Power Rankings - Week 3: We're #4! We're #4!

Is racist against America.

You’d think as much as this country HATES the idiots who make our college football and basketball polls, they wouldn’t clamor for more. Yet, these power rankings have popped up on every sports site on da internetz. All they really serve to do is give idiots like Tony Kornholer something to yell about on ESPN in the afternoon.

That said, I think TSN is still pissed over the Calgary game.

TSN is another Canadian hockey outlet that thinks goaltending is everything like it’s 2003 every year. It’s absolutely sickening! They basically drool over Kiprusoff and Luongo like their Jenna Jameson and Pamela Anderson at a clothing optional party, yet neither has done anything worth remembering in like 6 years.
It’s always goaltending, yet in the end it was Osgood and Fleury 2 netminders vilified by TSN all season long so for that the Hawks should feel privileged not slighted. Their power rankings are about as logical as turning down a late night fuck from Megan Fox…you just look at them and think to yourself are you fucking drunk?
The Oilers are ahead of us hmm…didn’t we just beat those guys with them only having 10 shots through 2 periods?

A lot of us have been taking stabs at solving the problems in net that have been plagueing the Hawks this season. I personally think that Huet might turn it around if we give him enough time….

On the other hand, I’ve been mulling over a hypothetical goalie trade and wanted to know what you guys thought….

This might not be acceptable to all parties but the Hawks might benefit from a trade for Jonas Hiller
He’s been solid (2.67, .921) for the greater part of this year, and was strong last year as well. He’s cheap, too, pulling in about 1.3 mil. If we can find a way to unload Huet’s contract (5.65 mil), that would be a net cap free-up of over 4 million, which would make things a littler easier come doomsday at the end of this season. My thoughts are trade Huet and a forward, (i.e. Skille, or whoever.) for Hiller, and maybe a draft pick.

Any thoughts?

How can Chicago be behind Colorado in the overall SBN rankings but ahead of them in the Western Conference SBN Rankings???

I haven’t crunched the numbers, but it’s gotta be a tautology that teams with the fewest shots against have a so-so GAA.

The guys facing 40 shots a game get the blood flowing in a way that’s impossible when you only see 20. Maybe the Hawks should make the goalie sweat a bit more in the pre-game shoot around.

Plus, it seems to me the Hawks puck posession strategy contributes to this. D-men make high risk passes in their own zone rahter than dumping the puck to center. It’s a calculated risk and, on balance, a good one, especially for hockey geniuses like Dunc, but it does lead to the occassional great chance for the oppostiion.

I guess playing goalie for a team like this requires a different skill set. Rather than a Steady Eddy, we need a guy who may give up the easy goal from time to time but make some great saves.

Prior to this year, it seems that Huey was just this kind of goalie.

or does the game tonight vs. VAN feel like it may have some physical revenge factor. I know that everyone is worried about our goalie controversy, but for the most part in all but one of the games the Hawks have been able to skate around in the offensive zone without any repercussions. It just seems like this team is really going to need to get Ben Eager back in the lineup. This has become more of a finesse team (and don’t miscontrue that as not being tough, the Hawks work the boards as hard as anyone else), and it just seems like sooner or later a team is going to come into town with more on their mind than just winning the game.

As October draws near to an end, fans are really starting to express their opinions about the Hawks and the future trades that might be necessary in the following months. Injuries, salaries and a huge question mark over goaltending are some of the driving factors in the minds of many of whom, including myself have not held back the slightest when expressing our opinions. I wonder if we are getting ahead of ourselves. I for one have not been quiet in my views on Huet as a professional goaltender and maybe I should have held back a touch. But the Hawks numbers look outstanding.

Simply, the Hawks are playing very well and could easily be standing on an 8-0 record so far. I for one am extremely excited about the status of the Hawks and most of the performances of the players so far. Madden has been outstanding, Kane looks like the superstar he was born to become, Keith has unprecedented abilities on the D, Seabrook and Hammer have been superb, Versteeg is playing like a man on a mission to be one of the NHL’s best, Ladd is getting more than the job done, Buf is putting pucks in the net and causing others to do the same, Sharp is leading in goals, Toews looks really good and has now broken the ice, Kopecky has made a believer out of me, and Brouwer is playing well beyond what most would have expected from him, with hopes of is game to improve statistically.

What I fear are the talks of trading Big Buf. He is a giant, has been scoring, has screened countless shots and been a pain in the ass to every team we play. I do however understand his cost to the teams salary cap, but when you compare it to that of Campbell’s and the fact that while he has looked good so far this year, he hasn’t been that amazing. Campbell should be the one on the chopping block. Versteeg is a huge ? on the Hawks roster in the coming seasons and his great play only adds to his own personal possibilities. The Hawks have made a move already in acquiring Andrew Ebbett from the Ducks. He looks like an extremely solid player with good numbers who brings up many questions. With the Hawks offense being the least of their worries, why pick up an offensive player? I would answer, to make an even bigger trade in the future and eventually free up some cash. I would guess that the Hawks are looking to create a package deal with either Huet or a defensemen in that package. This is a strategic move for the Hawks, but I look forward to watching Ebbett play as an Indian.