The purpose of this blog is to examine the Blackhawks current depth at the center position, as well as to look into the future to see what type of cavalry is on the way.
If you've been reading here over the last month, you'll know that I like to look back to investigate the past and really take a look at how the Hawks got to where they are; in this case, I want to take a deep dive on how the Hawks got to icing a declining Champion, a big Russian, rotating 3Cs and a converted winger to own their 4 pivot positions this year.
It was just a couple weeks ago it looked like this Blackhawks had turned the corner and a bonafide playoff team. Now, it looks like they are nothing more than a mediocre club in the Western Conference.
I don't want to say lack of skilled (and properly slotted) centermen is the only reason for their sloppy play because there appear to be so many holes on this team. It wouldn't be fair single-out any one issue with this team.
However after watching Jonathan Toews fight the puck and fight off critics so much this year, coupled with Hawks lack of center prospects at the World Junior Tournament (sure, Tim Soderlund can play C, but he looks like more of a winger right now), I wanted to carve out a piece focusing on this area.
It's no secret that Toews is not what he once was. It's also no secret that Toews was one of the main reasons the Hawks can hang their hats on 3 Stanley Cups in a 6-year span.
The Captain's struggles have been documented, most citing that its lingering injuries that have slowed him down. It's hard to argue and I can't defend him as a 10.5M player. However, even when he was in his prime and winning Championships, he had more help on the depth chart than he has currently on this 2017-18 Hawks team.
Let's take a look back:
2009-10 – Toews/Sharp/Bolland/Madden/Fraser
2010-11 – Toews/Sharp/Bolland/Dowell/Ryan Johnson & Marcus Kruger (emerged at year-end for 7 games)
2011-12 – Toews/Sharp/Bolland/Kruger/Shaw & who can forget Brendan Morrison
2012-13 – Toews/Handzus*/Bolland/Kruger
2013-14 – Toews/Handzus/Kruger/Nordstrom/Pirri/Regin
2014-15 – Toews/Richards/Vermette*/Kruger/Desjardins*/Nordstrom
2015-16 – Toews/Anisimov/Kruger/Danault/Rasmussen
2016-17 – Toews/Anisimov/Kruger/Rasmussen/Kero
* acquired at NHL trade deadline
What's the common denominator in the above? Jonathan Toews is the #1 Center for the past 8+ years.
A lot of games later and with that ever-pesky salary present, Toews and the core are older and don't have as much support helping them out.
You can argue that #19's stats are on par with his previous season, and in some respect, you're not wrong. However, I have played, watched and coached a lot of hockey in my time and I'm using the ol' dependable eye test.
Still don't agree? Tell me, does the below sound like the Toews you're going to see suit up on Thursday against Vancouver? (courtesy of my friends at Elite Prospects)
"A terrific two-way center with speed to burn, Toews has great hands and one-on-one moves. With his size, he can also just overpower defenders, out-muscle them. Toews is a great shot as well and an excellent passer of the puck."
- Erik K. Piri, EP (2012)
That was from 2012, so yes, 5+ years ago. But I hate to admit it, but I don't see that player ever coming back. What he is now is a solid, no longer elite, #1C on this team. Due to how quickly he's faded, how much longer will he be in that #1 slot? It could be a while considering who's behind him.
Short-term, Stan is in a really difficult position and his team is not doing him any favours. If this team keeps up this streaky play, they will find themselves fighting for a wild-card spot and unless they show more promise than they have to date, Stan will not be adding to this team.
The onus has been on Toews to win most of the important draws and more so this year as Coach Q's secondary option, Marcus Kruger was shipped out of town. Toews is great at the dot (even though he's getting kicked out more than I'd like this year) but he's won 6,998 faceoffs in the last 8 years(!), the dude can't be the only go-to this year.
I was a little surprised that Stan Bowman didn't do a better job at bringing in a replacement for Kruger to take some pressure off Toews at the dot.
Instead, they tried to implement a plan to move Schmaltz to the middle, which has not panned out. Then, after signing winger, Tommy Wingels, they quickly converted him to be a pivot. This was hardly an acceptable solution.
I was told that's why Jon Mitchell was brought in as a PTO to see if he looked good enough to add to the roster, as he's been a solid faceoff man in the past. The Hawks opted not to go with him and stuck with that they had.
The most pressing need right now for Stan is to acquire a legit 3C who can play up and down the lineup. Player X should be an above average FO specialist with that ability to play a shutdown role. Hmmm… almost sounds like a role that Phillip Danault would have slid into perfectly, but I digress.
If Quenneville was gifted a player with this skill set, he could theoretically build a shutdown line with the likes of Hartman, Hinostroza, Sharp, etc., keep the BANGER line and ride the horses on L1 & L2 with as much offensive zone time as possible.
The only problem is that you have to give to get and teams aren't looking to give strong, 2-way centers away for nothing. Stan will have to get creative.
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Now, long-term, if Toews decline does continue, the Hawks are in trouble.
Artem Anisimov is a solid L2 or L3 center and is on a reasonable contract. He's a smart player and is showing improvement on draws, but he's nothing more than a complimentary player.
Assuming the plan is to have Nick Schmaltz play in the middle long-term, you can assume that he will be Patrick Kane's pivot. If the Hawks hope to win in 2017-18, I don't see this happening full-time until next year, as Nick has to get stronger and become more consistently confident with his game.
So what else do they got?
Here's the look at the ages and contract status for all current Hawks centers and prospects in the system:
NHL
Toews - 29 years old, $10.5M annually, UFA in ‘23-24
Anisimov – 29, $4.55M, UFA in '21-22
Schmaltz – 21, $925k, RFA in '19-20
Wingels – 29, $750k, UFA this summer
Hartman – 23, $863k, RFA this summer
Hinostroza – 23, $717k, RFA this summer
AHL
Kero – 25, $750k, RFA in '19-20
Kampf – 22, $925k, RFA in '19-20
Highmore – 21, $775k, RFA in '20-21
Dauphin – 22, $745k, RFA this summer
L. Johnson – 23, $717k, RFA in '19-20
Nathan Noel – 20, $775k, RFA in '20-21
Tyler Sikura – on a 1-year AHL contract
In the System (all unsigned)
Dylan Sikura
Tim Soderlund
Evan Barratt
Beau Starrett
Sure, there appear to be a lot of options there, but are they any good?
I'm no scout, but I would say there are not any "elite" centers in the pack, but some strong character and role players.
Some that stand out to me that could play a part in the Hawks success in the future includes:
Dylan Sikura – this one is obvious as he's been nothing but a hype-machine this year. This kid stands out as the one that may have the most offensive talent. The only thing is, he's been playing LW primarily this year at Northeastern, so he might not even end up being an option in the middle.
David Kampf – the young Czech is signed into next year and he really impressed the Hawks coaching staff during training camp. He has the skills to be both an offensive and/or potentially a more shutdown type center. His 17 points in 30 games are good for 4th on the IceHogs this year.
Lauren Dauphin – I heard he was targeted specifically as a secondary piece to the Hjalmarsson deal. The Hawks scouted him and hope he can be a Marcus Kruger type. They also are hoping that he can help people forget about Phillip Danault (which Stan still regrets to this date). Expect Dauphin to be resigned in the off-season and fight for a bottom-six role as L3 or L4 C. He won't be handed a spot, but learning under Jeremy Colliton for an entire year is a really, really good thing for him right now.
Luke Johnson – I've been mentioning a lot about the Hawks looking to add more "character" into their lineup and Johnson screams character. He's been working on his craft in the AHL over the last couple seasons. Look for him as a sleeper.
Tim Soderlund – Once again, big character guy, but it looks like he's shaping up to be more of a winger than a C. Keep an eye on him these next couple of weeks at the World Junior Hockey Championships.
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Stan and Co. went heavy on drafting defencemen the last couple of years (which I'm completely on board with) as they know the Keith/Seabrook honeymoon is coming to an end. The next wave of defenders will be on the way and they are hoping that a couple elite D comes out of their recent draft class.
Now, after reviewing the positional depth above, really hoping Mark Kelley and his scouts start to focus on centers as well. I know you take the "best player available", but it's shocking the lack of centers taken in the past 5 years. Also, factor in that a lot of players are drafted as centers with the strong possibility that they will be better wingers as a pro.
2017 Draft
Evan Barratt (C) – 3rd round, 90th overall
Tim Soderlund (LW/C) – 4th round, 112th overall
Parker Foo (LW/C) – 5th round, 144th overall
2016
Nathan Noel (C) – 4th round, 113th overall
2015
John Dahlstrom (C/LW) – 7th round, 211 overall (Mr. Irrelevant)
2014
Nick Schmaltz (C) – 1st round, 20th overall
Beau Starrett (C/LW) – 3rd round, 88th overall
Dylan Sikura (C) – 6th round, 178 overall
2013
John Hayden (C/RW) – 3rd round, 74th overall
Tyler Motte (C/LW) – 5th round, 121st overall
Luke Johnson (C) – 5th round, 134th overall
Anthony Louis (C/LW) – 6th round, 181st overall
That's, 12 out of 42 in since 2013! Will this come back to bite them in the butt?
The Hawks have their work cut out for them and might need a little luck along the way if they look to contend again in the next couple of years. It's scary, in a bad way, when you put Toews-Anisimov-Hartman-Wingels against the teams with the top center depth (IMO by conference):
Western Conference
ANA – Getzlaf / Henrique / Vermette / Grant (…and coming off IR is Kessler)
DAL – Benn / Seguin / Faksa / Hanzal (Spezza as a possibility as well)
Eastern Conference
TB - Stamkos / Point / Gourde / Paquette
NYI – Tavares / Barzal / Nelson / Cizikas
What are your thoughts on the Hawks current status at center?
I'll be back with a gameday preview on Thursday.
See ya out there!
JL
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