Sorry for the delay on this one team! Life's been busy.
Alas, the Blackhawks have announced the roster that they will be
Off the top of my head, here's a very top-level look at how the lineup could look:
Kurashev - Dach - Entwistle
Hagel - R. Johnson - McLaughlin
Soderlund - Hakkarainen - Teply
Coughlin - Bignell - Nurse
McKay/Element
Gilbert - Boqvist
Beaudin - Ryczek
Krys - Ramsey
Moberg
Gravel
Marchand
Daws
Obviously, I have no idea how it's going to shake out but wanted to put it into a lineup to add some perspective.
At a glance, I like how the goaltending and defence looks coming into this tournament and believe it will be an area of strength.
Looking forward to seeing Alexis Gravel play; he could be a difference-maker for this team.
Chase Marchand is apart of the Indy Fuel, so nice for him to get an opportunity to show the Blackhawks brass a little more.
Nico Daws comes in as the 3rd goalie. I know nothing about him other than he plays for Guelph in the OHL and hails from the city I currently live in (Burlington, ON).
On the backend, I think the Adam Boqvist show will continue this offseason. I can see him paired with either Dennis Gilbert or Nicolas Beaudin. Boqvist and Beaudin have played a bit together in prospect camp and compliment each other well.
Excited to see the forgotten guy, Chad Krys as well. It's a great stage for him to show off his skills and maybe replace Jokiharju as the 4th horseman along with Boqvist, Mitchell and Beaudin.
Up front, looks solid. Not outstanding, but solid. I have a feeling that this prospects lineup will have trouble scoring.
That is, unless Kirby Dach, MacKenzie Entwistle and Philip Kurashev can carry the load.
This also might be a coming-out party for Brandon Hagel. He was one of the best forwards in the developmental camp and I can see him thriving in a tournament like this.
Fun Facts:
* Riley McKay – looks like the Hawks have brought along Kirby Dach's teammate and bodyguard from the Saskatoon Blades. McKay played on Dach's Blades last year racking up 149 PIMs.
* Isaac Nurse – the invitee is the cousin of Darnell Nurse and the nephew of former NFLer, Donavon McNabb. He also played 3 years in Hamilton (OHL) alongside Entwistle.
* Tim Soderlund – this is the first time playing in North America since the 2017-18 WJHC. For the record, some say it was some of the best hockey he's ever played (7 games – 2 goals, 3 assists). His game might be better suited for the smaller ice. By all accounts his defensive game should be really solid, however, I'm more excited to see if he can contribute offensively in NA.
* Coaches - Chicago will send IceHogs Head Coach Derek King, Assistant Coach Anders Sorensen, Developmental Goaltending Coach Peter Aubry and Video Coach Adam Gill to coach these youngsters.
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Other housekeeping items around the league include:
* CBA talks
This is a good thing. Fingers crossed hockey continues with no stoppages for a long time.
* Cam Ward retires – I know he was only a Chicago Blackhawk for a year, but he played hard and did all he could when called upon. Most importantly, he was a stand-up veteran and have heard he left an impact on some of the younger players on the team last year with his leadership – especially Collin Delia.
Ward has signed a 1-day deal with Carolina to retire as a Hurricane. All the best in your next journey, Cam.
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Next on the agenda is our 2nd preview in the Central Division comes to us in the form of the Winnipeg Jets.
Once again, the format will be straight-forward with a 2018-19 Recap, Additions, Subtractions, Projected Lineup and an outlook on the 2019-20 season.
2018-19 Recap:
The Winnipeg Jets had real nice regular season according to the standings. They finished with 99 points, good for 2nd in the Central and 4th in the Western Conference.
Their season ended early though with a defeat to the eventual Champs, the Blues in a 6 game series.
They will need to overcome those demons this year to try to take that next step in the post-season as they are primed to win now.
In the regular season though, there were some concerns in my eyes.
WIN was 7th in GF (270) but 15th in GA (243).
However, when looking at 5-on-5 play, they fall to 12th in GF (168) and 16th GA 5-on-5 ranked (163) leaving them only +5 in even-strength play. That's more average than I would like to see from a team that people were looking at as a Stanley Cup contender.
I bounce-back year from Patrick Laine would really help. The guy had two insanely bad droughts where he only scored 2 goals in like 41 games. Woof.
Let's see what GM Chevy was up to this offseason to help "improve" his team:
Who's IN: Pionk, G. Bourque
Who's OUT: Trouba, Myers, Chiarot, Tanev, Morrow, K. Hayes
Projected Lineup:
Connor – Scheifele – Wheeler
Ehlers – Little – Laine
Perreault – Lowry – Roslovic
Vesalainen – Copp – Appleton
Morrissey – Byfuglien
Kulikov – Pionk
Beaulieu – Niku
Hellebuyck
Brossoit
2019-20 Outlook:
Hmm… doesn't look like much of an improvement in my books.
Losing 3 of your top 6 defenders is never a recipe for success. Sure, they get Neal Pionk who will need to slide into the top 4 with ease for this to go well.
Then, there is the Laine and Connor uncertainty. I believe Connor gets done sooner than Laine and there is a possibility the Laine gets moved. He doesn't seem to be thrilled with the way his negotiation is going (more on that from Peter Tessier below).
Listen, I still like the Jets and think they are a solid team. However, I don't have them as a Cup Contender right now.
As I mentioned above, their goals against were middle of the pack last year and when you lose 3 key defencemen, I don't see how it's going to improve. Hellebuyck is going to see a lot of rubber this year and will need to be up to the task.
Also, I believe Paul Maurice is on the hot seat. If the Jets start off slow (maybe with the cloud of 1 or 2 unsigned RFAs over the team), he might be shown the door.
Their time to win is now, however, I don't think they have done enough this offseason to help take the next step.
Below, we have fellow HB writer with his take on the Laine situation:
Peter Tessier's Take:
"When Laine said, "Well I've got nothing bad to say about Winnipeg, you know?," Laine told Johnston. "It's been good so far. But you never know." there sure leaves a lot to interpretation. Thats fine, if he's smart he knows this business has some change in it that happens quickly. I also appreciate what TSN 1290's Jim Toth said on Twitter yesterday that "Laine has a number in mind". There might be an understanding from Laine and his agent Mike Liut about where that is and should the Jets not want to be there they are open to moving.
Standing by your worth is never a bad idea but your valuation has to be in reality and there are some cold hard realities in the NHL. Wingers get paid less than centres, UFAs will earn more than RFAs except for the rarest of exceptions, and consistency matters. That's why the Stones and Kanes and Kucherovs make what they do and what guarantee is it that Laine will reach their level of play?"
(Source: Peter Tessier, https://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog/Peter-Tessier/Taking-stock-of-Laines-recent-comments/161/100977)
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Thoughts on the Jets?
See ya out there!
JL
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