After being kicked out of the 2011 and 2012 playoffs in the first round, do the Chicago Blackhawks really only need to make minor changes to their roster? Steve Rosenbloom of the Chicago Tribune would argue that Chicago has to take significant action. In particular, they need to find a second line center that isn’t Patrick Kane.
Rosenbloom might not get his wish though, based on Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman’s recent statement.
“Some teams have six, seven holes they need to fill and they probably have a different task with a lot of uncertainty but for the most part we know what our roster is going to be with some minor tweaks here and there,” Bowman said.
Of course, that could be a little bit of gamesmanship on Bowman’s part. If he’s interested in making a major trade, it’s better to come off as apathetic than desperate.
Either way, Chicago could certainly stand to add another skilled forward to round out their top two lines. Their goaltending tandem of Corey Crawford and Ray Emery also leaves something to be desired, although it seems unlikely that they’ll change it before the start of the 2012-13 campaign.
Overall, Chicago already has a competitive team on paper. They do have a fair amount of depth and some younger players that might be ready to step up. It wouldn’t be a disaster if they had a quiet summer - but it wouldn’t exactly be desirable either.