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Certainly stranger things have happened than the possibility that the 2014-15 Chicago Blackhawks could go to the Stanley Cup Finals.
Back in the 70’s or the 80's (I forget) there was a “revamped… (and mostly bad) Flintstones series.
But it had a character called SchlepRock (clever, eh?) that always had an angry black cloud over his head. That’s what this year’s Blackhawks club, going in to the playoffs, reminds me of: SchlepRock.
Can’t score. Chemistry seems all bollocksed up. Oh-fer in the last three big games against division foes. And Rundblad.
Rundblad. You know, he’s probably a nice kid. I don't want to pick on him. I just don’t want to see him play hockey anymore—at least not in Chicago.
Kimmo Timonen is supposed to be ok for the playoffs, which renders Rundblad moot, and makes Michal Rozsival the weak link in the Hawks’ defense. Meh, ok. Clearly, Rozsival has very little tread left on the tire. But if they limit his minutes and he keeps his game simple, meh, ok. You can probably get by with that.
Because defense and goaltending are not the problem for this club.
There is a theory, supported more and more by actual events, that the Hawks are just mailing these games in, content with what appears a likely first round matchup on the road against Nashville. And some might take some reassurance from that.
But even if that’s true, the fact remains this team, in the absence of Patrick Kane, can’t score goals. And, its special teams have gotten worse over the last few weeks, at a time when you want them trending upward.
The Hawks were 3-1 versus Nashville in the regular season. The Preds appear to be a team the Hawks can beat in a first-round series. But that record was compiled with Kane in the lineup. And what we are learning is that without Kane, the Hawks really struggle to score, or at least to score on more than one line.
Barring some miraculous switch that the coaching staff can flip with the current roster, it’s beginning to look more and more like the Hawks’ postseason hopes rest on Kane’s return.
Day before yesterday, an ESPN reporter posted some grainy video of Kane blasting some full wind-up one timers. The ranges of motion and skating are there. He just hasn’t taken a hit from Dustin Byfuglien or Shea Weber.
That said, Kane rarely takes big hits square—that’s one of his gifts.
The question is, how fully healed up is that collarbone? Is Kane a miraculous healer? Has the team or his doctors employed something like platelet rich plasma therapy, which some evidence suggests can dramatically speed up fracture healing?
Maybe the team knows something the rest of us don’t.
And I’m a big believer in the Domino Effect created when you add a good (or really good) player to an already pretty good hockey team.
Kane is just one player, but there are few more dynamic, impactful forwards in the game today. Really 2-3 of them at most.
So not only do you get a consistently high point producer back, maybe you get Antoine Vermette going as Kane’s center.
The power play improves.
Jonathan Toews and Marian Hossa start getting some easier defensive and line matchups.
Maybe, with Kane re-igniting the second line, you can bump Brandon Saad back up to first line left wing, where he, Toews and Hossa were dominant most of the season, and move the increasingly frustrating Kris Versteeg back to the third line.
And that’s all really good.
Plus, Kane is rested. And assuming he really is healthy enough to go, well, we all know how he usually delivers in April, May and June.
The other thing is, the eight playoff teams in the West are, to my eye, as evenly matched as they’ve ever been. 3 of the 4 first round series could produce the eventual Western Conference Champion. I’m just not buying the Flames or the Canucks (sorry).
And I really believe the return of Kane, both what it does for the team tactically and practically, but also psychologically—no more angry, little black cloud—would possibly tip the West to the Hawks.
Without him, I doubt they get out of the first round.
I’ll have a Colorado preview tomorrow.
JJ