As much as the Isles may seem to be a good foothold out of the slough, the Hawks risk getting chunged by Charles Wang’s plucky youngsters if they take the ice with St. Louis on their minds. No one wants to see how blue the comments in the gameday thread will get if the Hawks lose another game of tag at home—especially against what is perceived to be a lesser opponent.
And by “blue” I don’t mean melancholy.
A miasma of doubt will hang around this team, and this blog, until the Hawks shake last season’s shadow. This is to be expected. Inconsistency leads to insecurity. It’s practically axiomatic.
I wrote before that when the Hawks struggle, it’s more about mental preparation than personnel. That’s not to say that the Hawks couldn’t use an injection of grit and finish on the left side. The Good Ship Blackhawk lists to the right, and Bobby Ryan turns a lethal top line and a half into a top six worthy of a death sentence in twelve systems. It is the kind of “rich get richer” move contenders make. We groaned when Scum signed Hossa, and Wingnuts choked on their Crazy Bread when the Hawks did the same thing.
It’s worth noting that Hossa was signed on Tallon’s watch, a bold acquisition Tallon had fewer than two weeks to enjoy. My take is that Ryan is not the sort of move Bowman makes in December. The safe assumption is that he is polishing his cap space for some deadline shrewdness. It’s not very sexy, but ask the Tortoise how a race is won.
In the meantime, trust the existing talent on this team to be enough to box the Big Nothing. May these morning links serve as your Auryn.
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There’s that “work” word again (Jahns)
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Myers writes that the Hawks could take some winning lessons from Piper Perabo
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The title of this Chris Kuc article on Bicks might be missing a question mark
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Rogers holds Crow accountable
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Cheer the Anthem breaks down the breakdown
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Blackhawk Up has new blood
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Carlyle fired, Gabby hired: anticipate when the music stops and you could be an NHL coach, too
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JR shares his thoughts about the recent coaching changes
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The Hockey News’ Rumor Roundup considers Bobby Ryan’s potential suitors