Actually, that caption isn’t right, because he can’t really do anything. There’s a moratorium on signing your own guys right now. But he did meet with the press today, with some half-nuggets. Well, not even half-nuggets. Like quarter nuggets.
-Campoli and Frolik aren’t close. These will get messy. Campoli isn’t really necessary or vital. The Hawks have three puck-moving d-men and a fourth is just a luxury. We all like Campoli, he’s a nice player. But if his demands are getting out of hand, well, he can have them met elsewhere. The Hawks could use their one open defensive slot for someone who drools and hits things, and I doubt they’d miss much of a beat. Especially if Hammer can rebound to what he was. And…
–Nick Leddy is going to play the same if not bigger role. While we’ve theorized he would be better off on the top pair at Rock Vegas, at least to start, the Hawks don’t follow that. Which isn’t surprising, considering his clock has started. But this bigger role Stan wants for Leddy? Don’t know where it comes from, unless Q gets creative and desperate to limit Keith’s overall minutes, and has Leddy take his power play time. I wouldn’t be opposed to that at all, at least before Christmas. Still, I think it’s challenging at least to say that a kid can develop an NHL game while skating 3rd pair minutes. Does anyone think that all three pairs are just going to skate 20 minutes evenly?
-There’s not much love for Kyle Beach. And nor should there be. Bowman made it pretty clear that Beach is going to have to not be an asshat for a long stretch before they’ll even consider giving him a look. Morin, Smith, and Kruger are already ahead of him in the pecking order.
-He hinted that he’s going to be awfully active this summer, which I think we’re all excited yet worried about how that might go.
-He’s not interested in Jagr, which does indicate he’s got at least four neurons working between the ears. Please, let him go to Detroit. Him and Bertuzzi on the same line. It’d be the highest rated comedy on TV.
-They may move the 18th pick. I doubt this would be to get more picks, as the Hawks have four in the next two rounds after that. It could be either to move up, or to get an actual piece in a package, or Stan is just blowing smoke to get phones ringing. We’ll find out Friday.