"Quick Draw" Murray Strikes Again
For the second year in a row, Blackhawks GM Bob Murray has made a
major deal near the end of a disappointing season. Here's hoping
this latest one turns out different.
At the time the deal that brought Chad Kilger to Chicago looked
promising. The Hawks had depth at defense, with solid youngster
Christian Laflamme meshing well with veterans Chris Chelios, Gary
Suter, and Eric Weinrich, so they could afford to lose Keith
Carney, and Kilger had size and scoring potential.
As we all know, Kilger and his fellow power-forward-in-training
Ethan Moreau never quite lived up to expectations, and since
Suter's departure the Hawks have lacked a real offensive threat on
the blue line, particularly one fit to run the power play.
Chelios's efforts on that front often ended disastrously.
So Murray's reasoning was fairly obvious when he sent Kilger,
Moreau, Laflamme, and Dan Cleary to Edmonton in exchange for Boris
Mironov, ex-Hawk draft pick Dean McAmmond, and defensive prospect
Jonas Elofsson.
If one goes by the old saw that whoever gets the best player wins
the deal, then this one's a TKO. Mironov, despite inconsistency
and a taste for the nightlife, is a top-rank defenseman who early
in the season was being mentioned as a Norris Trophy candidate. He
moves the puck well, has one of the heaviest shots in the league,
and isn't afraid to use his size (as Colorado's Milan Hejduk found
out quickly Sunday afternoon).
On the other end of the deal there's a load of potential but very
little proven talent. Laflamme is the steadiest player of the
four, but even he was shaky enough early this season to merit a
stay in the minors.
This deal appears to signal the end of Murray's grand plan to mold
the Hawks in the image of the Philadelphia Flyers. Murray had
envisioned Kilger, Moreau, Eric Daze, and Jean-Yves Leroux as the
backbone of a young, physical team that could intimidate and
score. Daze has played better of late but still shows little taste
for the rough stuff, and Leroux has yet to develop much of a talent
for scoring.
Instead, the Hawks have moved toward a game based on speed and
skill, a strategy endorsed by interim coach Lorne Molleken. The
play of Josef Marha and Jean-Pierre Dumont was a stated reason for
dealing three forwards, and McAmmond, the lone forward coming to
the Hawks in this deal, is more of a scooter than a basher as well.
The early results look good, as Mironov and McAmmond both played
well in their Hawk debuts. If Kilger, Moreau or Cleary turn out to
be the goods, then Oilers GM Glen Sather looks like a genius, but
Murray got the all-star, so for now the advantage is his.
Hawk Players Want to Keep their Molleken
The stunning success of formerly unkown Lorne Molleken has prompted
certain Blackhawk players to lobby for an extension of the Molleken
era beyond April, 1999. The Hawks are 5-4-1 under their new coach,
and everyone's giddy.
Or are they just relieved to be out of the iron grip of
Reichsmarschall Dirk Graham?
"We're having fun playing hockey again," said Jocelyn Thibault.
Tony Amonte added: "It's weird to be able to make offensive plays
again."
But Chris Chelios had perhaps the most interesting appraisal of
Molleken's abilities, especially in light of Graham's 'just play
hard' philosophy.
"His knowledge makes him a real educated coach," Cheli said.
Not Quite a Rivalry, But . . . .
Even in the darkest of times, you could always count on the Hawks
giving a good effort against Colorado. Ever since the back-to-back
playoff meetings, these two teams have harbored a healthy dislike
of one another which often results in physical, close (but often
high-scoring) games.
This past weekend saw a happy continuation of this trend, with a
home-and-home producing two rollicking, fight-filled games with a
total of 17 goals scored in a tie and a one-goal Hawk win.
The downside is, of course, how much more frustrating this makes
watching the Hawks phone it in against the rest of the league.
News and Notes
After horrible starts to the calendar year, Tony Amonte and Alex
Zhamnov have started to produce again. Amonte has five goals in
four games, while Zhamnov has six points in his last three games .
. . . The Chris Chelios trade rumors refuse to die. Apparently
John Davidson reported recently on Hockey Night In Canada that
Cheli had submitted a list to management of the teams to which he
would allow himself to be traded. Predictably, Chelios denied the
rumor.
