Dale Tallon may no longer be the Hawks GM. But as Rick Morrissey writes, he deserves a lot of credit for putting this team together:
But what we saw Saturday night was a living, breathing tribute to Tallon, who recently took the GM job with the Florida Panthers. Look at the names of the players who made a difference Saturday night at the United Center: Sharp, whom Tallon traded for in 2005. Versteeg, who arrived in a Tallon-authored trade in 2007. Hossa, signed as a free agent last offseason. Same with Kopecky.
Dave Bolland, Troy Brouwer, Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook — all of them Tallon’s boys, either when he was assistant GM or director of player personnel.
And Toews and Kane, the Hawks’ ’’burden’’ in Game 1? Guess you’re going to have to blame Tallon for drafting them.