It was actually quite fitting that the game that has everyone saying “thanks for the entertaining hockey, Blackhawks” was a 1-0 loss. I find that funny because this team was terrible defensively (currently 2nd last in the league with 272 GA) and were – for stretches – a prolific scoring machine (they worked their way up to 9th in the NHL).
So, while the Hawks are officially out of the playoffs… they’re out and won’t be making the postseason for 2019.
Now, the question is, where will they finish? Here’s the updated standings as of this morning in the West:
From a draft position perspective, the Hawks would be selecting 10th if the season ended today. Depending on how Vancouver, Edmonton and Anaheim finish up, the Hawks could pick as high as 7th. So they are back in Adam Boqvist territory (more on him in a second).
Sure, there is a draft lottery as well and maybe the Hawks strike gold but that is where they’re living right now.
In the coming weeks, I will be focusing on the following:
* Rockford’s playoff push
* Blackhawks prospects
* Positives from this Hawks season
* Potential Changes in the offseason (including trade targets)
* NHL Entry Draft with potential Blackhawks targets
In the meantime, I will say thanks to the Hawks for making it entertaining all the way until the end of March. I didn’t see that coming based on how the team started.
I’m very interested to see how this summer plays out. In my books, Stan Bowman had a horrendous summer of 2018 and redeemed himself a bit throughout the season. He better sharpen his pencil and get down to work, as this summer is instrumental in this team making the playoffs next year.
Moving on to Mr. Adam Boqvist, what a night last night. The young Swede scored 4 goals (3 on the power play) in a playoff game for his London Knights. Incredible effort for him and no, I still don’t think he’ll be ready until (at least) the 2020-21 season.
If you missed it, here are his 4 goals courtest of my friends at Elite Prospects – enjoy:
See ya out there!
JL
Chicago Blackhawks Blogger • 
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