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The Blackhawks will never admit that they are happy with their club's performance this year. The Hawks are falling out of the playoff run and their position in the standings isn't a shock.

The Hawks were not a good team last year; so for Stan Bowman to go out and sign Ward, Manning and Kunitz and think that, along with the progression of his younger players that this was a "winning" team.

There isn't a Bowman out there or anyone in the front office of the Hawks that would admit (in public) that this was a transition year. "This is a playoff team" they have claimed since day 1.

Fact: this is not a playoff team.

In fairness to Stan Bowman and the Jeremy Colliton, they are no longer talking playoffs in every interview; it's more about the long-term process.

So, if we are now able to look at this year for what it is… a transition year, how are we ranking it?

For me, there is a lot to like about what has happened this year. There are also some very troubling signs. Below is my top 3 in both:

Trending Up #1: Top 6

Thanks to some swift and savvy moves by Stan Bowman, the Blackhawks top 6 has real promise. Who knows if Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane will continue to produce the way they are past this season, but even if they don't, the Hawks have a bit of a safety net.

Dylan Strome and Alex DeBrincat have obvious chemistry and look to be anchored in this top 6 for many, many years. Then you have Brandon Saad who's having a better year, Drake Caggiula, who before his injury, added a nice spark to the top line. Dominik Kahun is proving to be a great signing as well as he can slide up-and-down the lineup.

If the Hawks wanted to sign another top 6 winger in the summer, I wouldn't be mad as it would push others down the lineup, offering more consistent depth, however, I wouldn't be upset if the Hawks stuck with a top 6 of:

Saad-Toews-Kane
DeBrincat-Strome-Kahun

… or something like that.

Let me add to this section, thanks to this top 6, just scoring goals, in general, comes a lot easier for this team. The Powerplay specifically is an obvious area for optimism as it's the best it's been in at least 10 years.


Trending Up #2: Hidden Gems

In transition seasons like this, it's always great to be able to get a look at players that normally wouldn't get the opportunity. Let's face it, the championship-level Hawks wouldn't have had ¼ of these guys skating on their roster.

So, it's a good thing that this isn't a championship-level team because it's been great to get a look at what you really have in some younger players:

Henri Jokiharju – while he's not with the team right now, he's shown enough to me that he will be a top 4 on this team in the next couple of years.

Erik Gustafsson – I have been hard on this guy for his defensive game - because he's horrendous - but with that being said, his offensive game is outstanding. I still wouldn't pay him what he'll be asking for in the summer of 2020 but damn, it's been fun watching him rack up points.

David Kampf – Is the Hawks new Marcus Kruger; some may disagree with his value on this team, but Kampf gives you everything you want from a 4C. And yes, that's where he should be slotted next year. He's a good size, strong on the boards, defensively sound and can skate. His FO% is 45% right now but has shown potential with 53% in his first year. His work ethic is something I want rubbing off on the new bottom 6 of 2019-20 (more on that below).

Colin Delia – see below.


Trending up #3: Colin Delia

Delia gets his own section here as it's been amazing to watch the Hawks go from pure uncertainty in net with their goaltending of the future to a very optimistic outlook with Delia.

Crawford will be a question mark for the rest of his career. Cam Ward is likely not coming back unless Corey goes down again. Anton Forsberg is an RFA, so maybe he sticks around if the Hawks want him for depth. After that, it's a crapshoot… Lankinen, Nalimov, Peeters… meh. Gravel looks to be a solid pick from last year's draft but he's so young and likely at least 5 years away (if ever) from sniffing the NHL.

So, Colin Delia, sir, you really stepped it up and jumped on the opportunity. His play and calm demeanour earned him a 3 year / 3 million dollar deal this year and will be the backup at the very least next year on the Blackhawks.

--

Ok, now on to the bad:

Got a long way to go #1: Defence…man

This team is so bad defensively. They need a change to the personnel. It will be talked about a length leading into the summer, but if I'm Stan, I look to make a trade for a top 4 D and if that means parting with a Saad, Kahun or top D prospect not named Boqvist, then you have to consider it.

The Hawks know they will have Keith and Seabrook around… forever. They need to improve around them though.

I don't have the answer today but curious to see how it's addressed.


Got a long way to go #2: Team defence

Did I mention how bad this team is defensively?

I've been vocal about not digging the man-to-man scheme and I will remain adamant about that. Sure, Colliton needs a full training camp and hopefully, when that time comes around he has some more defensively-minded, Marian Hossa type workers that he can implement.

Also, that Penalty Kill needs major changes as well. They are on pace to have the worst PK % in 30+ years.

Got a long way to go #3: Overall depth

31 goals by the Hawks "bottom 6" forwards this entire season. 31! Just in case your tracking at home, Dylan Sikura has 0 NHL goals in 21 games. #NotHelping.

A major facelift needs to happen to this bottom 6. They need to create a line (or 2) that give them complete fits; I'm thinking SJ's 4th line from last night (Karlsson-Haley-Goodrow) or Vegas' 4th line (Carrier-Carpenter-Reaves).

It doesn't have to necessarily be a masher line, but all year, these types of lines and the way they are constructed are just too much for the Blackhawks. They can play offense with a strong cycle and they are responsible defensively.

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Above are some reasons for optimism and concern. I believe this year overall though has been a good transition year. It was a little bit like getting cut, putting a Band-Aid on, letting said cut heal and then RIPPING IT OFF. Now… much better.

The firing of Joel Quenneville was going to be painful but I think most will look back in the upcoming years and see that it was necessary to move this team forward the right way.

I believe this is transition year #1 of #2. Next year will be a grind as well but I believe the goal from a business perspective is to make the playoffs in 2019-20 as missing 3 years in a row is going to really hurt them.

If Stan Bowman and Co. can manipulate the cap space they will have access to in a more strategic way via signings and trades, this team has a shot a nice rebound next year.

I will also add that a top 5 draft pick wouldn't hurt either.

The Hawks sit 8 points out of the playoffs and their hopes of a playoff birth is looking slim. They will have some time off to think as they don't play until Thursday when they will be taking on Buffalo.

My next blog will highlight what the Hawks should do from my eyes for the remainder of the season in terms of playing style and personnel.

See ya out there!

JL

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