-The schedule came out today. This isn’t like the NFL schedule so much because you know that you’re going to play everyone, but still it’s nice to have actual dates to look at. Some interesting notes:
-We found out last night the Hawks will open with a home-and-home with Dallas Oct. 7 and 8th (which works out well for McClure me, as we have a wedding to attend on the 9th. And no, we’re not marrying each other, smartasses).
-The third game of the year sees Buff and Ladd return to the UC, followed by the visit of Cup Champion Boston a couple days later. So that’s a pretty interesting week for October.
-Vancouver arrives for the first time on November 6th.
-The Hawks have a home and home series with these Eastern teams: Islanders, Rangers, and Panthers.
-The Hawks are home heavy in December and January, with 18 home games that month, and probably a suicide from the Committed Indian editor.
-A nasty nine-game road trip in February that goes from Western Canada to San Jose to Phoenix and back east for Nashville, New York and Columbus. That could define a lot.
-Worse yet after that the Hawks are only home a week before swinging back out for the Southern California two-step.
-The Hawks will close out on the road, as the last week of the season they’re in Minnesota and Detroit. Hopefully, not quite as much as will be riding on the last two games.
-Before you ask, you should circle December 3rd and January 21st. We’ll have details of these things in the fall.
Other Notes
-Claude Noel got the job in Manitoba, which means that whole post I wrote on Haviland leaving is now…well, just about as useful as the rest of the garbage I write.
-Quite the day in Philadelphia, no? First, Jeff Carter was booted to Columbus for a 1st, 3rd, and Jakub Voracek. I don’t know that Carter makes the BJs that much better. He can’t center for Nash, as they both want to shoot the puck, though it will give them slightly more depth. Voracek could still blossom, and who knows what those picks might be.
There was a rumor that Versteeg was rejoining Dale Tallon in Florida, but that’s been rebuffed by Tallon himself. But the big news, and buckle up for this one, is that the Flyers are sending captain Mike Richards to LA for Brayden Schenn and Wayne Simmonds. This, to me, is a fucking steal for LA. Simmonds is Troy Brouwer without the hands or brains, and if Schenn develops fully he will be Mike Richards. This probably puts the Kings out of the Brad Richards Derby, or at least I hope it does because if they add him too then everybody better duck.
I had a brief fantasy of Richards, Mike coming here after the Flyers flameout, but never though he’d even be available. We’ll never know, but I hope Stan put in a call to Paul Holmgren. Either way, the Kings are a much bigger problem today then they were yesterday.