*PREDICTED STANLEY CUP CHAMPION
Some have suggested that there is a pall over the Blackhawks
organization. The word on the street is that GM Dale Tallon’s offer sheet
blunder, plus his replacement by Stan Bowman, and the topper, Pat Kane’s
arrest and guilty plea to misdemeanor charges in an alleged roughing up of a
cabbie over twenty cents, will be too much for the Hawks to overcome. That a
certain post-prom hangover of sorts will infect the Cinderella Blackhawks,
who charmed hockey fans worldwide as Chicago was happily resurrected as a
hockey market, the club going all the way to the conference final.
Myths are great. Stories help us get through the summer. But the reality
is that Chicago is more prepared for the next step toward contention than it
is about to be overcome by distraction. Separate the hype from the on-ice
product and Chicago looks very good indeed. Most of the annoyances and
question marks surrounding the club right now (September) will be long
forgotten by November at the latest.
They’re a year older, wiser, and they’re ready to go where the Blackhawks
haven’t in years: Above the Red Wings in the standings and beyond them in
the playoffs. Could the Stanley Cup return to the Windy City for the first
time since 1962, ending the longest current Cup drought?
Yes.
Lots of speed, plus an inspired bunch of youngsters and vets who are
quite carefully placed on the ice by coach Joel Quenneville, whose work
often goes unnoticed. Quenneville’s frequent placement of Martin Havlat on
the team’s third line with Andrew Ladd and David Bolland was a swift move,
one that most coaches wouldn’t dare try.
Havlat is gone via free agency to Minnesota. Enter Marian Hossa. Well,
enter Hossa by December, that is, due to off-season shoulder surgery. Hossa
may have flamed out in the Cup final vs. his old club, but he did record six
goals and nine assists during the postseason. He’s signed to another whopper
of a deal through 2020-21. Hossa (40 goals with Detroit), Pat Kane, 25, Jon
Toews, 34, sophomore Kris Versteeg, 22, Patrick Sharp, 26, head up a fine
collection of forwards as solid as any crew in the league. A host of depth
charges and scrappy checking-line types make this an elite offense,
including Andrew Ladd, 15, Dave Bolland, 19, Dustin Byfuglien, 15 (who might
make the US Olympic team).
A shutdown boost was achieved when the club signed former Devil John
Madden after losing Sami Pahlsson to Columbus. Madden has three Cup rings
and was a good choice: A late-career veteran defensive specialist to help
cement an ascendance to the Cup final.
Departed (EDM) netminder Nik Khabibulin is 36, Cristobal Huet, the new
full-time starter, is 34. The biggest thing for the Blackhawks to prove this
season is that either Antti Niemi, 26, or Corey Crawford—who turns 25 in
December—are ready to back up Huet for a solid 15-20 games. Huet will carry
the load, but he has never played more than 52 games in any NHL season
(2007-08, WSH/MTL). In Huet’s favor, he’s got very good career numbers
overall (2.45GAA; .917SV%).
The club’s offense ranked fourth last season, its defense was right
there, at fifth.
Duncan Keith may have a hard time winning the Norris trophy with Zdeno
Chara and Nick Lidstrom blocking the way, but it matters little, since he
could be carrying the Stanley Cup before either of those two win another
Norris. Now that Brian Campbell is the second-highest paid Hawk (Hossa is
first), maybe he can relax and get back to playing his game. He pressed too
hard last season, and needs to get back to big hits and moving the puck out
of the zone, keeping it simple, as they say (or as simply as possible at
$7.1M per annum). Brent Seabrook and Cam Barker return.
Something tells Hockeytalk that another club (Anaheim? Vancouver?) will
eliminate the Red Wings in the postseason, clearing the way for a trip to
the final, where Bill Wirtz will smile in heaven as the Blackhawks win it
all.
