren't going his or the Hawks' way. Keith needs to be an example of stability, and he hasn't always been.

Seabrook? Eh, those sideburns kind of suck. But I'm sure there's a segment of our readership that would heavily disagree. But as this was a season where Biscuit tied his career high in goals, and notched his second most points and plus-minus, I don't know how much there is to criticize here.

Contract Status: Keith is locked down forever at a $5.5M hit, and Seabrook just started his extension this season which runs for four more years at $5.8M

Stick Around or Hit The Bricks: The Hawks have one of the best pairings in the NHL, and are going to keep it around for a long time at a combined cap hit of 11.3M. Compare that with what the Preds will have to do to keep Weber and Suter together, if even possible, which would have to start at least at 14M per. Now you see how good the Hawks have got it. What they will do, or we hope they do, is find a way to maximize what they have. And that starts with conserving minutes, at least early in the season. That might, and should, mean getting Keith off the power play. It also means shoring up the second pair so that Marlboro 72 are only at 25 minutes a night at most. From Q's words at the Haviland-axing conference call, he probably knows this.

But let's be clear: When Hawks fans think of their chances year to year, and they'll probably always be good, a lot of that stems from having Keith and Seabrook as a base.

Morning Links 5/15

2012-05-15T11:52:00Z

Block is back with a new episode of Puck Chatter: (TMI)

Cheer the Anthem's review of Johnny Oduya: (CTA)

When will all be right in BlackHawkLand: (Fox)

Some suggestions for Patrick Kane: (RND)

Kaner causing consternation in sports media: (PD)

It's up to him:(DH)

Fred Mitchell talks to a former professional Athlete/professional drinker:(Trib)

Rangers up 1-0 (NYT)

LA's top line is tough: (LAT)

The Beer Vendors at Staples Center are going to make bank this weekend: (PD)

Dale Hunter just wants to go home:(GnM)

Nikita Filatov just wants to stay home: (TSN)

Seriously NBC4? (PD)

Morning Links 5/14

2012-05-14T13:45:54Z

Nick Leddy season review. [CSN]
Keith tallies 2 points in Canada's win over Finland at Worlds. [CSN]
These reporters are of the opinion that Patrick Kane should take the partying down a couple notches. [Sun-Times] [Tribune] [NYPost]
A look at Corey Crawford's season. [Cheer the Anthem]
Not a great year for Chicago athlete health. [Tribune]
Q and Stan Bowman reach some kind of truce. [Globe]
Q talks about what he wants in an assistant coach and admits he could have been better delegating ice time. [Sun-Times]
The Kings take Game One. [nhl.com] [CBC]
Three of the four team Captains left are USA-born. [SBN]
Mogilny and the defection that started it all. [Arctic Ice Hockey]
The Blue Jackets are keeping Todd Richards. [Blue Jackets Xtra]
The 30 worst images you get from an NHL team name search. [Battle of Cali]
"The Fight That Changed Hockey" involving one Claude Lemieux. [Globe]
The USA makes it to the Quarterfinals after a 4-0 shutout of Finland. [Tribune]

Capitals-Rangers Game 7 Thread

2012-05-12T23:20:22Z

Know a lot of you are watching it, so feel free to discuss it and whatever else here...

Summer Reading - SCH's Season Review: The Great White Hope...With Mouth Agape

2012-05-11T19:50:39Z

A lot of Leddy's season review will sound a lot like Steve Montador's. Because most of the problems Leddy face were foisted upon him by the way he was handled. What the expectations should have been for a 20-year old d-man with barely 60 games above college hockey and what was asked of Nick Leddy are two wildly divergent things. And that's not Leddy's fault. It's an old refrain: the Hawks only had one window to unload Brian Campbell's contract, and they expected Chris Campoli to take their somewhat underwhelming offer. Because he didn't, the Hawks kind of had to force-feed Leddy his NHL diet. And at times, he spit it all back up.

Nick Leddy's Stat Line: 82G 3G 34A 37P -12 10PIM -.86 Behind The Net, .021 Quality of Competition

The Good: It's hard to get too upset about 37 points from a blue liner at the age of 20 in his first full year. That number will probably only go up, and then you're talking about a point range that a small percentage of the league's d-men get to. So that's kind of exciting. After Oduya's arrival, Leddy's +/- was +3, so his game really did level out when he had a partner who could babysit for him. When he did get a chance to run a power play unit, which wasn't as often as he should, he was the only one who could break the trenches teams dug at their blue line with his feet. His decisions with the man-advantage were usually pretty solid, and he gets his shot through when he actually attempts to. The last couple games against Phoenix, Leddy really ramped up his aggressiveness and attacking side, which is the player he has to be. He's got wheels, he's got hands, it's just he rarely comes with the confidence to use them. But that will come, and when it does the Hawks just might have the special player they think he's going to be.

The Bad: Again, most of these are simple growing pains from a kid thrown into the deep end. Leddy struggled in the physical department. He simply got manhandled by big forwards. That's going to continue until he gets in the gym and matures, as well as learns how to keep himself out of trouble as other shifty d-men do. He would get tentative in the corners and cough up pucks too easily (Game 4 comes to mind). He would fail to use a better-than-he-thinks shot. Simply helpless on the kill, but he never should have been on it anyway. It's not really his fault that at 20 he isn't strong enough to clear the crease (and he'll never really be that player, nor does he have to be) or have the sense on how to block shots. When his defensive game would go, Leddy would lose his aggressiveness with the puck. And that can't happen, because that's where his strength is. Needs to heed Crash Davis's advice, always be cocky, even when you're getting shelled.

Contract: One year left on entry deal at 1.1M hit

Stick Around Or Hit The Bricks: Obviously, Stan is never going to ship out his first acquisition and pet project. However, if by some act of God and Ryan Suter does end up here, Leddy then is very expendable because Suter would be eating up his role. But I'm not expecting that to happen. So once again, the project has to be to find a consistent partner for Leddy that can cover for him and provide the platform for an offensive game that really could be something. There aren't a huge list of names. Leddy himself has to get stronger, which I'm sure he will. He's also entering a pivotal year personally, because 21-year old d-men who can put up 45-50 points will probably cash in very heavily the following summer. While I've complained a lot about Leddy, it's mostly been about what he's been asked to do. I still see a player here that could be a serious weapon, if the Hawks weren't just so intent on breaking it.