Let's get down to it, shall we?

Marian Hossa is a great hockey player. Would his presence in the lineup last night have prevented the Blackhawks from losing to a beleaguered Devils team that had no business winning at the UC? Maybe.

But I'm not sure Hossa and/or Dave Bolland is enough of an answer for a team that isn't physical or disciplined enough night in and night out.

Give the Devils credit; they followed the age-old prescription to beat the Hawks. Jam up the center of the ice, keep them on the perimeter in the offensive zone.

But as I blogged earlier this year, the Blackhawks, especially the front office and the vast marketing apparatus, need to be aware of something: that loud flatulent noise last night was the air coming out of the balloon.

The Party is, indeed, over.

And that's the problem, the ranks are thinner, critical leaders like Duncan Keith and Jonathan Toews (after the Olympics and the playoffs last season) just . . . look . . . tired. The Hawks are simply not closing any deals. I tweeted last night that the Hawks were about to lose another game 3-2. They outshot the opposition, controlled much of the play, but lost by a late goal.

So, there are 67 games left to play. It's a bit too early to throw in the towel, is it not?

What to do?

Well, you can wait to get healthy and pray that you stay healthy (which would mitigate the larger fatigue issue). But I'm not sure that's going to work or even that it, by itself, would be enough.

The question I would ask is this? Where's this year's Kris Versteeg or Nik Hjalmarsson or Troy Brouwer of a couple of years ago? Where's the energy going to come from?

I love what Jake Dowell is bringing to the lower lines. Great. I have no problem with the role Fernando Pisani plays. Viktor Stalberg could be better along the boards, but he makes things happen in transition and in the offensive zone and his speed has to be reckoned with by the other team.

Bryan Bickell loses too many board battles for a man his size. Jack Skille brings energy (and that helped pull the Hawks to 4-3 last night, albeit too late), but makes a lot of bad defensive and puck decisions. He is fighting Radim Vrbata for the league lead in the unaccounted for stats of overhandling the puck, not passing when they should and shots into the side of the net.

Last night, John Scott and Jordan Hendry played forward, with Jassen Cullimore at defense— and Ben Smith, Ryan Potulny, Igor Makarov, Kyle Beach, Jeff Taffe and Jeremy Morin in Milwaukee playing against the Admirals.

Huh?

I am not a capologist, a cap geek or a cap gunner. But if the cap is the reason for this misapplication of talent, then Stan Bowman has some work to do. if it's not, then he and Joel Quenneville need to have their heads examined.

Simple as that.

Let me put it more bluntly. If Keith, Brent Seabrook, Brian Campbell, Hjalmarsson and Nick Boynton are healthy, then Hendry, not Cullimore, is your 6th defenseman.

That said, Scott should be in the press box most nights.

That essentially creates two roster spots for the aforementioned Ice Hogs. Taffe, a former 1st round draft pick who can play center and wing, has 8 points in 10 games for Rockford, including the game tying goal last night, and the winner in the shootout. He's also played nearly 200 NHL games.

Most Hawk fans and you'd think the Hawk brass have seen that Smith can play in the NHL.

Potulny had 15 goals last year in Edmonton.

Makarov can skate, defend, score and win pucks in the corners. He also has extensive pro experience in the KHL.

As the Hawks sink in the standings, and possibly below .500 after Friday night's game in Atlanta against the Thrash-Hawks, it's not fair to put all the blame on the Skilles and Bickells. And Scott and Hendry didn't pencil their name s in at forward last night— Quenneville did.

But the question also needs to be asked: where is the next difference maker?

Do you want to win, or prove to the world that Jack Skille can be the next Kris Versteeg— whatever that's really worth on the ice.

And let's be clear: I don't know that any of the players at Rockford will come in and light it up. I do know that there is enough talent there in terms of guys who have produced (something) at the NHL level, four former first round draft picks, guys who played well in the exhibition season— to at least take a broader look.

Or stick with a guy like Smith who brings the grit and activity around the play to help you win— as he did in Minnesota the other night and throughout the preseason.

That phone ringing, Stan? It's your wake up call. Answer it.


Thanks for reading,

JJ

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