Continuing Through the NHL’s Central Division– The Chicago Blackhawks Review

What a great year it was for the Chicago Blackhawks.  They managed to become relevant again in the NHL’s Western Conference going all the way to the Conference finals before coming up short against the Detroit Red Wings.  Chicago is a very good all-around team, and is likely to get better as its young core of talented players matures over the next few years.  Among the things that can derail the Blackhawks are youthful overconfidence and a hangover effect after such an exhilarating season, and complacence after Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews land long-term extensions at some point.  Toews had a solid season, if not necessarily the complete breakout campaign that might have been expected. But let’s not quibble about a 21-year-old who has already scored 58 goals and is a combined plus-23 through his first two seasons. He’s a player that the Blackhawks ought to feel comfortable building around.  Alongside Toews frequently skates Kane, a small but skilled winger.  While he is a creative offensive player, his play without the puck needs work as his minus-2 rating was worst among the Blackhawks’ regular forwards even though he was the team’s second-leading scorer with 70 points.  With 62 goals over the past two seasons, Patrick Sharp has emerged as a terrific scoring threat, though he probably remains underrated. When he’s healthy, Sharp has electrifying speed and he’s an excellent complementary scoring threat.  Massive winger Dustin Byfuglien was inconsistent through much of the season, but had his moments in the postseason when he used his size to be a powerful presence in front of the opposition net.  He still has untapped offensive potential and could be a 30-goal scorer, even if most of them are of the ugly variety.

But perhaps the biggest change that the Blackhawks made this offseason has been the signing of former Detroit Red Wing and Pittsburgh Penguins star forward Marian Hossa.  Hossa will surely be a boost to an offense that also saw its best offensive player Martin Havlat depart for the Minnesota Wild when free agency started this summer.  All in all the Blackhawks offense is definitely the teams major strength.

Now the defense.  While he’s been overlooked at times, Brent Seabrook’s standout performance in the postseason should ensure that is no longer the case. He’s durable, having missed just one game in the last three seasons, and handles big minutes against the opposition’s best. Seabrook could contribute more offensively, but there’s little to complain about following his career-best plus-23 season.  Smooth-skating Duncan Keith continues to improve, finishing last season with career highs in points (44) and plus-minus (plus-33). Though he doesn’t have ideal size, Keith is a difference-maker on the blueline and is entering his prime, so he should be a fixture for the Blackhawks.

The one area where the Blackhawks are below average is killing penalties.  They’re going to have to be able to shut down other teams’ powerplay units if they want to ensure themselves a place in the Stanley Cup finals.  For sure you have to be able to shut down the Red Wings which has proved to be a very difficult task.    Fourth-line centre Adam Burish doesn’t offer a lot of scoring, with 17 points in 156 career games, but he’s an in-your-face agitator; a useful player at a reasonable price who if used right can be a huge plus to the penalty killing unit.  Look for the Blackhawks to improve in this area during the season.

It was surprising enough when the Blackhawks shelled out big money for goaltender Cristobal Huet as a free agent last summer, especially since they already had Nikolai Khabibulin under contract and Chicago was firmly committed to opening the season with Huet as the number one goaltender.  However, a slow start from Huet provided Khabibulin an opportunity for redemption and he responded with his best season in a Blackhawk uniform and then parlayed that into a multi-year multi-million dollar deal with the Edmonton Oilers.  Huet still has to prove he’s worth his huge deal in the wake of Khabibulin’s departure.  If not then the Blackhawks have internal options available to take over for Huet, as Antti Niemi and Corey Crawford are both on the verge of being ready for NHL action.

Chicago will once again make it deep into the playoffs because their core is extremely strong.  Anything less than making it to the cup finals will surely be a major disappointment to the team, its management and all its fans because this team is primed and ready for greatness.