Hjalmarsson Extended, 5 yrs $20.5 mil. Morrow to Hawks?

[gmalis1]

A little surprised at the Crawford contract. I mean, as a fan, the guy got no love from the announcers as he faced Howard, Quick, and Rask - yet he bested them all. Just not a big fan of huge goalie contracts I guess.

Like the Hammer signing. Like his modest comments too. Refreshing.

As for the question on Clendoning, you may need to wait on Hockey Doug. He's knowledgeable when it comes to the prospects.

What if Crawford plays lights out again? What if he is a top 5 NHL goalie this year? What if the Hawks somehow win the Cup again?

Would you change your tune about the Crawford extension then?

And the alternative was to just let him go after this season as an unrestricted free agent. I don't think Stan B wanted to go down that path again...looking for a starting goalie.

I trust that Stan and Scotty have the $$$ all figured out for the next 2-5 seasons and who they want to pay and how much they are willing to offer. After two Cups in four years, I'm not really worried about who's steering the ship.

 

[HockeyDoug]

I want no part of Morrow. Hawks have enough intangibles. He's not nearly the same player as even 2 years ago. The chance for another veteran role player will prevent itself, lots of defensive forwards will be available, and none are too expensive.

Roszival, Sharp, Hossa, Handzus and plenty of others will go down here or there and Q will take his time bringing them back so the kids will see lots of time. I'm not sure if Clendening or Stanton will get significant time this year. I would think Clendening needs another full AHL year from what I've seen. Not sure how much help Stanton will get from more AHL time, I find it a little tougher to read how his game translates up a level. Have to like Clendenings skill though.

 

[JBM73]

I want no part of Morrow. Hawks have enough intangibles. He's not nearly the same player as even 2 years ago. The chance for another veteran role player will prevent itself, lots of defensive forwards will be available, and none are too expensive.

I thought Morrow played pretty well for the Pens before getting banged up in the playoffs, but I agree that this team has enough veteran leadership, and the Hawks need to get the kids some playing time if they're going to develop.

 

[Baseballnut77]

Leddy IMO is a top 4 d-man. his mistakes were that of a young player but if you flip the page back to the start of last year the "problems" for the hawks D-men were too slow and too small. You can't teach speed and he has plenty to burn and when the hawks PP was bogging down they inserted him in and he got in to the O-zone time and time again. Brookbank is a just in case player and rosival will be gone at the end of the year also. keep an eye on that JOHNS kid Big and hits like a freight train.Now of course i know this does not fit with gmalis "must be a skill player" theory but i have talked to scouts and they all say he is being groomed to replace seabrook as the #1 defensive D-man

 

[DoobeeDoobeeDoo]

Morrow brings a lot of toughness, but is a tad bit slow. That was my Brenden Morrow experience as a Pens fan. He's good if you're working the puck in the other team's zone, but he also has a tendency to hold up odd man rushes. IDK, depends how you use him I guess. Would put him on a grind line if anything, but he's also too slow to be a grinder so it's a real conundrum. He's basically a tough guy that could work the front of the other team's net, nothing more nothing less.

 

[averagejoe]

I'm not a huge fan of Morrow. If you recall, during the playoffs, many analysts didn't favor the Hawks because they seemed to lack a physical presence. I think Q has done a fantastic job of not only debunking the idea that you must have a physical presence to win, but he's also got a young, fast, core. (Especially since the more physical guys the Hawks had, like Carcillo and Meyers, were healthy scratches when it mattered. The Bollig game was a mistake.) I just don't see Morrow fitting into "the new NHL" that Q has going.

What if Crawford plays lights out again? What if he is a top 5 NHL goalie this year? What if the Hawks somehow win the Cup again?

Would you change your tune about the Crawford extension then?

Can't believe I'm being the pessimist in a conversation with g?! But to answer your question, I like Crawford. On this board I was coming to his defense when other casual fans were screaming that he be benched in favor of Emery after a few soft-goal losses.

My concern - it's more of a theory, really - is that when the goalies get rewarded with the big contract, they tend to slide the following year. I don't feel like looking up statistics to prove my point, but even within the Hawks organization, Cristobal Huet comes to mind. And even previously (circa 2005) with the "Bulin Wall." I didn't think Niemi earned his new money once he 'knew the way to San Jose.'

 

[raptorlife4]

good signing for you

 

[gmalis1]

Crawford is one of 11 goalies making $5 million or more.

I would venture to think that he will be in top 10 in GAA and save pctg.

As the cap increases, the cost for goalies will go up. $8-9 million may not be unheard of. If that's so, CC's contract might look like a bargain in years 4-5-6.

 

[HockeyDoug]

I thought Morrow played pretty well for the Pens before getting banged up in the playoffs, but I agree that this team has enough veteran leadership, and the Hawks need to get the kids some playing time if they're going to develop.

Maybe he is alright. After having been a big Morrow fan for most of his career, I just think his decline has been too rapid and to significant. He's slower and just not a player I want to count on in a top 9 role. As it stands with Q, I would imagine the lines will be juggled all years, so I expect the young players to get plenty of shifts with Toews, Hossa, Sharp, and Kane, so I don't see the need to have them sign somebody like him. If I thought his talent was good enough, I would be all for it. They need another veteran wing for the 3rd or 4th line in my opinion. I just think they can do much better than Morrow later in the year.

 

[HockeyDoug]

I like Leddy a whole bunch, and I think his defense was underrated so far in his very young career. I think he's going to be a very solid 2nd pair type, but it's a question of how many years that will take. I'm not sure he gets there in 2 years. He seems like a long term answer on the 2nd pair and the pp, so I hope they plan on keeping him around.

 

[gmalis1]

It's not that I don't like Leddy. It's just that if you're talking trades, I'm thinking Leddy and Brookbank are the two that are expendable.

Not that any trade talk even exists. But a few on here have talked about AHL'ers being stifled in their attempt to get to the Hawks because there are no spots available.

I just threw out the idea that IF a trade were to happen, Leddy's name might be in the mix.

 

[JBM73]

I just think they can do much better than Morrow later in the year.

I think that makes a lot of sense. Give the kids a chance to battle for the open roles and if any holes are left, try to fill them later in the season.

 

[HockeyDoug]

It's not that I don't like Leddy. It's just that if you're talking trades, I'm thinking Leddy and Brookbank are the two that are expendable.

I can see that, fortunately, I think everybody except Hjalmarsson, Keith, and Seabrook are expendable at the blueline for the next 12 months. I hope Seabrook bounces back, but I'm not counting on it.

 

[gmalis1]

I, like you, wouldn't be surprised to see Seabrook gone at the end of his contract. For this season, at least, he stays put.

But I wasn't enamored with his play last year and despite the two overtime game winners in the playoffs, Seabs looked slow, inattentive and almost disinterested at times throughout the entire year.

But, as we found out, he does play well with Duncan Keith. So, I don't think the Hawks are in the mood to change things up defensively, barring any injuries.

 

[HockeyDoug]

Yeah, Seabrook hasn't been the same since 2010. It was great to see him bounce back in the playoffs, I hope there's alot more where that came from, but I'm not expecting too much.

 

[averagejoe]

I thought that Seabs looked as g described. That said, I think it would be a mistake to trade him (or even put him on the block).

Maybe one reason Leddy is in Q's doghouse is because he's not fitting into Q's system of speed, puck control and passes that spring the wingers. Similar for Brookbank. Maybe it's a system that defensemen have trouble adjusting to.

It may seem like Seabs may bring some value in a trade. But Hawks' defensemen are sometimes out of position which creates quality scoring chances on Crawford. My point is that I don't think that getting rid of Seabrook and replacing him with another D-man will...

1) have the same chemistry with Keith.
2) perform seamlessly like part of coach Q's well-oiled system. And
3) eliminate the out-of-position scenarios.

Was that coherent? (It's late.)

 

[HockeyDoug]

Was that coherent? (It's late.)

It's a sports site, I think you're safe. My spelling and grammar are brutal so it read great to me.

I agree, they can't trade Seabrook and I don't think they will any time soon. Besides he's their only decent shooter from the blueline right now and only body capable of playing physical for most of a game (even if he struggles at it). Until they have somebody else that can at least play as well as he does in the defensive zone, trading him isn't a good option.

When/if they do, he will have value. Since he has 2 rings and was a face of the franchise during the end of the dark years, I'm bracing myself for a bad contract after this one.

 

[55briggs]

I dnt know

 

[55briggs]

we need him back.