Bananarchy

I love Shaw's effort on that top line. I just wish he could finish.

QUOTE (SoxPride18 @ Jan 5, 2016 -> 10:15 PM) Completely agree. When he's going to the rim, it's like he's a different player. Teams just need to back off on him and let him take that jumper. Well put. When Derrick Rose drives, he's Derrick Rose. He'll never be as good as he was, IMHO, but Butler is just so much better we need Derrick to be good if not great.

QUOTE (LDF @ Jan 6, 2016 -> 02:06 PM) i agree with you, i think craw and no one has mention keith. but i really think him and kane and craw are the more deserving ones to be there. there is a reason the hawks righted itself and there is not strange coincidence it happen when keith came back. a strong argument can be made for anisimov and panarin.... but oh well, can't get too greedy. If it weren't by division, you would be right. The issue is, if you're comparing the Central, you're comparing Anisimov and Panarin to the last deserving forward, which is probably Toews. Neither Anisimov nor Panarin deserve to be in over Toews.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jan 3, 2016 -> 10:50 PM) And there goes any Cup chances with it. All for some cap room. You think? It will be tough to build a Cup team with the team as currently constructed.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jan 3, 2016 -> 06:50 PM) Then you lose said free agent. That's the business. While I appreciate what Jonathan Toews can be, I understand that 10.5 per is a lot of cap room. When you hit your "big" deal, your value plummets.

QUOTE (Harry Chappas @ Jan 2, 2016 -> 07:44 PM) In years prior Kane suffered that fate. To think that contract is anything less than justly earned is foolish my god the guy has worn the C since he was 20, has his name on the cup with three teams. You're right for the wrong reasons. You don't pay for past performance. The Blackhawks owed Toews nothing. However, Toews would be better with real linemates. If he isn't paired with that kind of talent, he's not worth $10 million per. No one is. And you are correct about Kane in the past. However, when Kane underperformed, he wasn't making $10 million per year.

QUOTE (Brian @ Jan 2, 2016 -> 04:26 PM) Hackenberg going pro. Oh boy. Playing under the current PSU regime lowers his draft value every snap. Someone will take him in the second or third round. If he busts, he busts.

QUOTE (Tony @ Jan 2, 2016 -> 12:42 PM) Whatever dude. Band helped me get into college and I went to the Rose Bowl for free, with a large per diem. Call me a nerd, but I'm not the only one who sits on a forum and talks about a sport that isn't even on right now.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Jan 2, 2016 -> 12:41 PM) Your four All-Star captains: Kane, Ovechkin, Jagr, and John Scott At least when you see John Scott made it, it reaffirms the sham that is the All-Star game

QUOTE (danman31 @ Jan 2, 2016 -> 01:22 AM) I laughed my ass off through the whole story (and the 2013 and 2014 versions). ANF on Iowa's helmets had me rolling. If anyone can't laugh at this, even when your school is involved, I feel sorry for that person living such a terrible life. You clearly don't understand college marching band. That's not funny. Across the B1G, bands play the other teams' fight songs out of respect. The band is a source of honor for every university in the B1G. It's a real shame that disgrace of a program felt the need to openly mock their opponents, something I have never seen a band do in my 15 years involved in music. And of all places, at the Rose Bowl. Marching bands have been attached to the Rose Bowl longer than football has. Any kid in a Pac 12 or Big Ten band would kill to be in that parade and play at that game.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jan 2, 2016 -> 07:36 AM) There are two other options there. #1, let him walk in free agency. #2, play hard ball with him, risk pissing him off, and wanting to go into free agency. Which other option would be better than the deal he got? The guy is a Hall of Famer in waiting. He has earned every penny of that contract. Honestly going into the deals, if I were to have questioned which player to give this deal to, it would have been Kane, not Toews. Johnny's whole value is the fact he is a top scoring center AND a top defensive center. Those kind of players are impossible to find. There really isn't a question about whether you give him this deal or not. This is absolutely true, however the real right answer is to sign him and put him with legitimate linemates.

QUOTE (Tony @ Jan 1, 2016 -> 10:07 AM) Coming out strong with hot takes early in 2016, I'll give you credit for that. He's 39 games into an eight year deal. And is 27. And by many is considered a Top 3 player in the NHL given his intangibles. And has consistently showed up during the playoffs. I can keep going, but it doesn't seem necessary. He's all of those things. He's also completely wasted at the moment And Jim Nill will have tough decisions to make when Benn and Seguin need new contracts.

QUOTE (southsideirish71 @ Jan 1, 2016 -> 07:10 AM) Ask Nashville and St Louis about their regular season championships. Both in years looked better than the Hawks in the regular season. Then the playoffs happen. This Blackhawks team is significantly hampered by what is becoming a really bad Toews contract. It doesn't have to be, but throwing Toews on a junk line is killing his performance. He's electric in overtime with the 3 on 3 lines. He should be that electric during 5 on 5, but he's just not. His linemates aren't good.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Dec 31, 2015 -> 08:15 PM) Dallas plays the exact opposite of playoff hockey. It wouldn't shock me at all if they got bounced in the first round, especially if they run into a team that a physical D first type team like STL. Stars have allowed 16 goals in the last 10 games. They're playing extremely well at the moment and still have yet to lose consecutive games. Anything can happen in the playoffs, but they're so much better than the Blackhawks right now, it's not even funny.

QUOTE (soxfan49 @ Dec 31, 2015 -> 09:55 PM) Kane has more 3 point games than he does 0 point games. What a hockey player Top 5 player in the NHL right now for sure In no particular order Kane Seguin Benn Tarasenko Karlsson

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Dec 31, 2015 -> 07:39 PM) With all of the turnover, this team will be at its best at the end of the year. I am not ready to say no chance this year, though I don't expect them to win. Agreed. Everyone is flawed. Dallas looks like the best of the west more than anyone else, but their defense will often not show up and they'll look bad. That being said, they played hard against Chicago in Dallas and blew them out of the building. I hate the Kings game, but they're another team I don't want to meet.

Awful officiating tonight. Blown interference and hook

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Dec 31, 2015 -> 07:34 PM) They had 3.5 Dmen last year too. Not to mention Crawford didn't show up for the playoffs until the 2nd round. They have one scoring line. Toews is being wasted with a deteriorating Hossa and no regular on the first line. They have even LESS at defense now. I'm not the person who says "this isn't a Cup year" and anything is possible, but I'm realistic.

QUOTE (SoxPride18 @ Dec 31, 2015 -> 04:42 PM) When it comes to the Hawks, the "just get to the playoffs" is true on so many levels. They've done it twice in the past not being the #1 seed, they can do it again. What teams can honestly beat the Hawks in a 7 game series? LA? Dallas? Definitely no one in the East. A lot. Dallas, LA, *cough* colorado if they make it *cough*, Blues. I wouldn't want to play the caps either. Let's face it, the Blackhawks have huge holes this year

Scott Darling is not good. At all.

QUOTE (pittshoganerkoff @ Dec 31, 2015 -> 02:01 PM) All of the fake tweets the other night shifted our focus to Cespedes, but it seems like Gordon has been the target all along. There are benefits to both, obviously, but Gordon's left-handed bat and lower price tag might be the tipping point. This may sound bad, but they need one. They're obviously not the same player, but the White Sox need one guy.

QUOTE (Tony @ Dec 29, 2015 -> 11:44 PM) I was really pumped last week when he got the call back up. He's a nice little player. I'm still not crazy about where this team is right now, but they just need to make the playoffs. On top of it, I always had very little expectations for this team this year, so there is part of me that wants them bounced early to FINALLY get a real off-season. When you go back and look at how many extra games guys like Toews-Kane-Hossa-Keith-Seabrook-Hammer have played over the last 5 years, it's incredible. They have played at least a season more of games in the same amount of time than more than half the league. The "just make the playoffs" sentiment is a good one, IMHO. That being said, if the Blackhawks don't have four legitimate defensemen on the first two lines, you'll get your early bounce.

QUOTE (Brian @ Dec 30, 2015 -> 08:34 AM) Is Cespedes Luke Skywalker's daughter? Actually, he's Snoke. So is Leia

Desjardins on hat trick watch. Might happen if AZ goes empty net.

QUOTE (SouthSideSale @ Dec 29, 2015 -> 10:29 PM) Oh me too as soon as I go to bed it'll happen Don't worry. Cespedes is happening. Source