You know it's the hockey dog days of late summer, when you spend a Saturday afternoon breaking down game play of Lance Bouma.
All that said, there's no better way to evaluate how a player will fit into your lineup than to watch him play—and more specifically how he plays.
I've been saying all summer that, in acquiring Brandon Saad, Laurent Dauphin, Connor Murphy, Tommy Wingels and Bouma, the Hawks got a little younger, bigger and faster up and down the ice.
Better? Some have made a compelling argument to the contrary.
But I've also been saying that you can't evaluate summer additions and subtractions simply by a player's goals, assists, and +/- with their former teams.
In looking at stats away from the puck, and watching game tape of Murphy, Wingels, Dauphin and Bouma in particular, a few common characteristics really jump out.
First, the Hawks are going to finish a lot more checks this year. I know, I know, the more checks you finish, the less you possess the puck. And these players' hit numbers in the last couple of years had something to do with the overall possession quality of their previous teams.
That said, there's a smart time and situation to deliver a hit and a dumb one. And it can be argued, the Hawks of recent vintage really never delivered dumb hits. Or smart ones. To a fault.
Time will tell. But clearly, Stan Bowman was looking for more pushback and physicality this summer. It's almost undeniable.
Another characteristic in common is that Bouma, Wingels and Dauphin are all capable of forechecking aggressively. Could be another clue as to how the Hawks plan to play this year.
Finally, Murphy and Bouma (especially) are willing and able shotblockers.
If you effectively forecheck and block shots, not to mention backcheck effectively, you will disrupt the movement of the puck from the other end into yours and on your net—which is a good thing.
Conversely, by improving overall team speed and adding capable finishers with speed on the left wing in Brandon Saad and Patrick Sharp, Bowman seems to be looking to engineer the opposite effect on the Hawks' transition from their zone up the ice.
Hey, it's all theory 'til they drop the puck and play the games. But, again, it appears there was a specific design to the offseason moves Bowman undertook.
And none of this is particularly glamorous. But it may end up making the Hawks (truly) tougher to play against—the appropriate response to at least one theory as to why the Hawks were so easily vanquished against the Nashville Predators in round one of the 2017 playoffs.
Not to mention faster and possibly deeper overall in actual NHL experience.
Just more analysis of the summer moves while we are in a lull—and the rumor mill is quiet. I'll be back with more as I hear it.
JJ
Chicago Blackhawks Blogger • 
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