Over the next few blogs I’ll be looking at the Central Division and what they have done (or not done) to improve themselves in the offseason, I will start at the bottom of the division and work my way up. First up, last season’s last place team the Chicago Blackhawks.
Last Season – 33-39-10 – 76 points, finished 7th in the Central Division, 13th in the Western Conference. Missed playoffs by 19 points for Chicago’s first playoff miss in 10 years.
Key stat from last season – -27 - The Blackhawks blueline suffered last season, along with the lack of Corey Crawford in net.
Subtractions - Marian Hossa (retired), Patrick Sharp (retired)
Additions - G Cam Ward, F Chris Kunitz
The BIG Question - When does Corey Crawford return? I don’t want to lay it all here… but you may need to. Crawford’s injury signaled the downfall of the Hawks last season, not sure if Cam Ward is the answer, you wonder how much gas Ward has left in the tank. If Crawford is out for a significant amount of time, this team is in real trouble.
2018/19 Outlook - This is still a team with a lot of talent. Any team that boasts a power couple of Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane at forward certainly needs to be taken seriously; but the questions are coming fast and furious. After two “down… seasons, is Toews on the down side. Is Kane able to still deliver the goods? After a great run of three Cups is six seasons, is the Cup window still open for this iteration of the Chicago Blackhawks or did Nashville emphatically slam that window shut with their opening round sweep in 2017? Panic moves in the 2017 offseason and a defense that seems to get leakier and creakier with each passing year does not portend well. That being said, there is help on the not-to-distant horizon in Adam Boqvist, a smart, puck moving d-man that may make an impact this season.
Best Case/Worst Case - The best case scenario for Chicago is that Corey Crawford returns fully healthy and stays that way, Kane and Toews reclaim their former glory, Brent Seabrook and Duncan Keith manage to make one last stand as the team summons up all of their pride and squeak into the playoffs. Worst case? None of that happens and they are in the mix to “lose for Hughes.…
Once you get past the stars on this team, the depth is questionable. There is some young talent, but the old contracts could hamstring this team for years to come. In a brutal division like the Central, I just don’t see this team moving up in the standings much unless another team has a serious fall.
It’s going to be a strange year at the UC.
Next up, the Dallas Stars.
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Random Notes
- Every Ryan Johansen detractor needs to read this article on tsn.ca… The Evolution of Ryan Johansen. Great read from Travis Yost.
- Thanks heavens for The Athletic, Craig Custance has a really good read on NHL Team Tiers
- Interesting stories developing around the league with RFA’s that are unsigned, players like Sam Reinhart, William Nylander, Darnell Nurse, Nick Ritchie and Shea Theodore. Bears watching.
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