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So while all of Blackhawk Nation waits for the other shoe ('other shoe' as in which veteran will get moved to get the Hawks under the salary cap by the time the weather cools a bit), I offer my hopes at what fate and rest and conditioning and maturation might bring the current Blackhawk roster.
JONATHAN TOEWS, NIKLAS HJALMARSSON AND MARIAN HOSSA
Health, rest, recuperation.
All three players were allegedly really dinged up in the WCF and played through it. All three have sustained some pretty tough injuries the last, long couple of seasons. And each plays the game hard.
PATRICK KANE AND BRAD RICHARDS
Chemistry.
The kind that could make Kane a 90-100pt. per season player and add a little kick of youth to Richards' waning career. Richards, as a playmaker, is a huge step up over what Kane's had as his pivot for most of the last three years.
BRANDON SAAD
Confidence.
Saad began to dominate late in the WCF, using his full arsenal of tools against the Kings. It would be great news for the Hawks if Saad picked up, in his third season, right where he left off.
STAN BOWMAN
A good deal.
The odds of someone just taking the salary of either Kris Versteeg or Michal Rozsival off the Hawks' hands now are not high. Neither player has a ton of value at their price really anywhere in the NHL. So Bowman might be forced to deal a more valuable asset like Patrick Sharp, Johnny Oduya or Nick Leddy. You would hope he gets back some size (accompanied by some NHL playing ability) at the forward position—for a small team that got smaller in the offseason.
TEUVO TERAVAINEN
The patience of an unrealistic fan base.
Many Hawk fans had the 170 pound Finn penciled in as the Hawks' second line center in 2014-15 before the Zamboni cleaned the ice after Game 7 of the 2014 WCF. Problem was, the Hawks didn't. It remains to be seen when (not if) Teravainen will become a permanent fixture on the Hawks.
Fans might need more patience with him than they realize. he's still young, has played very little in North America and he's physically very immature. and he might start on the wing and stay there for a while.
NICK LEDDY
Awareness.
Leddy has all the physical tools. He just needs the lights to go on and stay on, especially around his own net and when he uses his speed to skate the puck up ice and into the offensive zone. It's all mental with him.
MARCUS KRUGER
Meatballs.
Kruger is still physically maturing. The more strength he adds, the more his physical game will catch up with his superior mental game.
BRYAN BICKELL
Consistency.
Bickell just needs to bring it every night, especially during the regular season.
ANTTI RAANTA AND COREY CRAWFORD
The next level.
Both of these guys need to get better under new goaltending coach Jimmy Waite. For starter Crawford, it's just about consistency. And gaining a bit of lockdown confidence, reflected in more shutouts and one-goal games than has been the case to this point in his career. He needs to make the leap from good, but doubted goalie to truly elite goaltender. Raanta needs a lot of technical polish and with that should come more confidence as well. Because if Crawford goes down, Raanta is what ya got, Hawk fans.
JOEL QUENNEVILLE AND STAFF
A good powerplay and penalty kill in the same season, not just one or the other. If the Hawks can grab that brass ring, they could return to glory in 2015.
That's all for now,
JJ
Chicago Blackhawks Blogger • 
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