It's been a rough couple of days for Chicago sports. The Cubs and White Sox season both ended (thank God) with neither team making the playoffs for the second straight year. We all saw this coming, especially for the Cubs, as they were never close. Then the Bears were absolutely humiliated on Sunday night against the Giants (I actually predicted they would win in a blow out. I don't think I'll be doing that again.). Not only did the Bears lose, but they lost their starting quarterback Jay Cutler due to concussion, and their back up quarterback Todd Collins due to a stinger. They both should be able to play this week, but it is still scary to think about a Bears' offense without Cutler. To top it all off, the Bulls' big free agent acquisition in the off season, Carlos Boozer, will now be out for 6-8 weeks after breaking his hand in an off-court injury.
So, to offset all of these crappy recent events in Chicago sports, I am going to write about hockey!
The Blackhawks had their best season in team history last year. Not only did they win their first Stanley Cup since 1961, they set franchise records for road wins and standings points, and also tied the franchise record for total wins in a season. They rolled right through the playoffs, going 16-6, and never having to play a game 7 en route to the Cup.
Things will look vastly different this year than they did last year. Gone are several key players from the magical playoff run. Dustin Byfuglien, Kris Versteeg, Antti Niemi, Cristobal Huet, Andrew Ladd, Ben Eager, Brent Sopel, Colin Fraser and John Madden have all moved on to other NHL teams. The Blackhawks will have to depend on a much younger and inexperienced group of role players in order to make a deep playoff run. They'll also have a new set of goalies to get used to as well.
Their forward lines going into the season look solid, especially their top two lines. The first forward line, according to Comcast Sportsnet, is most likely going to be Jonathan Toews centering for Tomas Kopecky and Marian Hossa on the wings. This line was together for the last 2 games of the Stanley Cup Finals, and they made one of the better defensive pairings in Chris Pronger and Kimmo Timmonen very tired and average. Toews is a star already, but he hasn't reached his peak, which is scary. He won the Conn Smythe trophy as the playoff MVP, and is poised to increase his goal and point totals. He'll have to score more and take on an even greater leadership role now that the Hawks have so many new faces. I am psyched to see Hossa play for a full season with Toews. Toews is such a great passer, and is always in the right position on the ice that Hossa is sure to benefit from it. It wouldn't shock me to see Hossa up around 35-40 goals again this season.
The Hawks' second forward line will be Patrick Sharp centering for Fernando Pisani and Patrick Kane on the wings. Kane and Sharp on the same line will be disgusting for other teams to handle. Teams are going to have to choose which of the Hawks' top two lines to defend with their top defensive pairing. Kane had an amazing year last year. He got stronger with the puck, and developed a killer instinct that led him to finish with 30 goals, and a career high 88 points. Expect those numbers to increase this season playing with Sharp and Pisani, who should improve his scoring numbers now that he is out of Edmonton. Both of those players can fill the net as well. I really like the Hawks' top two lines. I'd put them up there with any top six forwards in the league.
The third and fourth lines will have alot of question marks going into the season. The third line is listed as Dave Bolland centering for Bryan Bickell and Troy Brouwer on the wings. Bolland was injured for most of last year, but proved to be one of the most important players on the Hawks in the playoffs. He totally dominated the Sedin twins in the Vancouver series, and then Joe Thornton in the San Jose series in last year's playoffs. As long as Bolland stays healthy, he should post great scoring numbers for a third line center. He also plays alot on the penalty kill, so he should have a few short handed goals, which are always fun to watch. The biggest question on this line will be Bryan Bickell, who played a few games in the Nashville series for the Hawks while Brian Campbell was out due to injury. Bickell will have to replace Byfuglien's presence in front of the net. Nobody did that better for the Hawks than Big Buff last year, and Bickell has some huge shoes to fill in that respect.
The fourth line is made up of all newcomers. As of right now, the fourth forward line is listed as Jack Skille centering for Viktor Stalberg and Jake Dowell on the wings. Skille was the 7th overall pick in 2005, the year before the Hawks drafted Toews number 3 overall, and two years before taking Kane number 1 overall. Skille has great speed and lots of offensive skill that should translate well against other teams' fourth forward lines. He really needs to catch on with the NHL roster this time around. This is his best opportunity to remain in the NHL, and he needs to play well to stick around. Stalberg is the same way. He has alot of skill in the offensive zone (great puck-handling, great passing, a heavy shot from the point and the slot), but it didn't translate well in Toronto over the past couple of seasons. Hopefully a change of scenery, and the chance to play with a good team, allow Stalberg to post good scoring numbers.
The defensive pairings are going to be very similar to the pairings that gave up the fewest shots on goal in the NHL last season. The first pairing is Duncan Keith (Norris Trophy winner from last year) and Brent Seabrook. These are two all-star calibur defenseman who play well off eachother. Keith is offensive minded, and that showed in his numbers last year (almost 70 points from the blue line is great production). Seabrook is a heavy hitter, and does a great job playing the puck in his own zone.
The second pairing to start the season will be Niklas Hjalmarsson and Nick Leddy. Leddy is a 19 year old player that the Hawks got from the Minnesota Wild last season for Cam Barker. While I think Barker is a solid player, Leddy is a star in the making. He has the potential to be another Duncan Keith for the Hawks, as he is also an offensive minded defenseman. He'll get a shot to stay with the NHL club since Brian Campbell will be out the first 4-5 weeks of the season with a leg injury.
The third pairing is likely to be Nick Boynton and Jordan Hendry to start the season. This pairing is solid, but won't jump out at you. They are pretty good options to play against other teams' fourth forward lines.
The biggest acquisition for the Hawks this off-season was that of their new goalie, Marty Turco. Turco has a great NHL track record, having never posted a losing season in his 10 plus NHL seasons, and that includes the awful Dallas team he was on last year. He looked ok in the preseason, but I really wish he would play the puck less. The Hawks defensemen are so good with the puck, just get the puck to your playmakers and let them skate it up the ice. His save percentage and win-loss record is better than any goalie they've had in either of the past two years, and hopefully his numbers get even stronger this year playing behind one of the better defenses in the league. The backup goalie is Corey Crawford, who looked pretty good in limited time this preseason. He'll probably play 15-20 games for the Hawks this season.
I like the team this year. They aren't as stacked as they were last year, and other teams (the Red Wings, Sharks, Canucks, Blues) made significant upgrades to their teams this season. It will be extremely difficult to get back to the Cup Finals this season, but not impossible. The stars need to play like stars all season long, but they are poised to do just that. I am very much looking forward to the first puck drop this Thursday night, when the Hawks battle the Avalanche in Colorado. Go Hawks! Get the Chelsea Dagger ready!
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