Hey look, a Dylan reference! We can be adult!
For those who didn’t catch it, Jeremy Morin has been called up, and at practice today was skating with Sharp and Brouwer. Daydream Nation has been joined by Rattlehead (Toews, Kane, and Stalberg for those of you who don’t speak Second City yet), with Kopecky-Dowell-Bickell and Skillz getting the pleasure of being centered by Pisani and flanked by Scott. At this point I’m so exhausted dissecting new lines that I think I’ll need to lie down. However, it’s good to see that if Morin is going to be up here, he’s going to be slotted — at least to start — on the top six, where he needs to be. It’s certainly worth watching. Stalberg on the top line is also a curiosity I’m looking forward to inspecting, though Toews is going to have to start winning board battles. Something that used to be his specialty.
It was apparent that Q was really putting the team through the paces today, which I know some have called for. Personally, I don’t know where I’m at with that line of thinking. While I was certainly disappointed with Wednesday’s effort, I feel like a team coming off a parade garners its fair share of leeway. A middling opening month isn’t a felony for a team like this. If this team was merely a favorite and not a defending champ, things would be different. I think they know they just put out an unacceptable effort on Wednesday. But they knew they did that against Edmonton, and were only somewhat better against Minnehaha and the Rangers, winning only one.
To me, and the reason that I’ve chosen to laugh at most of the Hawks mistakes and piss poor efforts instead of tearing out the hair I don’t have, is the Hawks major problem is that their best players aren’t being their best players. I can’t believe that’s going to be a long-term issue. Anyone honestly think Toews is going to finish the year with about 11 goals? Or that Patrick Sharp — despite leading the league in goals — be so abhorrent in his own end so as to cancel that out? That Kane is not going to give a shit the whole year? Hossa’s injury, because it’s clearly his shoulder, is worrisome. Bolland eventually comes good, I have to think. Honestly, if none of these things happen then we were clearly fucked anyway, right? The questions before the season were if the replacements can rise to the level of the departed. If the questions turn out to be these instead, we all knew that was going to be a major problem . But things usually return to the mean, and when they do, I expect things to be fine. Especially when you consider that Stalberg and Turco have been more than all right.
-OH, I almost forgot. We got stuff. Like shirts and stuff. We have a Spreadshirt store! Only two designs so far, but we’ll be adding soon, and please feel free to suggest or send your own stuff.