Movers And Shakers
January 30th, 2004

by Mike Roeder

The first movers and shakers article since 2002 features Mikko Vuori of the Chicago Blackhawks. Mikko has definitely been moving while trying to keep his team near the top of the Western conference and leading the Central division.

Name: Mikko Vuori Team: Chicago Blackhawks Nationality: Finnish GM Since: Season 2

Team Record Points GF GA ConfSeed Hawks 25-13-3-3 56 135 102 3rd

WCFHL: Are the Hawks as good as the standings suggest? If you're in the second round of the playoffs or farther, can you match up with the other Western Conference powers?

Mikko Vuori: I believe the Hawks are as good as the standings suggest, which means the team is better than the roster would suggest to some. We're received some great performances from the lesser known players and some combinations just seem to be clicking nicely.

WCFHL: What do you consider to be the strengths and weaknesses of the club and and how will they influence your moves from now until the deadline?

MV: The Hawks are now playing balanced hockey. Goal scoring and defense have been almost equally good. Goaltending is a concern now, even though Salo has improved since his arrival.

WCFHL: Who has been your team's best performer?

MV: There's actually four players who have carried the team this season. Others have played well too, but the 2nd line of McAmmond-Lindros with Carney-Khavanov has been playing together and all have great numbers. Lindros is the MVP so far with his 44 points.

WCFHL: When we've spoken before, you've mentioned a need to get secondary scoring or have more than one line doing the scoring. Has there been any improvement there?

MV: At the start of the season the first line was Whitney-Brind'Amour-Selanne. They have all left the team now, as the line was not contributing. There's been some improvement as Ziggy Palffy has scored some important goal. Mats Sundin was never able to do much as a Hawk and hopefully Jason Allison's playmaking skills will now complement Palffy's scoring.

WCFHL: Speaking of secondary scoring, Ville Peltonen has more goals than guys with names like Federov, Jagr, Bonk, Alfredsson and Sundin, not to mention many others whose names belong in that category. What's going on with him? What's in the water he's drinking?

MV: Ville Peltonen is a very accurate shooter, which you can also see by just looking at his stats. Peltonen had a good start of the season, and has played well since. He has got some 1st and 2nd line ice time with PP, and that has of course helped him collect those 18 points.

WCFHL: Are there any deals you regret? Or one specifically you just shake your head at in retrospect?

MV: There are numerous deals I would like to get reserved. Fron the top of my head, trading prospect Mike Comrie, Andrew Ference and 2nd round pick for Bill Houlder was really a bad one. This season maybe acquiring Sundin was a mistake. I had to clear room for his salary and he wasn't playing well for me.

WCFHL: How do you see your team shaping up for the playoffs? How far can you go and what moves need to be made to get there?

MV: I think I have a lot of pieces in my puzzle already. Two centers, top line winger, and three of top four defenseman. The goal is obviously not less than Stanley Cup. For the team to really have a chance to go that far a new goalie (like Hasek), a new defenseman (like Stevens) and a third line
center are needed.

WCFHL: Are there any players on your team right now that you're looking to move or any trades you feel need to be made for the success of your team?

MV: There's no specific players I'm looking to move now. Obviously players with bigger salaries and questionable skills (Berezin&Yushkevich) could be unloaded as there seems to be always players available if you have room for more salary.

WCFHL: How do you see the playoffs in the West? What teams make it and which don't? And does it matter when they will face you or teams like Colorado, San Jose, Dallas and the others?

MV: Red Wings should be in playoffs for sure. The last two spots are harder to tell. The Kings seem to have run out of their magic, at least temporarily. Maybe some moves would shake up the team. Coyotes have a good roster and should be higher in the standings too. If some one the lower teams is going to make it it will be the Canucks. That team is just getting better now. And in playoffs, anything can happen.

WCFHL: You have some hefty contracts on your team. How are the finances going to affect your decisions come the off-season?

MV: Money will be no issue. This team can handle the $50M payroll, and the current level can be easily sustained by just letting a couple of not so useful guys go.

WCFHL: So who wins the hardware this year? Stanley Cup? Hart Trophy? Vezina, Norris or any others you'd like to predict?

MV: I'll have to answer that Hawks get the Cup. Right now the most deserving award winners would be Doug Weight (Hart), Tomas Vokoun (Vezina) and Al MacInnis (Norris). I'll also predict no personal trophies for Hawks players.

WCFHL: That's all for now. Thanks and good luck with the rest of the season.

MV: Thank you for letting me speak for myself!