Follow JJ on Twitter @jaeckel!
Walk with me here, dear Reader.
I have come not to praise nor bury Michal Handzus—as his ongoing job as the Hawks' second line center is merely a symptom of a much larger problem.
For the second straight game, the Hawks lost a winnable game to a less talented team that seemed to have a more consistent effort horn to horn.
The days and games continue to peel off the calendar. And although for now, 5th or possibly 4th in the conference looks attainable, home ice throughout the Western playoffs as a top 3 seed (division winner) is looking less and less likely for Chicago.
Further, absent Marian Hossa, the Hawks just don't seem to be getting enough from anyone not named Toews, Kane, Sharp or Saad. Peter Regin had a goal last night by going to the front of the net and redirecting one in—nice work. But the team is not getting enough from Handzus, Bryan Bickell, Andrew Shaw, and Kris Versteeg. Versteeg was pretty good last night, but missed a basically wide open side of the net as well.
Getting a healthy Hossa back will help this club immensely, but it seems more and more Hawk fans are wondering, is that really enough to carry this team back to the Stanley Cup Finals? Can this club overcome the losses of Dave Bolland and Michal Frolik in particular?
More and more it seems, the Hawks and their fans in Blackhawk Nation are turning their lonely eyes to the Finnish SM-Liiga playoffs, where a 20 year old 2012 draftee named Teuvo Teravainen will soon end his season—before joining the Blackhawks.
If the Hawks are going to get a shot in the arm, that's where it's going to come from. Not from Rockford and Jeremy Morin. If that were the case, we would be seeing a lot more of Morin right now.
Barely 180 pounds, if that, Teravainen is a natural center who some project as a right wing in the NHL. He's a smooth skating, highly instinctive, pass first player who can also shoot the puck and handle in traffic. He led a mediocre Jokerit team in scoring this year by a wide margin—and was the youngest player on the team.
But it is a lot to ask of a rookie who's never played a regular season—much less playoff—game in North America to come over in April and help lead an NHL team to glory in May and June. As I've mentioned on the message board since last summer, Marcus Kruger had a nice turn at the same stage of development in the Spring of 2011, coming over from the Swedish Elietserien.
Emphasis on the word 'nice." OK, decent. Not bad. But not what the Hawks need right now.
But that kind of exemplary performance has to be what the Hawks are counting on from Teravainen—unless someone or something else unforeseen jumps up and does the job.
So what can be expected of Teravainen? Well, due to his size, game and experience, he probably isn't going to add anything on the lower two lines. To thrive at the NHL level, he has t be a top 6 guy.
But here's where it gets interesting. IF Teravainen can hold his own on the Hawks' second line as a RW or better still asa center, it gives Joel Quenneville some nice options. Let's say the young Finn can be effective flanking Handzus and Patrick Sharp. Then perhaps Hossa becomes a nice option/luxury at RW for what has been all season an anemic third line.
Or if he can be the long sought 2nd line center, Teravainen allows Q to shuffle Handzus down the lineup to a more fitting third or fourth line role.
Or Teravainen comes in and struggles or is at best inconsistent and the Hawks pray for something else.
Time will tell.
But until then, the Hawks might be pinning a lot of hope on their 2012 1st round draft pick—and that savior is spelled T-E-R-A-V-A-I-N-E-N.
All for now,
JJ