There are 4 games left and then the Blackhawks players, management and coaches can get back to work.
For the players, there will be some downtime, then right back to the gym. For the GM, Scouts and other executives, they will be focused on the busy summer with the entry draft and free agency. For the young coaching staff, they will surely be watching a lot of IceHogs hockey and NHL playoff hockey as they search for improvement in their teaching ways.
Here are the remaining 4 games:
Monday, April 1st - Home vs. Jets
Wednesday, April 3rd - Home vs. Blues
Friday, April 5th - Home vs. Stars
Saturday, April 6th - Road vs. Predators
Here are 10 thoughts that came from my brain after this weekend:
* Nick Schmaltz signed a 7-year deal for 5.85M per year. When in Chicago, the initial thought was Schmaltz would be around 6M x 6 years if he resigned with this offseason. This appears to be in line but happy the Coyotes are paying him this amount and not Chicago. I always loved Schmaltz's speed and creativity but it became evident that he was not fitting within Chicago's top 6 right from the beginning of the season. The decision to send Schmaltz to Arizona for Strome and Perlini may prove to be one of Stan Bowman's best moves as the Blackhawks GM.
* Wow, what to do with Erik Gustafsson? I have had so many feelings about him this season with the strongest geared towards his lack of caring towards the defensive side of his game. However, I will say that he's had better moments on the defensive side in the last 10 games; he's a +7, has been more physical (had 8 hits on March 23rd vs. COL) and with his 17th goal of the season vs. LA, I'm torn on his future with Chicago.
If the Hawks decide to invest in Gustafsson, his next contract - due in the summer 2020 – it will be of significant money (around $5-6M per is my guess) for multiple years and at that amount, he will need to play in the top 4. The Hawks desperately need to revamp their backend by bringing in a couple proven defenders, but I worry that Stan will mostly leave it as is.
My guess is its Keith, Seabrook, Murphy, Gustafsson, Jokiharju that will be here (unless traded) and with Dahlstrom resigned, there isn't much room to improve this defence. Maybe Murphy or Gustafsson will be moved?
* Corey Crawford has started 12 consecutive games and has been incredible in almost all of them. What a tough situation Stan will be in this summer as he evaluates the goaltending position.
Colin Delia appears to be set to be the backup but don't be surprised to see a veteran signed to a contract or PTO to challenge the depth of that position. I also wouldn't be surprised if the Hawks sign Anton Forsberg as a depth option as he's been really good in the AHL. He's still just 26 years old and mastered that league; there is still a chance that he turns out to be a valuable NHL asset one day soon.
* Drake Caggiula returned to the lineup on Saturday night vs. LA and was his normal feisty self. He is the exact type of character player that I would like to see Stan target in free agency this summer. Brandon Tanev is a player that I would like to see them approach on July 1st.
* Rockford IceHogs back on the losing train. They fell 5-2 to the Chicago Wolves on Sunday afternoon. They are currently 7th in the Central Division but are just 3 points out of 4th place. They will need to dig deep and they only have 6 games left to do so.
* Brandon Hagel and Reese Johnson made their debuts this week and are expecting to help the cause in Rockford as they push for the playoffs. They were both held off the scoresheet in their first couple of games though. Chad Krys, on the other hand, has 3 assists in his first 2 games.
* Dennis Gilbert's stock has shot up this year. He began the year-in-and-out of the lineup, but it didn't take him long to be a staple on the backend for Derek King. Originally, it seemed that Blake Hillman was a guy that had the edge on the depth chart, but Gilbert has been solid and has passed him on the charts. It will be interesting to see if he ends up as an NHLer in Chicago or elsewhere.
* Ian Mitchell is moving on to the Frozen Four. Will he sign after his season with Denver ends? It sounds like he will. With the number of dmen in the system, Mitchell might be best served to get his time in with Rockford now to help prepare him for his NHL career. It's subject to change but the timeline for the "big 4" in my opinion (/if it were my call) is looking like Jokiharju (19-20), Beaudin (20-21), Mitchell (20-21), Boqvist (21-22). But that can change at any point depending on how these players develop over the years.
* Keep an eye on the ice time of players in these remaining games; it may uncover who's been playing hurt, who Coach Colliton is really rewarding with ice time and who may (or may not) be here next year. The guy I'm curious about is John Hayden. I'd like to see the guy get into a couple of games before the season ends.
* Let the trials begin! I know Rockford is in the hunt for the playoffs, but I wouldn't be surprised to see an IceHog or two pop up for a cup of coffee. Depending on the severity of David Kampf's injury, that might be sooner than later.
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Enjoy the games this week, team, it will be the last 4 we see in a while.
See ya out there!
JL
Chicago Blackhawks Blogger • 
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