Get The First Flight Outta Philly and Don't Wait For The Goalies, Either: Flyers 3, Hawks 1

There's little point in breaking this game down a whole lot so, instead, I'll zoom in on some larger issues that face The Hawks at the moment.
Corey Crawford will be out 2-3 weeks as he recovers from an emergency appendectomy.  Are there ever non-emergent appendectomies? Anyway, we'll get a long look at Scott Darling over the next couple of weeks.  He's done this before and he didn't make too bad of a mess. There are also no back-to-backs until Dec. 17 - 18, putting us in the early part of the window for Crow's return, so we might not even see whoever gets summoned to back up Darling.  Unless mop-up duty is required, Sweet Jeebus.
Jonathan Toews remains unlikely to play tomorrow vs. Winnipeg.  He was placed on the Disabled List yesterday or today, just to keep the lineup legal.  He won't stay there long, I hope, so....
Something's Gotta Give.  Once Toews returns the roster must shrink, so who's it gonna be?  I see three logical candidates but, let's be real, logic doesn't always enter into these decisions.
One is Jordin Tootoo, whose most noteworthy contribution in 19 games played, is having drawn a penalty, once.  For the five minutes he logs in the games he does play, no one will even notice that he's gone.  Except his linemates, I suppose.
The second is Trevor van Riemsdyk.  A casual observer might see TVR's woeful performance in today's game and point out that he'd been hurt for over a month, it's his first game back, blah blah blah.  The sad truth is that today was not so far from a pretty typical outing for TVR.  One of the two cardinal sins that defensemen are guilty of committing is, when having to choose to cover one of two opposing players, covering neither of them.  TVR does this ALL THE TIME and may as well not even be there.  Watch the replay on Schenn's goal for a fine example of this. It's anyone's guess how this slug has stuck around this long.  Do the staff find him "coachable"?  Is smiling and nodding an indication of coachability?  One game back and I'm tired of this idiot already.
The third is Vin Hinostroza, who has still cobbled together only 1½ good games.  If he was safe from demotion yesterday, today's display could well have changed that, as he was, in no particular order:
* screening Darling on The Flyers' third goal, while covering no one
* taking a thoughtless penalty while The Hawks were attempting to get some pressure going
* unable to win a face off to save his life
* tearing around with no apparent plan or purpose

                                                           Pack ya bags.

Today, ultimately, could have gone either way.  Two goals against through two-and-three-man screens and another made possible by TVR stumbling around rather than TAKING A FRIGGIN' MAN.  Kane made two pretty icky passing errors, which we can sometimes go weeks without seeing, and Keith had several shifts in which he wasn't at his best.  Finally, the non-goal that went to review could easily have been a good goal; had the ref called it a goal on the play, the task of the men "upstairs" is spun 180º, as they must then find evidence that it was without a doubt not a goal.
Bygones.
Tomorrow, Winnipeg with their single line and Hawks-Slayer Chris Thorburn.  I'll wait to eat until the game starts 'cos if TVR plays I'll never stop vomiting.

                          Better make it good or Semborski starts on Tuesday.

I Laughed Until I...Actually, I'm Still Laughing

Regarding the NHL Expansion Draft to populate The Las Vegas Golden Knights' (*smirk*) roster:

The Cream of the Expansion Crop
Specifically:

Here are the Top 10 players projected to be available, according to TSN Hockey:

10. Trevor van Riemsdyk, RD, Chicago: Just two years ago, van Riemsdyk was hurried back from injury to help put the Blackhawks over the top in the Stanley Cup Final as a rookie. He earned coach Joel Quenneville’s trust by pulling down 20 minutes per night last season. With so many pillars to protect with no-move clauses, the Hawks will be hard pressed to keep the 25-year-old.

He's in there somewhere.

Oh my, would that Knights GM George McPhee is having the same fever dreams that the usually-reliable Frank Seravalli is clearly experiencing.  I'm loathe to put the horse before the cart but that would sure be...convenient.

Just in case, though, please join me in my new campaign to smear, denounce and devalue Marcus Kruger, in a clumsy attempt to dissuade Vegas from even looking in his general direction.

Marcus Kruger has bad breath.

Better, But Not There Yet: Hawks 6, Wings 1

In a reversal of the previous match between The Hawks and The Wings it was The Hawks who iced a slightly more representative lineup, a group that ran wild on a largely inexperienced Wings squad. The talent disparity was most evident when comparing their respective defense corps, and it didn't help that Jimmy Howard was brutal, either.

The Good
- We saw the best outings from Hinostroza, Hartman, Panik and Fortin, so far.  Hino' appeared to slow things down a little and it made him more effective, as he took that extra fraction-of-a-second to look for a play rather than simply storm toward the net.  Hartman had a strong game, but I'm still unsure that he's among the dozen-best forwards available who aren't Tootoo or Mashinter.  Panik was Panik, and it worked in this case, but let's not get too excited; his goal was an absolutely perfectly placed shot, which might occur once in 200 tries for the hardworking forward.  The hockey media is, somehow, still talking Panik up as a potential linemate for Toews but, if that's even remotely a good idea, then why not Desjardins? They each fill a similar role and Des', as impossible at it sounds, may have the better hands. Panik works at a higher speed but are they really all that different when you look at what they each accomplish?  I am not advocating for Des' to end up on Toews' line, but picture Desjardins on Toews wing and tell me if Panik really belongs there, too.

Fortin has spent the preseason buzzing around, looking industrious as hell, but too often trying to do it all himself.  His infrequent pass attempts have been poor, his vigor has often left him out of position after his solo charges down the wing & behind the net fail, and he's been a chucker of the highest order. One can see the urgency with which he's approaching his duties and, if what he's doing works, that's great, but when it fails to provide a result it just appears...I dunno...desperate.  Last night he tried to do a little less and accomplished a little more.
- Gustav Forsling is just so damned poised.  I'm unsurprised that Gustafsson was dispatched to Rockford, as Forsling provides everything Goose brings, but better.  He's quicker, more precise and makes far better choices. Goose is a little bigger but has played as if he were a smaller man, anyway, so he'll get no credit for size.  Forsling belongs in the lineup, every night, but more on that in a little bit.

The Bad
- Jordin Tootoo.  I guess there's way to get out of this, is there?
- TVR.  Oh I wish, how I wish, I could believe that The Hawks will play their six best defensemen on opening night...and beyond.  I keep telling myself that I need to understand that TVR will stick, he'll play, and there's nothing I can do about it, but it's not easy when he just sucks nine nights out of ten. This is the reason Ville Pokka isn't getting a longer look...not Forsling or Kempny, but The Hawks wasting a lineup spot on that slug, TVR.

The Indifferent
- Nick Schmaltz.  Yes, I do see that he tipped-in a goal last night but, apart from that, what's he done?  I like his puck control and his apparent confidence, but I have to say that he's being outshone by Motte, Hino' and even Fortin.
- The Hawks packed a tour bus with guys heading to Rockford.  As mentioned, above, the only sorta surprise there was Pokka, but it is pretty crowded on defense, he's not going to supplant TVR or Rozsie, so he may as well get busy in Rockford.  Well, at least there's no longer any sign of Kero, Baun or Svedberg.  The only remaining fellas with no apparent shot at the lineup are Mark McNeill and Ivan Nalimov.

Other News
- Cody Hodgson, age 26, retired from hockey.  There was a time that I would have taken gleeful delight in any scenario in which the Canucks fail, but this is actually a pretty sad story.  Thanks to an alleged misdiagnosis of a back injury and subsequent nerve damage, Hodgson was compromised physically and in terms of his confidence at arguably the worst possible time in a young player's career.  The guy shoulda coulda been great.
- Barrett Jackman. I couldn't be more pleased that this mouth-breather's long con has come to an end, as I'm pretty sure the Best Before date on this goof reads "2009".

Idiot Parade: The Three....What are the Opposite of Stars?

Third: TVR

Even though he coughed up the puck that led to what was ultimately the game winning goal, Van Riemsdyk gets some slack because he shouldn't have even been there in the first place.  I assume he's just doing the best he can, which ain't much.

Second: Q

How can someone be so smart yet so dumb?  Quenneville is in consideration for a Lifetime Achievement Award for persisting with Van Riemsdyk.  TVR racked up the worst +/- of all regular Hawks defencemen this season and currently has the worst +/- of all Hawks in the playoffs.  Yet he never missed a game and didn't even miss a shift after an error that many other coaches might consider grounds for euthanasia.  Q has been accused of having blinders on where his "guys" are concerned but this is the most extreme example of his failure to recognize a truly mediocre hockey player being passed off as an NHL regular.

First: Shaw

Embarrassing, unacceptable and somewhat typical.  This is doubly irritating because it occurred in the last stages of an otherwise excellent game by Shaw.  If things go poorly tonight in St. Loomis this event could well be Shaw's last actions in a Hawks uniform, which is a horrible way to go out.

Why Does it Have to Be This Hard? Hawks 2, Western Canada 0

Awreet, since I watched both weekend games one after the other I'm sure I'll get some events mixed up, so I'll just pop in some general comments about both games.  It helps that both matches had a similar feel, with many things in common, both good and bad.
- The Hawks needed to come out of this weekend with four points and they managed that but, Sweet Mother of Zuul, they didn't exactly cruise to either victory.  That this occurred against two utterly feckless teams is somewhat worrisome.
- I say "somewhat" because we all know that The Hawks can be much better.  They seem to have this annoying let-up every March, so there's that, but the time to get serious is upon us, as there is still a dim hope of snagging home ice in the first playoff round.
- Both games "featured" a lot of the crap passing, poor timing and weird choices that we've been treated to over the past 3-4 weeks. Too often a player, mostly but not exclusively Panarin, either hangs onto the puck too long, missing a chance to hit a moving linemate, or hits the eject button too early and either launches a pass toward a colleague who's in no position to accept a pass or misses their mark entirely.  There were fewer of these instances this weekend, though, and a greater number of sequences in which The Hawks moved the puck kinda well but, again, consider the level of the opposition before declaring this a turning point.
- Scott Darling was very, very good.  I'll try not to diminish his efforts by pointing out (multiple times) that the quality of their opposition this weekend flatters to deceive, but the big guy allowed no soft goals, had decent positioning and a quick glove hand in both games.  He spent a lot of time in a semi-butterfly (kinda like in the photo above), though, with his stick flat on the ice, jerking his head back and forth trying to get a bead on the puck.  He's a large fella and covers a lot of the lower part of the net by doing that, but I have this niggling worry that if this represents his Plan A he's going to get lit up by teams that are more disciplined and accurate with their shooting (i.e. all the other teams in The West).
- The defense wasn't awful in either game but, again, level of opposition.  TVR was actually working rather well alongside Ehrhoff, which was weird because I thought it was supposed to be Ehrhoff that would push the play from the back and jump in on the offense.  TVR's first assist was a bit lucky as Flasch was fortunate to corral a pass that hot from so close, but the assist on Teravainen's goal was impressive;seriously, did anyone not expect TVR to shoot?  Anyway, good for him but let's not forget he was also alone, standing still when Burrows scored, earlier.
- Svedberg was on the ice for that goal, too, and was just as guilty of loitering as TVR.  I'm not sure what Svedberg hopes to accomplish by simply camping out in front of The Hawks' net; he hasn't shown any ability to read the play and lacks the quickness to react to any threat beyond his immediate reach, so he mostly just stands there, being in the way.  He was able to use that considerable reach to break up some plays along the boards but, really, this guy shouldn't be playing until his game becomes more active than reactive.
- As ridiculous a job Coach Q has done with the defense at least he had the good sense to immediately reunite possibly the finest fourth line in the league, Kruger, Shaw & Desjardins. These three wasted no time getting back to the task of consistently moving the puck north before handing the keys to one of the other lines and even cashing in a couple of times for good measure. The best Hawks line, overall, this weekend.
- Of small concern is the fact that Andrew Shaw took a lot more faceoffs than Marcus Kruger.  This could just be a cautious approach with Kruger just returning from wrist surgery, as he took 3x as many draws in his second game back than in his first, or it could just be a matter of which side of the ice these draws were taking place, as Coach Q seems to always want his centers drawing the puck backhand-style. It actually worked out fine on Sunday, as Shaw inexplicably laid waste to his Canuck counterparts, winning 11 of 12 attempts.

- Andrew Ladd had himself a good weekend after two weeks of just pilin' 'er up and down the wing.  He didn't have to work especially hard for any of his goals but that's okay; sometimes the gimmes lead to other things in the near-future.

- Teravainen was alright centering the second line.  I suspect that having played center the last few weeks had him better-prepared for the task than the last time he was parachuted into that spot. Amazingly, Teravainen led all Hawks forwards in ice time on Sunday.
- Looking ahead we're off to Minny on Tuesday for a chance at redemption against the eighth-placed Wild.  I would half expect Coach Q to come back with the same lineup as Sunday's, but that probably depends on whether Large Arthur was, in fact, out on Sunday due to an injury or if his exclusion was a coach's decision. Weise wasn't bad in limited duty on Sunday, so I see him getting the nod over Panik.

About Last Night: Wild 3, Hawks 2 and If They Don't Care Why Should I?

Far be it from me to suggest that the second-winningest coach in NHL history is bad at his job, but granting Trevor Van Riemsdyk 28+ minutes is not a recipe for success. 

                            My birthday is approaching soon and this is what I want.

That Q seems to be utterly oblivious to how little TVR provides, which is typically and frustratingly at the expense of what the team needs, i.e. competent puck-movers from the back end, is driving me around the bend.  Seriously, what did TVR accomplish during the third period, which Gustafsson spent the entirety of on the bench?  How do Gus and Ehrhoff get absolutely no leeway yet TVR receives enough rope to hang himself over and over again?

Well, since I'm bothering...
- This could have easily been a 3-0 win for Minny, as Shaw's shot was absolutely a shot Dubnyk should have saved and Panik's goal, while it was the product of some admirably hard work, was of the "let's just keep smashing at this thing until someone tells us to stop" variety.  Even with these goals Zach Parise should have salted it away but inexplicably failed to hit a wide-open net.
- While Shaw was one of the better Hawks in this one I'm still left wondering how effective he could be if a) he could shoot the puck harder than a 14-year-old, and b) he would refrain from taking these weak shots at every opportunity.

That is all.

Don't Keep 'em Waiting, It Just Makes Them Mad: Rangers 3, Hawks 2

I don't usually type anything when The Hawks lose but, it's the first game and there was plenty to see.

- Standing around at an over-long banner raising ceremony that has nothing to do with you, I am sure, is among the most irritating things an athlete might endure.  You can bet The Rangers wanted to piss off the crowd at The United Center as much as they wanted two points.
- Not a good night at all for Trevor Daley, eh?  On The Rangers' first goal Daley committed the cardinal sin of having two options but choosing neither, and he was a perfect storm of bad decisions and clumsiness on the eventual game winner.  So, they really couldn't sign Oduya for the $3.3 mil that Daley will "earn"?
- When David Rundblad plays 18 minutes it either means Rundblad is playing well or The Hawks cannot do any better, and one of these options seems far more likely than the other, I'm afraid.
- Don't get me wrong, 'cos I'm a big fan of Marcus Kruger, but anyone who thinks he has more offensive upside than he's able to show off as The Hawks' safety valve needs to see the open nets he gacked tonight.
- Did Kyle Baun play in the third period?  Ah, well, I predicted 8 minutes ice time so he...uh...overachieved by my reckoning.

But it wan't all bad.
- The top two lines were pretty much everything I had hoped for.  More, please.  Teravainen's goal was exactly what I was picturing in my mind's eye the other day whilst droning on about Toews and Hossa doing the digging and allowing TT to be more shooty.  And Panarin...how many guys score their first NHL goal on their first shot against one of the most dominant goaltenders in the game today?  Probably just one.  

Despite the loss, I find it uplifting that The Hawks got goals from the two guys who need to chip in offensively.  If Teravainen and Panarin want to shut up those who say they won't measure up to Sharp and Saad (whose former spots they skated in tonight, BTW) that's the way you do it, son.

Brooklyn next.  I expect to see Tikhonov in for Baun and half-expect Pokka to come in for Van Riemsdyk, which isn't entirely fair, 'cos TVR was competently average, just as he's always been.  I also have a funny feeling that they'll stick with Crawford on Friday and come back with Darling, at home, on Saturday.  But I'm wrong a lot, so...

                   All this not falling over or knocking goaltenders down was misleading!

TVR Extended for Two Years

Blackhawks defenceman Trevor Van Riemsdyk has received a contract extension keeping him in red & black until the end of the 2017-18 season.  The bonus is that it is reportedly at an alarmingly cap-friendly $825K per year.  This is great value as TVR is one of the only young players who Coach Quenneville appears to trust with any significant ice time.  Now all he has to do is remain healthy, as TVR underwent surgeries for two separate injuries this season.

Rumour Mill
From letsgohawks.net:
According to veteran reporter Marc De Foy of Montreal Journal, Bowman has been very busy talking to his former assistant Marc Bergevin of the Canadiens. De Foy mentions that Bowman had talked to the Habs general manager about both Bryan Bickell and Kris Versteeg.

That would certainly go a long way toward solving some problems, as long as a big salary doesn't come back to Chicago in the bargain. 

How's This For Strange?

Between 2012 and the spring of 2014, Michal Rozsival essentially platooned in the sixth defenceman position with Sheldon Brookbank.  Now that Rozsival is older, slower and generally less capable we find him locked in the fifth-D role.  This is not a good sign at all, especially given that talents like Clendening and Dahlbeck remain buried in the AHL and still have Rundblad, Erixon and Van Riemsdyk to overcome before they even get to Rozsival.

So forgive me if I am not filled with confidence when speaking of the decisions that have shaped The Hawks' blueline.

                                         All that aside, I cannot stay mad at this face.

And the Winner is...

....Adam Clendenning.  Although it took a bit of effort and a fair amount of salary-cap manipulation before it got done.
This comes as a bit of a surprise to most observers, as the odds-on favourite to replace the injured Trevor Van Riemsdyk (out 2-3 months, LBI) seemed to be Klas Dahlbeck.  While Dahlbeck has been described as the steadiest of the defence group in Rockford, Clendenning has certainly waited around long enough to get his NHL looks.
Promoting Clendenning may fill a rather large gap in The Hawks' lineup, as well, since Michal Rozsival has been working on the second power play unit.  Say that out loud.  Anyway, Clendenning is a prototypical offensive defenceman and is quite accustomed to quarterbacking a power play and should see some PP time straight away on the upcoming western road trip.  I would expect to see Clendenning debut on Saturday or Sunday; Saturday if Rozsival is a disaster on Thursday, Sunday otherwise.
With TVR being unavailable for 2-3 months, though, The Hawks will have the opportunity to give their other defence prospects a spin and I fully expect to see Stephen Johns and Klas Dahlbeck play some games before the New Year.  Once Sharp returns from his own injury, still as long as week or two from now, The Hawks' first-unit PP guy will be back and, unless Clendenning sets the world on fire in the interim, that would be the time to give Johns and Dahlbeck their respective shots.

Joakim Nordstrom will join The Hawks on the road trip, as well, presumably alternating with Jeremy Morin alongside Kruger and Smith.

One Last Helping of Home Cooking: Sunday's Big Boy

Despite losing their way a bit in the latter part of the first period and most of the second, The Hawks executed a near-perfect third period, scoring four times and looking very much like the team they can be.  The Good Guys outshot Dallas 23 - 5 in the final frame, attacking relentlessly while The Stars, who played and lost the night before, simply failed to keep up.

And check this out - Coach Q rolled four lines.  Isn't it amazing what can happen when the forwards achieve some consistency?  Another big element in the win was the play of Patrick Kane.

With a beauty of a goal and two assists Kaner has hopefully shaken off whatever had limited him to only occasional points over the last several weeks.  Kane played practically the entire game with Brad Richards and Kris Versteeg and, even with Versteeg being extra-shooty tonight, the trio looked in control on the majority of their shifts; drops and lateral passes were working well and the line drove possession all night.

                                                            Welcome back, 88.

The only crappy thing about the game tonight was Trevor Van Riemsdyk leaving the game early in the first period after blocking a shot with the early word from The Hawks' camp being not very encouraging.  TVR has been an unqualified pleasant surprise this season, so it's a shame to see him go down for any amount of time just as much as it was terrifying to see Rozsival play almost 20 minutes tonight.  David Rundblad, obviously, will draw in but someone will certainly be called up from Rockford this week, as The Hawks embark on the annual Circus Trip and six games in a row on the road.  Nobody wants to confront the prospect of Rozsie playing six consecutive road games, so prepare to get to know Klas Dahlbeck.

Hawks Hilarity: Opening Night Roster Notes

File Under "I told you so". 

Kris Versteeg and Michal Rozsival are injured, or possibly "injured", heading into tomorrow's season-opener in Dallas.  This could all be legit, but I kinda wonder if there are other things going on, such as Versteeg being on the cusp of being traded.  Back on defense, sure, Rozsie is in all likelihood actually nursing something, but I suspect Stan Bowman and/or Coach Q really just want to play the younger guys, anyway.

And The Hawks are starting the year with eight defensemen, at least until Rozsival can play  -- check last week's post to confirm that even when I'm wrong, I'm right!

The Old Switcheroo

Niklas Hjalmarsson and Johnny Oduya have been separated, with Hjalmarsson practicing with Trevor Van Riemsdyk and the third pairing being Kyle Cumiskey and David Rundblad alternating alongside Oduya.  The change necessitated Hjarmarsson switching to playing on the left side, which I don't remember him doing much since Brent Sopel departed.  It seems all but certain that TVR will play on Thursday and I kind of hope Cumiskey gets the nod on the third pair so that Ales Hemsky can burn him so badly that they conclude the Cumiskey experiment early.

Three Lines Forward, One Line Back

With no disrespect intended toward Kruger & Smith, the forward lines are projected to be:

Sharp -- Toews -- Hossa
Saad -- Shaw -- Kane
Morin -- Richards -- Bickell
Smith -- Kruger -- Carcillo

...unless Versteeg is good to go, in which case Morin sits and moron stays.

Oh, dear: Stan Bowman loses his mind, Leddy traded, Carcillo signed.

The facts are thus:
- Nick Leddy (and minor-league goaltender Kent Simpson) were traded to The Islanders for three prospects not even worth mentioning at this time.
- On the strength of one pre-season game in which he was punched out by Tanner Glass, Daniel Carcillo has been signed to a one-year contract.

Regarding Leddy, sure, something had to give, it just seems weird that it was Leddy to be sent packing and not Johnny Oduya.  This does solve the Cap Crisis but still only leaves $500K cap space.  Perhaps there were no takers for Oduya, or maybe Coach Quenneville made it clear he wanted Oduya to remain; Q had not shown much confidence in Leddy during the last two playoff runs and there certainly some merit in keeping the Oduya/Hjalmarsson pair intact, if only to soak up the hardest minutes and therefore allow Duncan Keith to worry about other things.  I had kind of hoped that Leddy would someday be paired up with Hjalmarsson, which would have allowed Leddy a little more rope to move the puck and, maybe, just maybe, some of Hjalmarsson's good habits would rub off on Leddy.  All academic now, I'm afraid.
Of immediate concern is what now becomes of the third defense pairing?  This move practically forces The Hawks to carry eight defenseman; does anyone think that Michal Rozsival is up to playing any more than 50 games? Three candidates remain in camp; Kyle Cumiskey, David Rundblad and Trevor Van Riemsdyk.  TVR has been, apparently, the surprise of training camp, and that he's still around whilst the likes of Clendenning, Dahlbeck and Johns have been reassigned to Rockford speaks volumes.  Probably.  It appears that GM Stan Bowman is convinced that Rundblad is a sure thing, while Cumiskey is a player known to Coach Q from their days in Colorado.  As good as he has reportedly been, TVR may well be on the outside looking in.  Any way it shakes out (and I picture the coaching staff having a hotel room-key raffle to decide which two suckers will make up the third pairing) the opening night third pairing will be a nightmare.  On the road, in Dallas, The Stars have last change and will have their way with whoever draws this assignment.
Until Rundblad or TVR (the Cumiskey experiment will fail, one hopes) emerges as the go-to guy and the other adopts the role of propping up Rozsie The Hawks are committed to an eight-man rotation. (EDIT: what the hell was I thinking about eight defensemen?  That'll teach me to write these when I'm tired and/or drunk.  Seven.  Seven defensemen.)

As for Carcillo...how stupid is this?  I'm not prepared to condemn Brandon Mashinter as he's done nothing to disgrace himself, yet, and I cannot hold him responsible for sucking up a roster spot, but I was prepared for him to get a chance to fail, at least.  Parachuting Carcillo in, ostensibly to fill the role Mashinter had presumably squared away makes absolutely no sense to me.  If one takes Mashinter and Carcillo out of the equation, and The Hawks instead ice the best lineup hey have available, they would easily have the best fourth line in the entire NHL.  Marcus Kruger and Ben Smith are givens, of course, and whether they're trotted out with Jeremy Morin or Peter Regin it's an undeniable winning combination.  Morin has above average hands and an almost reckless willingness toward physical play, while Regin lacks the scoring touch that Morin possesses he does have excellent defensive instincts and never, ever takes a shift off.  Inserting slow, out-of-position and on his way to the penalty box Carcillo is a colossal step backward.
Worst of all, they have to pay this idiot.  Details of Carcillo's contract have not yet been revealed, but chances are good that he'll earn enough to still push The Hawks above the salary cap.  Is another move necessary?  Will Morin and/or Regin be criminally assigned to Rockford?
However it shakes out, GM Stan Bowman had the solution to his cap issues within his grasp, and then let it slip away.  One can only hope there's a Part II to this misadventure.