The Blackhawks suffered another loss last night on home ice, and another one in a game they should have won. Full marks to the Winnipeg Jets, who apparently didn't get the memo that the Hawks are the greatest team in NHL history—and kept playing until the final horn. That sort of effort typically gets rewarded in the NHL.
Continuing the theme of the last blog, the Blackhawks, as currently composed, do not have the margin for error they once had.
On the Jets 3rd and game winning 4th goals, the Hawks defensive zone coverage was lackadaisical at best. On the 4th, the normally defensively stellar Marcus Kruger seemed lost in a personal reverie in the slot while the opposing center swung out to the right circle and beat Scott Darling clean, high glove side.
There were positives for the Hawks: Michal Kempny broke a string of rough games and had a pretty good night. Richard Panik was a physical presence up and down the ice. Jonathan Toews is continuing to look healed up and back to being, well, Jonathan Toews.
The really tough thing about last night's loss, like the one the previous game versus the Lightning, is the Hawks played very well for large portions of the game. But they also played poorly for long enough portions to lose to a sub-500 team.
But evidence seems to be mounting that sub-500 teams in the Eastern Conference might be tougher than those in the West. But that is a topic for another blog.
As far as rumors, things have heated up a lot in the last 48 hours. Apparently there is a lot going on.
I got confirmation that Toews' back was, in fact, injured in the World Cup. He played through it until he had to be shut down, and is only just now getting back to 100%.
Toews also, I'm told, has been quietly lobbying the front office for more help at forward. And the team is actively, very actively pursuing a range of options. IN addition to the three Red Wing forwards previously discussed here (Nyquist, Tatar, Vanek), the Hawks have had conversations as recently as the last two days with Toronto about James van Riemsdyk, and with Colorado about Jarome Iginla and defenseman Fedor Tyutin. Iginla feels like a fallback move at best.
And there is at least one other forward zeroed in on the team's radar that I am not at liberty to share at the moment. There are discussions, parameters of a deal have been discussed. And it's a deal that makes a lot of sense for both teams.
I have also heard Patrick Sharp's name mentioned more than once, but to me that sounds more like internet speculation at this point—and the kind of "feel good" move for the fanbase the front office might pull if they failed on other moves they'd prefer to complete.
For the right player, the Hawks appear willing to slightly shake up their core and send a larger salary the other way, along with a higher profile prospect and other futures.
While the recent losses and overall inconsistent play might lead some to wonder (as admittedly I have here) if the Hawks might just stand pat at the deadline. But the reality is, the Hawks are 1-2 players—the right players—away from being a serious, deep Cup threat. Without those 1-2 players, despite the youth movement hype, they are likely a 6-game out in the first round. Seems like a big swing? Well remember, adding a quality top 6 player allows a player slotted over his head to slide back down and improve a lower line. There is a "multiplier effect."
And based on what I have heard in the last 24 hours, the players the Hawks are both targeting and willing to part with might be the right combination to get them where they want to be for April.
I will share more in the next 2-3 days. For now, here are the names I've heard, my confidence in the information (graded A-F), and the likelihood I see of it happening (%). I will keep this chart updated.
Player X (forward) A 55% Tomas Vanek (LW) B+ 35% Tomas Tatar (C/W) B- 25% James van Riemsdyk B 20% Luke Schenn (D) B 20% Kevin Connauton (D) B 15% Jarome Iginla (RW) A 15% Fedor Tyutin (D) A 15% Gustav Nyquist (C/W) B- 10% Patrick Sharp (W) C- 10%
JJ