Each day in the month of August we’ll be examining a different NHL team — from looking back at last season to discussing a player under pressure to focusing on a player coming off a breakthrough year to asking questions about the future. Today we look at the Chicago Blackhawks.
2017-18
33-39-10, 76 points. (6th in Central Division, 13th in Western Conference) Missed playoffs.
IN:
Chris Kunitz
Brandon Manning
Cam Ward
OUT:
Vince Hinostroza
Patrick Sharp
Jordan Oesterle
Tomas Jurco
Michal Rozsival
Marian Hossa (contract)
Anthony Duclair
RE-SIGNED
Andreas Martinsen
John Hayden
The Blackhawks missed the playoffs for the first time since the 2007-08 season, which was surprising. Even though they were bounced in the postseason in 2016-17, no one expected them to finish at the bottom of their division last year.
After years of being one of the top dogs in the Western Conference, the window seems to have closed on the ‘Hawks. Brent Seabrook is a shell of the player he once was. His $6.875 million dollar salary for the next six years isn’t moveable. And the depth they once possessed on the blue line no longer exists. Duncan Keith is still solid, but he’s 35 and has a lot of minutes in those legs. There’s serious question marks after him on the depth chart.
Another player whose stock seems to have fallen quite a bit, is Jonathan Toews. The Blackhawks captain has seen his production decrease over the last few years. He went from picking up 48 points (in 47 games) in 2012-13 to collecting 54 points in 72 games last season. Toews is still a valuable piece of the puzzle for Chicago, but does his play justify his $10.5 million salary? Absolutely not.
GM Stan Bowman made a huge move when he picked up Brandon Saad from Columbus. Unfortunately for Bowman, that move was a dud. Saad never really looked comfortable last season, so they’ll have to hope that he’s able to bounce back if they’re going to make another push for a playoff spot.
The fact that starting netminder Corey Crawford’s status is still up in the air is concerning. Head issues plagued him throughout last season and limited him to just 28 games in 2017-18. Will be ever be 100 percent healthy again? That’s a huge question mark heading into the season. Getting Crawford back would be huge, because relying on Cam Ward to be a starting goaltender would be less than ideal.
It’s not all bad for Chicago. Patrick Kane is still around. He continued to produce even when others around him didn’t. Kane’s point totals have dipped over the last three years (106, 89, 76), but he’s shown that he’s still one of the elite players in the NHL. The 29-year-old is far from being the problem for the Blackhawks.
And there’s also a few youngsters like Alex DeBrincat and Nick Schmaltz also emerged as valuable offensive contributors last season. If DeBrincat and Schmaltz can take another step forward next season, that would go a long way in making up for the veterans that are slowing down.
Prospect Pool
• Henri Jokiharju, D, 19, Portland Winterhawks - 2017 first-round pick
Jokiharju is young, but he continued to flash impressive offensive ability last season in the WHL. He finished fourth on his team in scoring with 71 points in 63 games and he was also named Portland’s top defensive player in 2018. Although he’s still just 19 years old, he could make an impact in the NHL sooner than later.
“The way he progressed this year, it gives him an opportunity to come into camp and show us where he’s at,” 'Hawks vice president of amateur scouting Mark Kelley said, per Chicago Tribune. “No matter what we want to think or want to hope and project, Henri will decide that when he comes in.”
• Adam Boqvist, D, 17, Brynas IF Gavle - 2018 first-round pick
The ‘Hawks took Boqvist eighth overall in this summer’s NHL Entry Draft, so you now how they feel about him and his upside. Even though he’s only listed at 5-foot-9, 155 pounds, the team clearly isn’t worried about his long-term potential. In today’s game, size doesn’t matter as much as speed, and Boqvist is fully capable of moving the puck and skating the it out of danger quickly.
Can he make the leap to the NHL this year? That seems to be a stretch at this point given his light frame, but you can never rule out that possibility with a top 10 draft pick. He’ll eventually be the quarterback on the power play and the top blue liner on his team.
• Dylan Sikura, W, 23, Northeastern University - 2014 sixth-round pick
Sikura got a quick taste of NHL action last season when he suited up in five games with the Blackhawks. The 23-year-old managed to pick up a respectable three assists during that stretch, so he was far from overmatched. Sikura lit it up during his final two years in College, as he collected 111 points in 73 games.
He probably doesn’t have the offensive upside to be a top-line player at the highest level, but he’s good enough to be a useful middle-six forward for the ‘Hawks as soon as this season.
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Joey Alfieri is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @joeyalfieri.