When you allow eight goals to a team that seems primed for the draft lottery, it’s reasonable to be concerned.
Lax defensive performances aren’t a rare thing for the Chicago Blackhawks, however, as they’re allowing 2.9 goals per game (ranking them 25th in the NHL). That’s not exactly a comforting stat for a team still within a stone’s throw of the top seed in the West, so it should come as no surprise that GM Stan Bowman told ESPN Chicago that he’s still looking for help on the blueline.
“Our top four defensemen have played very well, but you do concern yourself with overloading them too much,” Bowman said. “So if you’ve got guys in the third pair that can eat up some more of those minutes it would be an ideal situation.”
Bowman admits that depth seems to be on the top of his shopping list - perhaps because goaltending help might be too expensive or hard to come by - but he also explains that there aren’t a lot of sellers on the trade market right now.
In other words, for the time being, Chicago will probably aim to simply outscore its opponents.