(This is the first of a 2-installment series on the state of the Blackhawks as we near mid-season. The second—coming some time in the next two weeks—will deal with Jonathan Toews, Marian Hossa and what used to be thought of as the Hawks' top line.)
No one outside the Blackhawks braintrust really knows (today) what Stan Bowman was thinking when he signed off on the deal that would bring Trevor Daley and Ryan Garbutt to Chicago in exchange for Patrick Sharp and Stephen Johns.
The team had hoped—all summer long to that point—that it might be able to clear some salary some other way and retain UFA Johnny Oduya. Oduya had held out despite higher dollar offers elsewhere, in hopes of re-upping in Chicago for less money. But even that “less money… wasn’t there as Bowman scrambled to figure out another post-Cup salary cap mess.
You have to think Bowman thought Daley—with ten years under his belt and a $3.3 million per year cap hit, would slide into Oduya’s #4 slot next to Niklas Hjalmarsson—and although Daley was somewhat different than Oduya stylistically—he was a veteran, mobile, left-side defenseman—and Bob’s Your Uncle—problem solved.
Didn’t work out that way.
There were whispers later in the summer that Daley was behind schedule in rehabbing from hip surgery—and might not be able to report to camp. He did, but who knows if that hampered him somehow.
Maybe. Maybe not. Whatever the case, the full story of why Daley was such a (relative) flop in Chicago may never be fully known. One thing is certain, the coaching staff didn’t love his game when he showed up. And that left an immediate hole where Oduya had spent 20:32 average TOI last regular season.
The answer? Second year player Trevor van Riemsdyk. And that’s the gist of this narrative: neither Daley (obviously) nor van Riemsdyk (in actuality) have replaced Oduya.
Not only is van Riemsdyk skating with top 4 partners (typically Brent Seabrook or Oduya’s old partner Niklas Hjalmarsson), he is averaging nearly exactly what Oduya was in TOI: 20:17.
It was a tall order—all else being equal— to ask a guy with under 20 regular season NHL games to assume that role. Add to that the fact that van Riemsdyk (AKA TVR) has been asked to play his off side more often than not.
Van Riemsdyk is -6 at this point of the season, projecting to -15. Oduya was +6 last year.
This isn’t an indictment of TVR either. He has ability and upside. But right now he’s a good third pairing defenseman and a so-so at best 2nd pairing defenseman.
Oduya was a good one.
You can hide a flaw for a game or two, or even a stretch of the regular season. But eventually, over the course of a season, and certainly a playoff series, your flaws will be exposed and expolited. Again, TVR isn’t a bad player at all. But on a team expected to contend for the Cup, he might not be up to the specific task being asked of him. Further, and perhaps more importantly, there is a serious depth issue on the Hawk blueline.
Hence, the title of the blog. There is a domino effect on a blueline when you subtract—and don’t adequately replace—a key cog. Guys get moved into positions and minutes they aren’t completely ready for. And more stress is put on everyone top to bottom.
How could anyone forget the epic performance of the Hawk top four in the last two rounds of the playoffs last year, after #5 defenseman Michal Rozsival took a devastating ankle injury.
Ideally, you want van Riemsdyk to be that #5 depth going into the playoffs this year. Because if not, and Duncan Keith, Seabrook or Hjalmarsson take an injury, the Circus that was the Hawks’ third pair last Spring now expands to the Hawks’ second pair—and a quick playoff elimination.
Imagine a second pair of TVR and Rozsival or Erik Gustafsson lining up against the Wild or the Kings.
Stan Bowman didn’t rectify the situation—but at least gave himself a bit more wiggle room to do so—with the trade of Daley the other day. He now has $2 million in cap room (roughly speaking). A legit veteran second pairing guy is going to cost around $3.5-4.5 million per season, so there would need to be a little more salary going the other way, or some other cap reduction before that point.
Back to the present moment:
Edmonton Oilers at Chicago Blackhawks 7:30PM Central/6:30 Mountain SportsNet Oilers/SN/CSN Chicago
THE BUZZ
7-2-1 in their last ten, the Oilers are one of the league's hotter teams. The Blackhawks are coming off a 3-0 home loss versus a team with a similar profile to that of the Oil: young and fast. The Oilers are a middle of the pack on both special teams, where the Blackhawks (ranked 3rd on the PP and 10th on the PK) could have some advantage.
I'll recap tomorrow.