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Much has been made of the mystery surrounding who—or what—really runs the Chicago Blackhawks' front office. But as of late Monday night, it no longer mattered.
How much personnel decisions are made by Stan Bowman, or a committee, or run through the marketing filter, the bottom line is they worked this year. And they worked fabulously.
The truth is, the seeds of this Cup lied in the last one. At that time, the organization identified a core of players to be retained and built around. Were they all the right decisions. That's debatable. But most of them clearly were.
At that point, Marcus Kruger was a rail thin recent Hawk draftee out of Sweden. Nick Leddy, acquired before the 2010 trade deadline, was in college. But the rest of the pieces fell into place after that.
While enduring two frustrating seasons of first round playoff exits, the Hawks slowly turned over the rest of the roster, acquiring Viktor Stalberg, Michal Frolik and Johnny Oduya via trade and Ray Emery as a free agent.
In the summer of 2011, the Hawks snared Brandon Saad and Andrew Shaw in the draft—and there are at least two likely very good NHL players on their way from that one: Philip Danault and Mark McNeill.
In the summer of 2012, they made a key move in signing veteran Michal Rozsival for blueline depth and flexibility.
And some other good things happened. Patrick Kane appeared to settle down and mature a bit. Niklas Hjalmarsson really started to emerge as an exceptional NHL defender in 2011-12, before establishing himself as one of the better blueliners in the league this past season.
What made this team so special, in my opinion (shared by none other than Hawk Sr. VP Scotty Bowman), was the defense. I blogged last summer that with the acquisitions of Oduya, Rozsival and Sheldon Brookbank, the Hawks had fortified "the house" around Corey Crawford so well with shot blockers—in addition to Hjalmarsson and Brent Seabrook—that it probably didn't matter that much how good Crawford really was. And that better protection from center ice in would only be better for Crawford's psyche.
All of that came to pass. And likely resulted in a Stanley Cup.
There are those playing gotcha today with fans who wanted the Hawks to be more aggressive at the trade deadline. Well, we'll never know if dealing away the likes of Jimmy Hayes and Brandon Pirri would have improved the team or not. As fate (or luck) would have it, it likely wasn't necessary.
But there's nothing wrong with stacking the deck either.
Which leads to what's next. While the accolades and parades go on, I heard yesterday the Hawk front office—such as it is— is at work on improving this team. There will be turnover, but the Hawks believe right now that the roster can be upgraded this summer.
The top priority is re-signing Bryan Bickell. The Hawks do not want to let another Dustin Byfuglien go, a 2010 mistake that three years and Bickell's emergence to correct.
Marian Hossa, I am hearing, will remain a Blackhawk as long as he wants to play. Coming off shoulder and back injuries and his second Stanley Cup, it is hard to say what Big Hoss will decide to do. In my opinion, Hawk fans should hope Hossa decides to stay. There is no "replacement" for Hossa in the organization, nor really one who can be acquired right now. Aside from his two-way play, Hossa's leadership, example and guidance to young players are really impossible to replace.
I believe Dave Bolland, the hero of Game 6, who formed an unbelievably potent fourth line with Kruger and Frolik in the playoffs, will nonetheless be traded soon. I have heard Montreal, Florida and Toronto as possible destinations. The injury prone Bolland simply makes too much coin with an impending cap reduction. And in Kruger, Danault, Shaw and possibly rookie Joakim Nordstrom, the Hawks have too many potential replacements.
Nick Leddy, due to a contract impasse, could easily be moved.
Stalberg has likely played his last game as a Hawk.
Rozsival and Michal Handzus (who played his best hockey over the last 5 years in the Indianhead) ? Hard to say. Either or both could be back at reduced salaries. Handzus, I heard this morning by the way, is another Hawk about to undergo surgery (wrist).
The offseason should be interesting.
What remains to be seen, for me, is how this more mature core reacts and responds to this Cup. Do they get that dominant killer instinct of past hockey dynasties like the Islanders, Oilers and Wings? Or do they party like it's 2010, show up out of shape and futz their way to another year or two of disappointment?
The truth is, the bruised, battered and tired Hawks deserve a rest and some fun. But there is an historic opportunity with this team to forge something truly special going forward: the first real dynasty of the post-cap era.
All for now,
I will be back with draft, trade and free agency info as I have it. Enjoy the parade everybody!
JJ
Chicago Blackhawks Blogger • 
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