Via NHL.com

Players get stereotyped and pigeonholed into certain classes.  Take Brent Seabrook and Duncan Keith for example.  72 (Seabrook and Keith) are known as the Hawks’ top defensive pair, playing against the other teams top lines and shutting them down. Brian Campbell, on the other hand, is known for his offensive puck moving game.  He was the guy out there when the Hawks were in offensive situations.

And, per usual, the advanced hockey stats used here are 5on5 and come from behindthenet by Gabriel Desjardins.  In the chart to the right are the “offensive stats” for Campbell, Keith and Seabrook.  They are “goals per 60 minutes”, “primary and secondary assists per 60″ and total points per 60 minutes of play.”  Can you put them in the correct order?  Without cheating?

The truth of the matter is that most of the stats concerning Seabrook and Keith for this past year were confusing.  They just didn’t match up well with the other members of the team.  It was so confusing in fact that I actually went into each games results for when 72 was on the ice to figure out what actually happened.

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Tolkiens Take – The Two Towers - Blackhawk Up - Blackhawk Up - A Chicago Blackhawks Blog

“Was Brian Campbell worth the money the Chicago Blackhawks paid him in the 2010/11 season?”  There are fans out there who say “YES” because of how poorly the Hawks played when Campbell was injured.  Others say “NO” for exactly the same reason.

In this article we will discuss the potential impact of the new players and the possible “magic” these changes could have on the players already on the team.  And of course, answer that question about Campbell.

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Tolkien’s Take – The Fellowship of the “D” - Blackhawk Up - Blackhawk Up - A Chicago Blackhawks Blog

Expect to see a lot of these three on the ice together. Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images NA

Today I’m going to take a stab at potential defensive pairings we might see this coming season for the Blackhawks. Yes, this is coach Q were talking about, so you can often throw things out the window after the 1^st period of game 1, but it’s also August and this is what we do to survive a long summer (no thanks to the Cubs and Sox). … [visit site to read more]

And Now For Something Completely Different: Defensive Pairings, Part 3 - Blackhawk Up - Blackhawk Up - A Chicago Blackhawks Blog

Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images North America

Yeah, the title really sucks. But these things happen when you’ve got kids of a certain age. Sue me.

In the first part of my series on Leddy, I stated the reasons why Leddy will average over 14 minutes of ice time this year. Today, I’ll take a look back at how coach Quenneville utilized Leddy in comparison to Campbell and how he fared.

The Chicago Blackhawks are obviously a strong puck-possession team and I don’t expect that to change much this year. Last year, the Hawks took 10% more draws in the offensive zone than they did in the defensive zone. Therefore, on average, defenders with offensive capabilities had the opportunity to get more TOI than those without. This allowed Brian Campbell to get 19 minutes of even strength TOI – and succeed.

The same will be true for Nick Leddy who averaged 14 EV minutes last season. Campbell’s high minutes will need to be picked up by someone. If Leddy picks up about half the difference, he should average at least 16 EV minutes this season. Why do I feel so strongly that Leddy can fill these minutes and have a successful season? Aside from the similarities in their skill sets, it’s based on how Q used them last season and how they each performed.

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Leddy Gaga, Part Two - Blackhawk Up - Blackhawk Up - A Chicago Blackhawks Blog

Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images North America

Tim Currell, formerly a writer here at BlackhawkUp who now writes with Jeffrey Bartl over at Cheer the Anthem, wrote an article two weeks ago regarding the Chicago Blackhawks blue line. In that article he stated that Nick Leddy would be best off getting 6-10 minutes of ice time per night.

Leddy is past that. He’s done with the AHL, he’s completed that step. He needs 6 – 10 minutes a night against world-class players in the NHL, surrounded by veterans, coaches and a support staff who can mentor him. He also needs to practice with an NHL team, get an NHL conditioning plan, work with NHL video coaches, and have a night off to watch every few games or so. Moving Leddy to the stage where he can put in 20 minutes a night can’t be rushed, or we’d be tossing a well-rounded talent out the window. The Blackhawks’ brass knows this, which is exactly why they brought in Montador to replace Brian Campbell.

I replied in the comment section that Leddy will get closer to 14-18 minutes per game. Tim refined his prediction to Leddy getting closer to 10 minutes, but definitely not over 14. I was going to reply further to him there, but I believe the topic needs a full article – or two. With Brian Campbell traded this summer, Leddy, more than any other returning player, will be in the spotlight and likely be the cause of much debate. So why not start it off here? What will be Nick Leddy’s role on this team, and what kind of minutes will that entail?

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Nick Leddy: A Perfect Ten, Or Even Higher? - Blackhawk Up - Blackhawk Up - A Chicago Blackhawks Blog

Inscrutable Stan? (source: chicagonow.com)

In the immediate aftermath of this summer’s changes to the Hawks roster, I praised Stan Bowman’s stewardship. I argued that moving Brian Campbell, or something similarly unsettling, was critical to allowing the team to address the deficiencies of the 2010-11 Blackhawks: lack of size and grit, a top-6 forward hole, a PK defenseman shortage, and a fourth line/PK face-off center need. Stan’s off-season efforts addressed each of these needs, at least to some extent.

As I thought about it more, however, it seemed to me that many of these moves could have been made without jettisoning Campbell and Troy Brouwer. In fact, by simply undoing the Brouwer and Campbell trades, and not signing Steve Montador, the bizarro-Hawks could have had a better team than the current Hawk team, while still fitting under the cap.

So, why am I so pleased with Stan?

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What Stan Bowman Did on His Summer Vacation: Final Answer - Blackhawk Up - Blackhawk Up - A Chicago Blackhawks Blog

Selke Finalists from NHL News

So what exactly is a Selke Candidate?

Seems like that should be a pretty straightforward question.  First you have the Wiki description.

The Frank J. Selke Trophy is awarded annually to the National Hockey League  forward who demonstrates the most skill in the defensive component of the game.

So what does that mean.  Should it go to the “best defensive forward?”  or the “best two-way forward?”  or the “best forward that also plays defense?”  We will take a look at this year’s options for candidates and pick our own winner.

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What Exactly Is A Selke Candidate? - Blackhawk Up - Blackhawk Up - A Chicago Blackhawks Blog

It’s great we’ll likely be seeing Patrick Sharp in an Indian head sweater for six more years. In celebration of his contract extension he, of course, … [visit site to read more]

Photoshop Of The Day: Patrick Sharp Is The BOMB! - Blackhawk Up - Blackhawk Up - A Chicago Blackhawks Blog

One player that won’t be returning this season will be 38-year-old Chris Osgood. He was the backup last season, only making 11 appearances. He went 5-3-2 as the starter with a save percentage of .903, and was nothing short of average.

Goaltenders Ty Conklin and Jimmy Howard will be in net for the Wings this season. After beating the Hawks in the Winter Classic, Conklin left Detroit for St. Louis where he played for two seasons. He has now rejoined the Wings for this year. The starter will most likely be Jimmy Howard. Last season, he went 37-17-5 with a save percentage of .908.  He was third in the league last year in wins. … [visit site to read more]

Central Division in Review: Part 4 of 4, The Rival - Blackhawk Up - Blackhawk Up - A Chicago Blackhawks Blog