Jerome Miron-US PRESSWIRE

GP   G   A   P   +/-   PIM   PPG   SHG   GWG   SOG   S%

71    9   17  26   11     22        0          0            1           89     10.1        Regular Season

6       0    0    0    -4       0         0          0           0           13        0           Playoffs

Contract Status: signed through 2012-2013 ($900,000 cap hit)

I didn’t have high expectations for Marcus Kruger going into the season.  We got a very small sample size of his work last season, and to be honest he did not make much of an impression.  As the season went on Kruger improved his play with each game.  Kruger is never going to be an elite goal scorer but he can be a solid player.  Kruger only won 45.9 percent of his faceoffs, which will need to improve a bit going forward.  His +11 was 4th best among Blackhawk forwards and 6th best overall.  The aspect of Kruger’s game I like the most is his ability and willingness to get to the dirty areas of the ice.  He is not afraid of crashing the net and getting rebound goals.  If Marcus is willing to keep getting dirty his goal totals will increase.  His size does worry me a bit.  He will need to put on some weight if he is going want to keep banging with the big boys down low.  Kruger missed 11 games this year due to concussion problems.  Hopefully this will not be something that plagues him throughout his career.  Kruger was disappointing in the playoffs.  He was pretty much a non factor and finished a -4 which was worst on the the team.

2011-2012 Final Grade: B-

Greg’s Report Cards: Marcus Kruger - Blackhawk Up - Blackhawk Up - A Chicago Blackhawks Blog

Photo Credit: Deadspin

Unless you’ve been stuck on a desert island somewhere for the past couple weeks, you probably already saw Patrick Kane’s latest Deadspin appearance

Our beloved Kaner was caught in several photos severely intoxicated and apparently got into a bit of a tustle with the local authorities. Just a normal day in the life of perhaps Chicago’s biggest young star.

First let me put it on the record: every professional athlete is entitled to have a private life, and is entitled to the same degree of privacy as the rest of us (even though they may not always get it) So with that in mind, I could care less what Kaner does in his spare time, especially in the offseason.

However, I will say that Kane’s repeated antics are becoming/have been a black eye on the Chicago Blackhawks organization, who have invested millions, if not hundreds of millions, over the past several years rebuilding their image into a respectable brand, and most of that has been done around #88.

Every team has players that attract some negative publicity at some point, but I can’t think of another team that can’t get through a summer without having photos of their superstar plastered all over the internet either partially naked and/or stumbling drunk.

Technology is partially to blame. Thanks to camera phones and Twitter, rambunctious athletes like Kane have virtually no privacy.

You can’t ask Kaner to hide out indoors. He is who he is. He’s young, rich, famous and likes to party. As I mentioned earlier, every athlete is entitled to a private life and they can do what they want to do.

With that said, one aspect of being a professional athlete is public image. Your team isn’t just paying you to play for them, they’re paying you to look good, to be a good marketable asset and promote the image and brand of the franchise. So it reflects badly on them when Kaner goes off every summer and becomes the subject of some controversy.

But thats the Blackhawks’ problem to deal with. And if they don’t think its a problem then they won’t address it. Personally, I don’t think it looks good on him or the Hawks, but that’s just my opinion. Honestly, I don’t care all that much.

This brings me to the next section of this post. While I’m not overly concerned with Kaner’s affection of the drink, I am concerned with Kaner’s falling numbers. Let’s have a peak shall we?

2007-2008 – 82 GP 21 G 51 A 72 Pts

2008-2009 – 80 GP 25 G 45 A 70 Pts

2009-2010 – 82 GP 30 G 58 A 88 Pts

2010-2011 – 73 GP 27 G 46 A 73 Pts

2011-2012 – 82 GP 23 G 43 A 66 Pts

Kaner’s 66 points this past season was the lowest of his career. His 23 goals were only worse than his rookie year and his 43 assists were a career low.

People will point to the fact that the Hawks played Kane at center, an unfamiliar position for him, for most of the season. However, looking back Kane racked up most of his points while he was at center. He had 10 points in his first 11 games in October, all of them were played at center. By the time 2012 rolled around, Kane had racked up 35 points, with most of his time being spent at the pivot.

In the latter half of the season, Kane spent more time back at RW, particularly in January and February when things got sour. Kane only had 31 points.

Kaner was shuffled around quite a bit this season, yet his production was relatively consistent throughout the year, despite where he was playing (11 points in October, 13 points in November, 11 points in December, 7 points in January, 10 points in February, 11 points in March, 3 points in April) I don’t have the exact numbers, but judging from these figures it doesn’t look like Kane’s point total at center would be radically different than his point total at RW this season.

While the defense that he spent a lot of time at center this year explains his decreased point total does offer some valid points (such as the defensive responsibilities of a center etc.) I think it is more of an excuse than anything.

I think what we really have to question is: what exactly do we have in Patrick Kane.

He definitely has unparalleled talent. There are probably only a handful of guys in the NHL who can handle and distribute the puck like he can. He’s young, he’s won a championship and he’s proven he can be a gamechanger.

But is Kane becoming the personification of the post-2010 Blackhawks: one Stanley Cup and then an abysmal slide into mediocrity?

At some point we have to ask: is Kane content with being a one and done kind of guy? Is he satisfied with one championship and a career high 88 points? Kane said his goal was to reach 100 points this year, yet he couldnt crack 70. Its nice to have goals, but they’re empty words if the necessary steps are not put into action. And I’ve seen little from Kane the past two seasons to indicate that he can hit 100 points.

I’m not an expert at sports, but I do know that when it comes to young players in any sport you look for trends. Not always statistical, but physical and mental as well, to measure and predict further long term growth. Look at Jonathan Toews. He has continually improved his game each and every year in every possible way: statistically, physically and mentally.

Patrick Kane’s growth on the other hand has either stagnated or actually regressed in some areas over the past few years. What does that tell you?

History has proven that talent is an asset, but unaccompanied by work ethic, determination and desire to succeed, it can often be wasted. I don’t know exactly where Kane is at mentally, or where he wants his game to be. I will take him at his word that he wants to be one of the game’s elite players and I will believe that he has the work ethic and will to do so.

But if those things don’t translate into play on the ice and numbers on the scoresheet, then it won’t mean anything. Combine that with his off-ice antics and the “trade Patrick Kane” camp will grow and grow until it will no longer be considered “stupid” or “ignorant” to propose trading him any more. And who knows, the Blackhawks might find themselves in that camp as well.

Thank you for reading.

Patrick Kane’s Partying Isn’t a Huge Deal, But His Falling Numbers Are - Blackhawk Up - Blackhawk Up - A Chicago Blackhawks Blog

Rob Grabowski-US PRESSWIRE

GP   G   A   P   +/-   PIM   PPG   SHG   GWG   SOG   S%

78   12 15 27  -13      4          4           0           0          75      16      Regular Season

6        1    0   1    -3       0         0            0           0           7      14.3    Playoffs

Contract Status: Unrestricted free angent

I was happy when the Blackhawks signed Andrew Brunette to a one year contract last summer.  I thought he would be a good veteran forward with a little bit of grit that could be a presence on the power play unit.  Then we all saw that Bruno’s best days were far behind him.  He was only able to put up a very disappointing 27 points, is worst total since 1997-1998 when he only played 28 games.  He was only 2 years removed from a 61  point season and put up 46 last year in Minnesota.  I wasn’t expecting 60+ points but I didn’t see that big of a drop off coming.  His lack of speed killed him all season on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ice.  His -13 was the worst on the team.  He did show some flashes of the player he used to be.  He showed some good hands around the net and even made a few great passes to set up goals.  There just wasn’t enough of that and there wasn’t much life left in his 38 year old legs.

2011-2012 Final Grade:  D+

Greg’s Report Cards: Andrew Brunette - Blackhawk Up - Blackhawk Up - A Chicago Blackhawks Blog

Anthony Gruppuso-US PRESSWIRE

#1 New York Rangers (8-6) vs #6 New Jersey Devils (8-4)

Series Schedule:

Game 1 5/14 NJ @ NY 7:00 PM

Game 2 5/16 NJ @ NY 7:00 PM

Game 3 5/19 NY @ NJ 12:00 PM

Game 4 5/21 NY @ NJ 7:00 PM

Game 5* 5/23 NJ @ NY 7:00 PM

Game 6* 5/25 NY @ NJ 7:00 PM

Game 7* 5/27 NJ @ NY 7:00 PM

* if necessary

New York Rangers

The Rangers have been taken to the limit in both of their series so far.  They needed all 7 games to defeat both the 8th seeded Ottawa Senators and the 7th seeded Washington Capitals.  The Rangers have had problems scoring, which isn’t anything new for them.  They are averaging 2.07 goals per game, which is by far the lowest of the remaining playoff teams.  Brad Richards leads the team with 6 goals and has added 5 assists as well.  His line mate Marion Gaborik has had a good playoff run scoring 10 points (4 G, 6 A) of his own.  Derek Stepan leads the Blue Shirts with 7 assists.  Defenseman Ryan McDonagh is averaging over 27 minutes a game of ice time, but is a team low -4.  The Rangers haven’t been able to score a lot of goals but when you have the best goaltender in the game, you don’t need to score a whole lot. Henrik Lundqvist comes into the Eastern Conference Finals with a 1.68 goals against average and a .937 save percentage.  The Rangers special teams have not been so special in the post season.  Their power play has looked good at times, but it has been inconsistent, converting on 15.8% of their chances.  Their penalty kill needs some help as it has only killed off 82.6 % of its power plays.  Losing Brandon Dubinsky for the entire Caps series didn’t help the PK’s efforts.  Dubinsky hopes to return at some point of this series but will be out for at least Game 1.

New Jersey Devils

The Devils made easy work of the Philadelphia Flyers, needing just 5 games to move on, after needing 7 games to defeat the pesky Florida Panthers.  The Devils have averaged exactly 3 goals a game.  Ilya Kovalchuk and Travis Zajac have lead a balanced New Jersey attack with 5 goals each.  Kovalchuck leads the team in assists too, with 7.  Defenseman Bryce Salvador has been a pleasant surprise this post season.  Not only has he been contributing offensively with 6 points (2G, 4A), but he also leads the team as a +8.  Martin Brodeur has been pretty solid in the net, proving he still has plenty left in the tank.  He has posted a 2.05 goals against average and a .920 save percentage through 2 rounds.  The Devils have the best power play of the teams remaining as they have scored on over 20% of their chances.  This will prove to be a tough a matchup with the Rangers struggling penalty kill.  The Devils, who set the all time record for PK % in the regular season, has not done a very good job in the post season.  They have killed off just 73.6% of their penalties, by far the worst of the final four teams.

My Prediction:  I don’t think the Rangers have the fire power to survive another round.  I think this heated series will go to the Devils in 7.

Eastern Conference Finals Preview: Rangers vs Devils - Blackhawk Up - Blackhawk Up - A Chicago Blackhawks Blog

Would like to see this more often next season (Rob Grabowski-USPRESSWIRE)

Season Stats

Games-82

Goals-23

Assists-43

Points-66

+/- +7

Penalty Minutes-40

Power Play goals-4

Face-Off%-42.4

Season Review-

For the first time in his Chicago Blackhawks career Patrick Kane played the position of center instead of his usual Right Wing post.  By looking at his statistics it’s safe to say that the experiment did not have great results.  Kane posted his lowest goal total since his rookie season, and he collected his fewest assists in his entire career.  Kane also struggled at face offs which you know is important when playing center.  He still possesses the most dynamic offensive skills on the roster, yet only 4 goals on the power play and he went goal less in the playoffs.  While the power play struggles continued to grow Kane tried harder and harder to carry the load and carry the puck throughout the most dismal two minutes of hockey. Kane was rumored to be on the trading block during the days leading up to the trade deadline, his played improved quite a bit right after the not getting moved, and was very one the best scorers down the stretch when Jonathon Toews was out the final 22 games of the season.

Kane scored two of the best shoot out goals of the season against the Minnesota Wild and Detroit Red Wings.  They were awesome and really made the goalies look silly.  Kane also has the best and most important goal I’ve scene in my lifetime (thanks to replay) when he scored the Stanley Cup winner against the Philadelphia Flyers.  Kane gets paid like a superstar and he has that type of skills at times, but too many turnovers at the blue line to cause odd man breaks, and only collecting 66 points is not a superstar season.

Contract- Kane is signed through 2014-2015 with a salary cap hit of $6,300,000 a year

Future- Kane is part of the core, but according to Stan Bowman could be back at center next season.  Bowman goal this off season should be to either get a #2 center or decide if Marcus Kruger or Dave Bolland can be that guy or if there is someone in the organization ready to fill that role.  Kane is a gifted Right Winger so let him play his position!!

Kane’s off season stuff is becoming a ritual almost.  Let’s be honest he’s 23 and having a good time.  The only ones complaining are usually old guys that are just jealous of him so if he’s isn’t breaking any laws….. Have fun! He will be an old guy soon enough

Grade-C  Too much talent to only score 66 points.  Superstars get 100 points a season and this should be Kane standard!

Summer Assignment: Patrick Kane - Blackhawk Up - Blackhawk Up - A Chicago Blackhawks Blog

Gary A. Vasquez-US PRESSWIRE

#3 Phoenix Coyotes (8-3) vs #8 Los Angeles Kings (8-1)

Series Schedule:

Game 1 5/13  LA @ PHX 7:00 PM

Game 2 5/15  LA @ PHX 8:00 PM

Game 3 5/17  PHX @ LA 8:00 PM

Game 4 5/20 PHX @ LA 3:00 PM

Game 5* 5/22 LA @PHX 8:00 PM

Game 6* 5/24 PHX @ LA 8:00 PM

Game 7* 5/26 LA @ PHX 7:00 PM

* if necessary

Phoenix Coyotes

The Coyotes made fast work of the Nashville Predators in round 2, knocking them out in 5 games.  The Coyotes have shown they are a very deep team as 13 different players have scored at least one goal.  Antoine Vermette leads the team with 5.  Keith Yandle  leads the team with 7 assists and is a +6 while leading the Yotes defensive core.  Oliver Ekman-Larson has emerged as a shining star this post season.  He has been very solid on the blue line and has added 4 points of his own.  The 20 year is leading the Coyotes in ice time with just over 26 minutes a game.  Mike Smith has been fantastic in the first two rounds and has carried his team into the Conference Finals.  He has a 1.77 goals against average and .948 save percentage in 11 games.  He has given up 2 or less goals in 8 of Phoenix’s games so far this post season.  He will need another outstanding series if this dream run is to continue.  The Coyotes’ power play has converted 16.1 % of their chances into goals, which is slightly better than their 13.6 % conversion in the regular season.  The Coyotes have only given up 4 power play goals in 38 chances.

Los Angeles Kings

At the beginning of the season I predicted the Kings would make it to the Conference Finals against the Blackhawks, so I got it half right.  The Kings have been the most impressive team in the first 2 rounds.  They needed only 9 games to dispose of the top two seeds in the Western Conference, the Canucks and the Blues.  Much like the Coyotes, the Kings have been had a goaltender playing out of his head.  Jonathan Quick has a 1.55 goals against average and a .959 save percentage.  Captain Dustin Brown leads the Kings with 11 points (5 goals, 6 assists).  He has 2 short handed goals and 2 game winning goals.  He is a front runner for the Conn Smythe at this point of the playoffs.  Not bad for a guy who was part of trade rumors at the deadline.  The Kings penalty kill has been the best in to post season so far.  They have killed off 92.1 % of their power plays and have scored 4 short handed goals.  LA’s power play has been horrible, having only scored 4 goals in 47 chances.  If the Kings want to advance to the Stanley Cup Final the power play must start producing.

My Prediction: Jonathan Quick and the LA Kings’ defense will be too much to the Coyotes to handle.  Kings in 6.

Western Conference Finals Preview: Coyotes vs Kings - Blackhawk Up - Blackhawk Up - A Chicago Blackhawks Blog

Rob Grabowski-US PRESSWIRE

GP   G   A   P   +/-   PIM   PPG   SHG   GWG   SOG   S%

28     2    9   11   10     82        0          0             0         27      7.4      Regular Season

Contract Status: Signed through 2013-14 ($825,000 cap hit per season)

I was against the signing of Dan Carcillo from day one.  Even when he got off to a surprising start, where he was contributing to the offense, I was waiting for the other shoe to drop.  Then on January 2nd, the real Dan Carcillo finally showed up.  Carcillo checked Edmonton defenseman Tom Gilbert hard from behind, when he did not have the puck.  Not only did he get a 5 minute major for boarding and a game misconduct but he blew out his knee and ended his season.  The Blackhawks were winning this game 1-0 at the time, but the Oilers scored twice on the major, and went on to win 4-3.  So his senseless hit got him kicked out of the game, ended his season and cost the Hawks a game.  Talk about your dumbass trifecta!  And somehow all of this lead to Stan Bowman giving Carcillo a new 2 year contract.  I still don’t get that move at all.  I know the Hawks need to be more physical but they don’t need idiots.  They need more players like Jamal Mayers, who plays with an edge but plays smart and rarely takes a bad penalty.  For all the outrage and hatred Blackhawks fans have towards Raffi Torres, Carcillo is cut from the same cloth.  Yes, he did show that he actually has some hockey talent and can be a nice player but the dumb penalties and selfish plays will never go away.  And his long history will only get him more penalties and harsher suspensions from here on out.  He will never get the benefit of the doubt from an NHL official.  Maybe the Hawks can send him to the “Matt Cooke School For Choir Boys” but I don’t think he is capable of playing a smarter game.  How many games will he cost the Hawks over the next 2 seasons by being a meathead?  Only time will tell.

2011-2012 Final Grade: D-

Greg’s Report Cards: Daniel Carcillo - Blackhawk Up - Blackhawk Up - A Chicago Blackhawks Blog

Dennis Wierzbicki-US PRESSWIRE

GP   G   A   P   +/-   PIM   PPG   SHG   GWG   SOG   S%

74  33  36 69  28      38        7          1            8         282    11.7     Regular Season

6       1     0   1   -2         4         0          0           0          24       4.2      Playoffs

Contract Status: Signed through 2016-2017 ($5.9 million cap hit per year)

Sharpie’s season got off to a rough start when an emergency appendectomy caused him to miss all of training camp.  Later in the season, a slash from Detroit’s Jiri Hudler caused him to miss 8 games with a broken wrist.  Despite all of this Sharp scored 33 goals, his 2nd straight 30 plus goal season and 3rd of his career.  He lead the team in goals, plus/minus and shots.  His 8 game winning goals was also a team high.  Only Marian Hossa (9) had more power play goals than Sharpie.   Sharp’s assist numbers really picked up during the final month of the season when he clicked on a new line with Hossa and Marcus Kruger.  The season ended with Sharp being a complete disappointment in the playoffs.  Except for deflecting in a Brent Seabrook slap shot for a tying goal in Game 2, Sharp was invisible during the entire series versus the Coyotes.  Sharpie has proved he can score in bunches and his a big part of the Blackhawks’ “core.”

2011-2012 Final Grade: B

Greg’s Report Cards: Patrick Sharp - Blackhawk Up - Blackhawk Up - A Chicago Blackhawks Blog

Get Well Soon!!! (Jason O Watson-USPRESSWIRE)

Season Stats

Games-81

Goals-29

Assists-48

Points-77

+/- +18

Penalty Minutes-20

Power Play Goals-9

Season Review-

2011-2012 Chicago Blackhawks season was the third season Marian Hossa has worn the Indian Head sweater.  Hossa had by far his healthiest season to date with the Blackhawks playing in 81 games.  The previous two seasons Hossa had only played in 65 and 57 games due to injuries.  Hossa is a model of consistency from goals, assists, and +/-.   It was also a milestone year too for Hossa as he collected his 900th point.  There’s nothing Hossa can’t do.. Score, pass, special teams, kill penalties.  He led the Hawks poor power play outfit with 9 power play goals, and he led the Blackhawks in points and assists.  His best attribute by far is that he’s such a strong two-way player which contributed to his +18 this season.  For a player to get to 900 points in a career and to have only one season with a minus rating and a total career +/- of a +163 tells you that he’s great on the fore check and back check. Hossa can change the momentum of a game on one shift by dominating the puck and setting up himself or a teammate for a game changing goal.

There are three big things that most Hawks fans will remember about the 2011-2012 season.

1. Nine game losing streak after the All-Star Game- Even though this was a very successful season for Marian Hossa he got lost along with the entire Hawks team during this stretch. During the 0-9-1 stretch Hossa collected 3 goals (2 in the first of the 9 straight losses) and 1 assist.  A player of Hossa caliber has to raise his game during bad stretches of the season and put a struggling team on his back.  During the losing streak Hossa disappeared instead of led.  One of my biggest  points is that Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane along with Hossa have tons of experience,and that the Hawks don’t need to keep bringing in “veteran presence” guys that don’t fit the system, but Managment can always look back at this stretch of games and say that the PRESENCE will always be needed.

2. Toews out with concussion for last 22 games. The Hawks went 13-5-4 and Hossa was a key reason that the Hawks were able to clinch the #6 seed without their Captain on the ice.  Hossa scored 2 of the game winning goals during the season ending stretch, while collecting 6 goals and 13 assists along the way.  Hossa along with Patrick Sharp, Brent Seabrook, and Duncan Keith could point to this stretch and tell managment that they are the Veteran presence and stop signing the Andrew Brunette’s and Sean O’Donnell’s all they do is make their jobs harder.

3. Sadly when we think about the 2011-2012 season the only really thing that will be remembered is THE HIT Phoenix Coyote Raffi Torres put on Hossa at the beginning of Game 3 of the playoffs.. if for some reason you haven’t scene it here is a link to the Brendan Shanahan suspension video http://video.nhl.com/videocenter/console?catid=60&id=173753.  This hit ended Hossa season immediatley and he still is feeling huge effects from the hit.  The Hawks tried their best without him to overcome the Coyotes, but instead of having Hossa out their finishing off great scoring chances the Hawks had Brendan Morrison out there burying pucks into Mike Smith’s pads.  The series could have had a different outcome with Hossa scoring ability on the ice instead of a veteran presence guy!!

Contract- Hossa is signed through 2020-2021 with a yearly cap hit of $5,275,000

Future- First Hossa has to recover from the head shot courtesy from Mr. Torres, then he will resume what has been a very consistent and productive career probable anchoring the 2nd line of the Hawks.  Hossa at 33 may be at his peak before a decline due to age starts to set in, so it is huge for management to get the right mix of players on the roster next year to make a serious run for the Cup.  No more old slow veterans!! Make sure every piece fits correctly and solve the power play puzzle, that Hossa was one of only 2 bright spots!!

Grade-A Most consistent player on the ice for 81 games.

Lastly and most importantly…..GET WELL SOON HOSSA!!!!!!!

Summer Assignment: Marian Hossa - Blackhawk Up - Blackhawk Up - A Chicago Blackhawks Blog

Rob Grabowski-US PRESSWIRE

Its been a while since I’ve posted anything so I’ll just jump right in.

Thoughts on the season

Like everyone, I was quite disappointed with the season. Admittedly I wasn’t a huge fan of Stan’s acquistions last summer, but I felt that the rested core group, combined with some additional depth and solid goaltending should be sufficient to succeed. I had the Blackhawks winning the Western Conference and at least making the Conference Finals in the playoffs.

Throughout the season the Hawks relied far too much on outscoring opponents, opposed to relying on playing defensively responsible hockey and generating offense from defense, like all the teams that remain in the playoffs are able to do very well.

Terrible special teams and sub-par goaltending plagued the Hawks all season and proved to be obstacles too great to overcome in the end when it really mattered. Many people will point to the 101 point season as the silver lining, but for a team with this much talent and such high aspirations, 101 points should be a passing grade and not something to be especially proud of.

The season and post-season reaffirmed the gaping holes that existed at this time last summer: a physical top-four defenseman and an effective second-line center, while exposing new holes, such as general lack of size on the roster and questionable goaltending. There are a lot of questions that will require answering this summer and the Hawks will be under more pressure than ever to answer them after the second straight first round elimination.

Thoughts on the players

I’m not going to individually grade players. Greg and Keith have done a fabulous job of that already here on Blackhawk Up. Instead I’m just going to briefly discuss who I think stood out, who disappointed and who was somewhere in between this season.

I’m giving my Team MVP award to Marian Hossa. After his two first seasons in Chicago led to questions about his overall durability and ability to put up points, Hossa responded with an outstanding season, playing 81 games and scoring 29 goals and 48 assists. He was arguably one of the Hawks most consistent and reliable forwards all season.

Jonathan Toews would have been my MVP had it not been for the concussion. Still the Captain had a dominant, Hart-worthy season, scoring 29 goals and 28 assists in 59 games.

Patrick Sharp, another MVP candidate, had a great season and was especially brilliant down the stretch with Toews out of the lineup. He breached the 30-goal mark for the third time in his career, scoring 33 goals and 36 assists in 74 games. Sharps defensive game also rebounded as he finished a career-high +28.

Other guys that I was impressed with were Viktor Stalberg who had an impressive 22-goal season, Brent Seabrook who was the Hawks best defender all season long, Andrew Shaw who was so good he became a Twitter sensation, Marcus Kruger who did a better job than a lot of people give him credit for I think, Jamal Mayers who was an effective 4th liner all year and Ray Emery who was a realiable back-up and helped stabilized the net when Crawford began his downward spiral.

Its tough to give Nick Leddy too much heat because he is what he is: a very young defenseman in the NHL who was thrown into the fire too soon and has been given too much responsibility by the coaching staff prematurely. There were many, many moments where he was exposed physically and positionally. He didnt effectively replace Brian Campbell as was hoped, but you can argue he was doomed to fail, considering his age and inexperience and the role he was expected to fill. Therefore I can’t say Leddy disappointed. He was almost exactly what I expected him to be.

Other guys that fell in between good and bad were Dave Bolland who had a solid season but not as good as I was hoping for, Duncan Keith who rebounded from last year nicely but is still miles away from the Norris Trophy winner he was two years ago, Steve Montador who was good at times and bad at others, Johnny Oduya who brought a lot of stability down the stretch, Daniel Carcillo who proved he can be the type of player the Hawks need, Niklas Hjalmarsson who was effective despite his occasional bumbling, Brandon Bollig who did what he was asked to do and nothing more, and Dylan Olsen and Jimmy Hayes, who were able to do about as much as you can ask of rookies in the NHL.

Probably the biggest disappointment of the season for me was Corey Crawford, who suffered a huge sophmore slump, as his numbers and his confidence plunged into an dark abyss. Not to mention the Hawks playoff defeat could possibily be pegged to the two softies he gave up in OT in Games 3 and 4.

Patrick Kane, who spoke before the season began about truly becoming one of the games elite players and talked about reaching the 100-point mark for the first time in his career. Not only did 88 fail to hit those numbers, he regressed from 73 points last year to 66 points this year in 9 more games played. That kind of trend is never a good sign.

Joining them as the big disappointments of the year are Michael Frolik who despite his playoff success was a colossial failure all year long, Bryan Bickell who was probably the most inconsistent Hawk, Brendan Morrison who just never worked out, Andrew Brunette and Sean ODonnell whose lack of mobility was exposed in a high tempo system like Chicagos and Sami Lepisto who wasnt given much opportunity and couldnt capitalize when he was.

Haviland firing

I’m not quite sure what to make of this but I know I’m not exactly surprised. I knew one of the assistants was going and frankly deep, deep down I had a feeling it would be Haviland, considering hes not Q’s guy, and we all know how much Q loves “his guys” (see: Andrew Brunette)

Many have speculated that this was yet another battle Quenneville has won with management, possibly under the threat of leaving the organization or demanding that the coaching staff be entirely comprised of guys he approves of. Whatever the power dynamics are behind the firing, I can say 2 things with a great degree of confidence: 1. the Hawks really want to retain Quenneville and 2. Quenneville has more leverage with than we think. After all, if the coaching staff was “dysfunctional”, why does the head coach get to make the call who stays and who goes? It seems to me that Quenneville was demanding some change and that he wanted a coaching staff he picked.

I’m not there, so I don’t know what issues exist behind the scenes. Perhaps Haviland deserves more blame for the awful special teams than we think he did and perhaps he did headbutt with Q on more than one issue and that had negative repercussions. I dont know. What I do know is he was a popular guy and was well-liked by the players.

In the end it will be interesting to see who Q chooses to replace Haviland and how the syngery between the coaching staff between the management and the coaching staff is going into next season. Its clear that they were not on the same page for the last 2 seasons and there have been whispers that Q was extremely dissatisifed with the roster he was given this season.Whether this means Q will have more or less say in player decisions I dont know.

The draft and free agency

The draft is my favorite hockey day of the year hands down. The trade deadline is fun, as is July 1st. But it seems that the draft is where all the big action is nowadays when it comes to trades. Not to mention we get to see where the superstars of tomorrow are going.

So over the next several weeks I’ll be previewing some of the young prospects the Hawks should consider taking with their 1st selectio, should they choose to use it. Ill also be looking at some trade scearios they could consider on draft day, as well as some scenarios from other teams.

In addition to that, Ill be looking at some free agents, big and small names, that the Hawks could have interest in this summer.

Theres lots to come so keep checking in.

Thanks for reading.

Thoughts on the Season, Haviland Firing and More - Blackhawk Up - Blackhawk Up - A Chicago Blackhawks Blog