The Hawks won a real gunslinger of a game the other night vs. Ottawa. An 8-7 game doesn't happen very often, however, it's not a surprise considering the Hawks and Sens are the two worse defensive teams in the league.
The Hawks now find themselves 1 point out of a playoff spot and with a win tonight vs. the Red Wings and a loss by Colorado (they play Winnipeg), the Hawks would be in the last Wild Card spot. I didn't think we would see the day where that was possible this season after the way this Blackhawks team dug themselves into the basement of the league.
Last blog, I looked at the
"Bold" Predictions for the Blackhawks leading up to the trade deadline. Now, we move to the "Not-So-Bold" options – the more realistic predictions for what Stan and Co. will be doing over the next week.
I still don't think the Hawks will be buyers, nor do I get a sense that Bowman will make any splashy moves either. His team has put him in a tough position and one that might hinder him from making much noise at all. The only "noise" being made right now is the fact that this team is this much closer to the postseason.
There is a lot of hockey to be played still and if the Western Conference continues to live in mediocrity, then this race will go down to the wire.
Here is a realistic look ahead to what we should expect from now until 3pm on Feb 25th:
1) Chicago stands pat at deadline and looks to continue to push for postseason
* I've heard the Hawks have been struggling with their position in this renewed race for the postseason but don't worry it's not Hockey Ops that is concerned, it's more the PR/Marketing teams. The Hawks have some life injected back into the UC and want to keep up the optics (and ticket sales) since their newfound winning ways. If Bowman doesn't make a move, I won't be totally surprised, but I won't say I think it's the right move.
2) Bowman signs Evan Barratt and Ian Mitchell, claims they are just his deadline acquisitions
* Barratt has been nominated for the Hobey Baker Award this year thanks to his breakout season and Mitchell has had been identified as a part of the Blackhawks future on the blueline since his draft year. Stan has used this line before as recently as last year with the talk of Dylan Sikura's arrival and how this was as good as any deadline move they were going to make. The big question is – can Barratt and Mitchell make an impact this year or is this just an easy way out for Stan?
3) Blackhawks make minor tweaks, keep eye on future
* The most plausible (and smartest) option, in my opinion, is the above; I can see Bowman making minor moves for with names like Kruger, Hayden, Forsling, Koekkoek, etc. changing addresses. The return won't be much outside of draft picks/prospects, but those assets help stay the course to retool as well as frees up more room on the roster. The other plan might be to give Colliton the ability to evaluate players in the system (Johnson, Highmore, Ejdsell, Carlsson, etc.) at the NHL level. The Hawks can still continue to win some games with a healthy Crawford and small tweaks to the bottom 6 and 3rd D pairing.
--
The Hawks made a minor move this week as well sending Darren Raddysh to the NYR for veteran Peter Holland. This move will help Rockford's woeful (see: league worst) offense as Holland has 49 points in 52 games this year. This immediately puts him 16 points ahead of Jordan Schroeder, the ‘Hogs current leader.
Some might be upset that Raddysh was moved for a pending UFA that Chicago most likely won't resign, but clearly the Hawks and IceHogs management didn't see Raddysh as an NHL player. He's having a nice season, but there's one thing to put up points in the AHL and another to have a well-rounded game for NHL action.
Also, this frees up a defence spot in Rockford. They have been rotating all season long and all most of these players need is ice time for their development.
Rockford now has Jokiharju, Carlsson, Gilbert, Hillman, Tuulola, Davidson and Campbell on their current roster on the backend under NHL contract.
Raddysh was signed through until 2021 and it has been well documented how many amazing defensive prospects Chicago has in their system. His departure opens up a spot for the Mitchells, Krys, Beaudins, Boqvists, etc.
Sticking with Rockford, they are 8-2 in their last 10 games and I'm sure the addition of Holland will help them down the middle as they make their playoff push. They currently sit 4th in the Central Division.
Matthew Highmore has been skating and sounds like he will return at some point this season. I wouldn't be surprised to see him in Chicago if he's back in enough time to get some AHL conditioning in.
Speaking of returning injured players, Corey Crawford says he's ready to go. I wouldn't be surprised to see him activated and playing in his 1st game since December by next week. At this point, Colin Delia will head back to Rockford.
Finally, I will be joining The-Rink guys for another podcast tomorrow. We will be looking at the trade deadline for the Blackhawks. If you have any questions, DM me and I will pass them along.
See ya out there,
JL
Chicago Blackhawks Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»