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Hawks Know Who They Are and Who They Aren't |
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The Hawks aren't the best team in the league: Fact.
The Hawks have 3 x 30+ goal scorers and have no problem putting the puck in the net: Fact.
The Hawks can't keep a puck out of their net to save their life: Fact.
If the Hawks miss the playoffs for the 2nd straight year or if by miracle, they win every game down the stretch and get in, this team is starting to know what they are.
Sure, there have been a lot of ups-and-downs but there has been a good stretch of games where whether this team is winning or losing some trends (good and bad) have surfaced.
The Good: This Blackhawks team is a team that has a potent offence with a power play that has been red hot for a good portion of the season. They have a renewed confidence when they have the puck and that has come with a solid top 6 and some better secondary options in the bottom 6.
The Bad: This team is terrible without the puck. The thing is, they know this. There isn't a person on the coaching staff or in the front office that isn't aware of this. They are currently 30th in the NHL (only ahead of the lowly Ottawa Senators) and even with a healthy Corey Crawford all season, I think they would still be in the bottom 3rd of the league.
What I have stated above are facts. This is a great thing!
If this team was a complete enigma – an unsolvable puzzle that left paralyzed on how to move forward – that would be the really concerning for the future of this team.
The reality though is, while this has been a weird year, this was always going to be a transition year for the Hawks. They have gotten through the awkwardness of firing a legend in Joel Quenneville and now everyone has come to peace with this new, hip coach.
Since that 8-game losing streak from November 27th to December 11th, they are 22-12-4. We're not talking earth-shattering here, but this team, if it can become more consistent defensively can use this momentum heading into next year.
These "facts" and certainties of this team are putting Stan Bowman in a good place heading into the summer. He knows he has some work to do and if I see another armchair GM lineup that looks almost identical to the current roster, I'll lose it.
This team will not look the same as they do right now. That is a fact.
With what I've laid out above, I wouldn't be surprised if Stan's plan has changed as this year has gone on. Maybe he was interested in bringing in a tier 1 forward for scoring depth like a Panarin or Duchene. I'm not sure that's the case anymore when your team is scoring so much and your top 6 is something like this:
Saad-Toews-Kane
DeBrincat-Strome-Perlini
Sure, another top 6 forward would be welcomed and could push Saad and/or Perlini down the lineup. However, I'm convinced Stan is going to go the route of grabbing a couple of 2nd tier forwards vs. spending 10-11M on a guy like Panarin. It would be a better use of money at this point.
For example, the Hawks could possibly get a Dzingel and Ferland for the price of 1 Panarin. Please note, I'm just using Panarin as an example, I have had my doubts since those rumours emerged that the Breadman would ever return to Chicago.
I believe a big part of Chicago's scouts focus right now is identifying these tier 2 UFA forwards, as well as, defencemen they may target in a trade. If the Hawks could only make one move this offseason it has to be a top 4 defenceman.
I'm really intrigued to see what Stan's master plan is this offseason.
Speaking of the offseason there is going to be a draft. Who drafts where? Well, that will mostly be determined on April 9th when the NHL holds the Draft Lottery.
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Moving on to some notes from Leafs game:
* 1st and 2nd periods were some of the best that I've seen defensively and a lot of it to my eye was confidence without the puck and effort. They were supporting each other all over the ice. Why couldn't this effort be executed all year?
* I didn't like Colin Delia's short, but busy time in net. Yes, I get it, he had 30 shots against him but some of that was his own fault. He had terrible rebound control and didn't install much confidence in his team in front of him that left everyone scrambling. For the record, I really like Colin Delia. I think he's got all the tools to be a solid goalie in the NHL. He is still young though and appearances like this will happen. What troubled me the most is his body language. My favourite part of his game is the rock-solid mental side of his approach. He looked like he came unraveled a bit. I'm confident he will gain some confidence in Rockford for the ‘Hogs as they make their playoff push.
* Brandon Saad channeled his inner Marian Hossa the other night. His defensive play, mostly his backtracking through in the neutral zone was very noticeable. I believe he is a guy you want on this team for 2019-20 but I have a feeling he gets moved this summer in a package for a top 4 defenseman.
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The Hawks take on the Habs on Saturday night at the Bell Centre – HUGE! That building will be rockin'.
See ya out there!
JL
Chicago Blackhawks Blogger • 
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