Are the Blackhawks better than in 13-14?
Posted 8:03 PM ET | Comments 2
After coming within a bounce of a second straight trip to the Stanley Cup Finals to face a team they'd have likely beaten, the Blackhawks have to have high hopes for this season. General Manager Stan Bowman stuck to his usual status quo during this past offseason, avoiding any huge personnel moves. Bowman either has a difficult job, as it's difficult to make big moves without creating salary cap trouble and stirring the proverbial pot or he's extremely lucky to have a core of great players and still be under the cap as it is. One could reasonably debate either standpoint, but I think most would agree the latter is much more accurate.
There's no question that other teams around the league got better after last season, at least on paper. There's no shortage of such teams in the already ultra-competitive Central Division, most notably perhaps, the Dallas Stars. Two big questions loom for the Hawks and their fanbase. Did the Hawks get any better, and if so, was it enough?rnrnThis early in the season, the stats won't answer either of those questions. Such a small sample size is too often out of context when compared over the stretch of 82 games. So, I'm going to go with my gut and few facts/opinions and say that the Hawks did indeed get better.
Bowman's move of dealing Nick Leddy to the Isle without taking on additional salary was addition by subtraction. While Leddy was able to produce some offense off the back end with some nice puck moving ability, he just wasn't very good defensively. And that's a big problem for a defensemen. It's too soon to know for sure if Trevor Van Riemsdyk is fully ready for an entire season in the NHL, but his body of work thus far has been impressive. He should more than fill any void left by Leddy's departure. He has shown some offensive instinct, and even if it's less than Leddy's, it's not as if the Hawks lack offensive firepower.
The addition of Brad Richards has been unspectacular so far, but it may yet pan out. Richards is playing in a different system than he has before and on a much faster team. It's going to take some time for him to adjust. He's nowhere near as fast as the Hawks' speedsters, but his passing ability is well documented and he has a good chance of making an impact once he gets a little more settled in.
The Hawks also have a fully healthy Kris Versteeg. Anyone who watched him play during the 09-10 season knows we didn't see his best hockey last year. He's finally fully healed from his ACL injury now and though he'll commit more than his share of turnovers, he could contribute 20 or more goals this season, especially if he continues play on a line with Shaw and Kane.
Some Hawks fans will disagree, but the return of Dan Carcillo could have a positive impact, as long as he bounces back from his current injury. He's an upgrade from Brandon Bollig and has more skill than he gets credit for. So far, he's played with a lot more focus and control than he's known for and has skated well enough to draw some penalties. The fourth line was logging valuable minutes of grinding puck possession and getting some decent scoring chances before he got hurt.
Factor in the possible continued improvement of Saad and Shaw, a possible return to form for Bickel (start hitting people, buddy) and the near-fact that Patrick Kane knows no limits and is still finding new ways to embarrass defenders and you might just have a better team.
Now, do these things make the Hawks improved enough from last season? First we should ask how much improvement is really necessary anyway. Lets not forget they lost in Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals, in overtime, to the eventual Cup champions. But as I said, a bunch of other teams got better, so some improvement is most likey needed. As close as they were to the Finals last year, I think that the improvements that were made, though not huge, could be enough to push the Blackhawks over the top and have another parade this June. Cue the Chelsea Dagger! GO HAWKS!!!
There's no question that other teams around the league got better after last season, at least on paper. There's no shortage of such teams in the already ultra-competitive Central Division, most notably perhaps, the Dallas Stars. Two big questions loom for the Hawks and their fanbase. Did the Hawks get any better, and if so, was it enough?rnrnThis early in the season, the stats won't answer either of those questions. Such a small sample size is too often out of context when compared over the stretch of 82 games. So, I'm going to go with my gut and few facts/opinions and say that the Hawks did indeed get better.
Bowman's move of dealing Nick Leddy to the Isle without taking on additional salary was addition by subtraction. While Leddy was able to produce some offense off the back end with some nice puck moving ability, he just wasn't very good defensively. And that's a big problem for a defensemen. It's too soon to know for sure if Trevor Van Riemsdyk is fully ready for an entire season in the NHL, but his body of work thus far has been impressive. He should more than fill any void left by Leddy's departure. He has shown some offensive instinct, and even if it's less than Leddy's, it's not as if the Hawks lack offensive firepower.
The addition of Brad Richards has been unspectacular so far, but it may yet pan out. Richards is playing in a different system than he has before and on a much faster team. It's going to take some time for him to adjust. He's nowhere near as fast as the Hawks' speedsters, but his passing ability is well documented and he has a good chance of making an impact once he gets a little more settled in.
The Hawks also have a fully healthy Kris Versteeg. Anyone who watched him play during the 09-10 season knows we didn't see his best hockey last year. He's finally fully healed from his ACL injury now and though he'll commit more than his share of turnovers, he could contribute 20 or more goals this season, especially if he continues play on a line with Shaw and Kane.
Some Hawks fans will disagree, but the return of Dan Carcillo could have a positive impact, as long as he bounces back from his current injury. He's an upgrade from Brandon Bollig and has more skill than he gets credit for. So far, he's played with a lot more focus and control than he's known for and has skated well enough to draw some penalties. The fourth line was logging valuable minutes of grinding puck possession and getting some decent scoring chances before he got hurt.
Factor in the possible continued improvement of Saad and Shaw, a possible return to form for Bickel (start hitting people, buddy) and the near-fact that Patrick Kane knows no limits and is still finding new ways to embarrass defenders and you might just have a better team.
Now, do these things make the Hawks improved enough from last season? First we should ask how much improvement is really necessary anyway. Lets not forget they lost in Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals, in overtime, to the eventual Cup champions. But as I said, a bunch of other teams got better, so some improvement is most likey needed. As close as they were to the Finals last year, I think that the improvements that were made, though not huge, could be enough to push the Blackhawks over the top and have another parade this June. Cue the Chelsea Dagger! GO HAWKS!!!
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