With a recent flat outing, it’ll be interesting to see which Hawks team will show up on Friday night in a key central match-up vs. the Nashville Predators. We’re certainly not at a crossroads of the season, and truthfully, the Blackhawks haven’t really established an identity yet. It’s too early for that.
Where this game is critical is the Hawks need to start playing well in the Central if they want to lead the pack as they did last season. Last year saw the Hawks finished with a 26-8-2 record against central foes, yet this year they have yet to have a signature win in the division. An uninspired, 5-2 loss vs. the Wild, followed by a point sharing 2-1 OT win vs. the Preds, and last Wednesday night, the familiar sight of watching the Blues physically push the Hawks around like a pee wee team, is the sample size thus far. To claim Friday night’s tilt as a must win is pushing it as we haven’t gotten to November yet, but if there was ever a chance for the Hawks to make a statement for remaining in the NHL’s elite, it’s Friday.
But this begs the bigger question about the Hawks. Are they elite anymore? The Hawks are a talented team with a few generational players. Certain player resumes are solidified and Kane, Toews and Keith will no doubt have plaques in the Hall of Fame. While I’m not ready yet to be nostalgic about the glory days yet, there has been a departure from the teams we saw earlier in the decade. Yes, those ones who won the last game of their season on three occasions.
Time To Shuffle Up The Deck
The old Blackhawks recipe of outskating teams is somewhat defunct as the teams they’re facing are younger, faster opponents, and some, quite frankly carry a sandpaper element that the Hawks still don’t have. As seen against the Golden Knights, the Hawks stayed on the outside most of the night, didn’t get to the paint and weren’t winning pucks.
Perhaps it’s time for Q to reshuffle the deck and try different line combos and he’s been know to do that frequently. While nobody wants to split up Toews and Saad, the second line still seems like they’re missing a component if players are going to keep taking liberties with Schmaltz and Kane. So, either Hartman takes on all comers to the stick-work handed out to 8 and 88 after the whistles or finding a way to split that group up could make sense. In fairness to the Anisimov line, they weren’t wretched the other night in Vegas, but for a third line, that group is miscast.
The honeymoon phase is over for Alex DeBrincat and though he will be a good NHL player, it’s hard to imagine him not seeing time in Rockford at some point this season. More than likely, with his size and tool set, a third line role is not his future. Sharp is clearly showing his age and life for Anisimov without Kane on his flank doesn’t look like much fun for him. In fact, his $4.5 million cap hit through 2021 is starting to look like a major issue. A third line in hockey is expected to contribute secondary scoring from time to time, but more importantly, is supposed to have an element of toughness, relentless forechecking and be responsible defensively. Basically, keep the puck out of your own net and make life hell for the opposition. So, when you say “Line 3” and the names Sharp, Anisimov and DeBrincat are included, you don’t need me to throw out the stat that they are a combined -9 thus far to recognize a problem.
So, whether Rockford is involved or a player is added later via trade at some point, don’t expect that mix to continue.
According to the Blackhawks, DeBrincat will join Brandon Saad and Jonathan Toews on the top line, as Richard Panik moves to the second line to join Nick Schmaltz and Patrick Kane, while John Hayden moves up to the third line, and Ryan Hartman drops down to the fourth line.
On the blue line it’s anyone guess for now and unfortunately with Keith, a declining Seabrook and kind of “bunch of guys” back there, we’ll see how it plays out. After being scratched for two games, I would expect Michal Kempny back in the line-up and he’ll bring some speed. Connor Murphy (the player in return for the beloved Niklas Hjalmarsson), still not ready to go there yet as it’s early and nobody has seemed to notice him that much. And not noticing a defenseman isn’t necessarily a bad thing either, but the jury’s out for now.
Statement Game
As I said, it’s hardly a crossroads this early on and it’s certainly not all doom and gloom. It’s a good team; can they be a great team? With their current mix, it’s hard to tell, but smart money says they need to address a few things and if they do have a shot to go deep into the playoffs there may need be a different look at some point.
So, will Friday bring a rejuvenated effort and a convincing win? One would hope, but the real question is, can the Hawks be that fearsome opponent every night? Truthfully, it’s hard to see that right now, and perhaps expectations should be below the standard set by the Hawks cup-winning teams. But that’s the bar now and anything less should be unacceptable. Perhaps that’s unrealistic to expect, but if Stan Bowman is going to take the podium at the end of a shocking first round sweep and say it himself, then all fans should expect nothing less.
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