Jan 24, 2013; Dallas, TX, USA; Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Nick Leddy (8) shoots the puck on the Dallas Stars goal during the game at the American Airlines Center. The Blackhawks defeated the Stars 3-2 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

On this date in Chicago Blackhawks history,

On February 12, 2010 the Chicago Blackhawks completed a trade with the Minnesota Wild.

The Wild acquired Cam Barker.

The Blackhawks acquired Kim Johnnson and Nick Leddy.

Defenseman Kim Johnnson played 8 games in a Blackhawks jersey at the end of 2010 collecting a goal and 2 assists but that was the end of his NHL career. The real nugget in this trade was Nick Leddy. Leddy was thrown into the lineup of the Hawks maybe a season before he was fully ready so he got the “baptism by fire” treatment at the beginning of his young career. Leddy had 4 goals and 3 assists in 46 games his rookie season with a +/- of -3.  Last season his stats were 3 goals and 34 assists (5th on the team in assists) with a -12 rating.  Leddy seemed to settle down his play defensively  last season with the arrival of Johnny Oduya.  Leddy and Patrick Kane were the only two Hawks last season to play every game, and Leddy really has shown some very good offensive skills for a defenseman which he has showcased this season including a overtime winning goal against the Detroit Red Wings.  Leddy may not be a shutdown defenseman but he’s seems to be the right fit of speed and puck movenment that Joel Quenneville is looking for in his defenseman.

Cam Barker the third pick overall in 2004 was just as big as a dissappointment as Jack Skille.  Barker has scored a grand total of 4 goals and 10 assists between his stops with Minnesota and the Edmonton Oilers since his trade from Chicago.  To say the Hawks and Stan Bowman got the best of this deal would be a major understatement!

Leddy is only 21 years old and could be a senior at the University of Minnesota, but now he is a mainstay in his 3rd season with the Blackhawks with seemingly his best hockey in front of him.

For More Blackhawks talk follow us on Twitter @Blackhawk_Up or Friend us on Facebook, and as always THANKS for stopping by Blackhawk Up!

Jan 30, 2013; St. Paul, MN, USA; Chicago Blackhawks head coach Joel Quenneville yells during the third period against the Minnesota Wild at the Xcel Energy Center. The Wild defeated the Blackhawks 3-2 in a shootout. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports

Friday night in Vancouver, the Chicago Blackhawks went into their second straight shootout of the season. This one went four rounds with none of the Blackhawks scoring, and the Canucks skated away with a victory.

Head Coach Joel Quenneville sent in two of the obvious choices that we all want in a shootout situation – Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane. Patrick Sharp took the third round, and that choice by Quenneville was questionable since Sharp was having a tough time handling the puck all night. Most people watching the game would have ditched Sharp at that point and put in someone who was having a much better night, like Marian Hossa who was all over the Canucks and the puck in the third period. Or Brandon Saad whose hard work through the whole game put many of the Blackhawks’ NHL-experienced players to shame. But Sharpie got the nod and had his shot gloved by Roberto Luongo.

Then came the fourth round. It makes all the sense in the world to go with Hossa or Saad or another forward whose job is to score goals. But Quenneville called on young defenseman  Nick Leddy.

Toews, yes. Kane, of course. Sharp, eh. Leddy, wait what?

Leddy’s shot was also gloved by Luongo, and Blackhawks fans everywhere felt like Quenneville didn’t give the shootout a real try. After the game, Quenneville said he’s been thinking about shootouts and that they need to try new things. Apparently that means going against smart choices based on performance in the game. This is a decision that looks like it was made prior to landing in Vancouver.

Quenneville liked what he saw with Leddy in practice shootouts and in Rockford, calling him “deceiving”. He thought he deserved a chance. But in the 4th round? Before calling on the hot players of the night? The shootout does need some help and maybe Leddy does deserve a chance, but not before more logical choices that had earned their chance that night in that game.

What do you think about Quenneville’s shootout decisions?

For more updates and conversation, follow us on Twitter @Blackhawk_Up and friend us on Facebook at Blackhawk Up.

Jan 27, 2013; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Nick Leddy (rear) is congratulated by left wing Viktor Stalberg (25) and defenseman Johnny Oduya (27) and center Jonathan Toews (right) for scoring the game winning goal during overtime at the United Center. The Blackhawks beat the Red Wings 2-1 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Rob Grabowski-USA TODAY Sports

The Chicago Blackhawks coughed up a one goal lead on their hated rival, Detroit Red Wings, early in the third period.  The rivalry required an overtime period to crown a winner, and Blackhawks’ defenseman,  Nick Leddy put the puck past Red Wings goaltender, Jimmy Howard, to secure the win for the Blackhawks.  The win puts the Hawks record at 6-0-0, good for 12 points, and the best start to a regular season in the franchise’s storied 86-year history.

The Blackhawks got off to a ferocious start in the first period, practically owning the puck throughout most of the first 20 minutes.  The Hawks took the lead on the power-play, with Duncan Keith‘s first goal of the season, early in the period.    The Red Wings could not seem to keep the puck for any extended period of time.  Although both teams ended the period at 11 shots apiece, the Blackhawks maintained a 1-0 league over the Red Wings.

The Red Wings got off to a much faster, more aggressive start in the second period, and as a result, the Blackhawks got off their game and played an undisciplined 2nd period.  Detroit played more aggressive, and to compensate, the tired Hawks, who were playing their second game in 24 hours, become undisciplined and committed a ridiculous four 2-minute minor penalties, in the second period alone.  Amazingly, the Blackhawks killed off everyone of the Red Wing power-plays, even keeping the well-rested Wings shot-less on two man-advantage opportunities.  Forwards Michael Frolik, and Marcus Kruger were the two key penalty-killers for the Hawks, as well as the two biggest thorns, in the Red Wings’ side.  The Hawks stumbled through the second period and miraculously held onto their 1-0 lead over Detroit.

As the puck dropped for the third period, the Red Wings, likely motivated by the humiliation of their powerless power-play, came out of the gate on a mission.  It was the Red Wings this time, who were controlling the puck and generating all of the scoring chances, early in the third period.  Hawks’ goaltender, Corey Crawford, did all he could to weather the storm of Red Wings shots on goal, before Johan Franzen went 5-hole on Crawford, to tie the game at 1-1.  After tying the game, the Red Wings committed a pair of penalties from Jonathan Ericsson and Henrik Zetterberg, that the Blackhawks failed to capitalize on, sending the game to overtime.

In the overtime period, it seemed like it was only a matter of time before Detroit won this game, as it appeared that fatigue was setting in for the Blackhawks.  However, it was the Hawks who left the United Center with two points instead of one as Nick Leddy buried the puck past Jimmy Howard to give the Hawks the win and the franchise best 6-0-0 start to the regular season.

The Blackhawks get a much deserved breather, as they don’t play again until Wednesday, when they head up north to take on the Minnesota Wild.  Puck drop is set for 7:00 PM Central Time.

Notes-

Corey Crawford played yet another strong game in net, stopping 29 out of 30 Red Wings’ shots on goal.

Michael Frolik ‘s penalty killing excellence so far this season, is a huge reason for the Hawks record-setting success, especially tonight.

Jimmy Howard played well enough to help Detroit leave Chicago with at least a point, although after the 1st period, he wasn’t heavily tested the rest of the night.

On two consecutive Detroit power-plays in the 2nd period, the Blackhawks actually out-shot the Red Wings 3-2!

Red Wings center, Damien Brunner continues to look like part of the “next-wave” of Red Wings superstars as he continues his great start to the young season by adding one assist.

Jonathan Toews continued his strong season, although tonight was the first game where he was under 50% in the face-off circle(48%).

Sept 28, 2011; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Brent Seabrook (7) is congratulated by defenseman Duncan Keith (2) for scoring a goal during the second period against the Detroit Red Wings at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Grabowski-US PRESSWIRE

The last of the fantasy rankings we will look at is the threesome of Chicago Blackhawks defenseman that made the rankings.  They rated the top 60 defenseman and three Hawks made the top 60. Duncan Keith was the first to crack the rankings in the #21 spot.  If ice time were part of the rankings Keith would be #1 since he routinely ends up in the top 5 of icetime in the league.  Keith has not returned to his Norris Trophy Award playing ablitity of 2010, but he still the cornerstone of the Blackhawks defense.  One way know how  well Keith is playing is by his +/- rating is,  he was averaing +20 or more until the past two seasons. He did rebound from a -1 to a +15 this past season. Keith isn’t higher in the fantasy rankings because he only averages 40 points per season and not more like the other defenseman higher on the list.

The second Hawk in the rankings is Brent Seabrook who really was the best Hawks defesnman last season.  He played great during the season and in the playoff series against the Phoenix Coyotes including being part of the scoring on the beat the buzzer goals in games 1 and 2.  Seabrook is very consistent scorer from the blue line averaging 9 goals and 25 assists per season.  Seabrook is solid as a rock on the blue line and he is ranked 37th best fantasy option.

I was suprised to see that one more Blackhawk made it into the rankings.  Nick Leddy appears at # 52 on the list of top 60.  Leddy who has had his ups and downs while learning his trait on the fly or the ice could be ready to explode and have a huge breakout season.  Leddy had 3 goals and 37 assists last season so there is no reason not to think he can’t add to those numbers and climb in the rankings next season.

Review of the Blackhawks that made the rankings

Jonathan Toews-#6 Center

Marian Hossa- #3 Right Wing

Patrick Kane- #7 Right Wing

Patrick Sharp- #5 Left Wing

Corey Crawford- #33 Goalie

Duncan Keith- #21 Defenseman

Brent Seabrook-#37 Defenseman

Nick Leddy- #52 Defenseman

Which Blackhawks do you think will breakout to make a fantasy list next season? My candidates are Dave Bolland, Brandon Saad, and Viktor Stalberg.  Let’s hope their is a season to find these things out!! Get back to negotiating Bettman and Fehr!!

LET’S GO HAWKS!!

Tommy Giglio-US PRESSWIRE

Blackhawks’ defenseman Nick Leddy has taken a lot of heat from fans over the last two years.  Some of it is deserved but a lot of isn’t, in my opinion.  Leddy has played 128 games at the NHL level over the last two seasons.  He only played 22 games for the Rockford IceHogs, so for the most part he has had to learn the pro game at the highest level in one of the game’s largest markets.  I think Leddy has done a pretty good job learning the NHL on the fly.  Let’s not forget that he is only 21 years old and should be prepping for his senior season the University of Minnesota.

Leddy has great vision and is a tremendous passer.  Coach Q needs to use him more on the power play this coming season.  His skating and play making abilities need to be maximized with the man advantage.  Yes, he defensive play needs a lot of improvement.  He still needs to add some size because he is not going win too many board battles at this point.  His speed allows him to make up ground when he is caught out of position.  He still makes some bad decisions but those are signs of a young player with not a lot of experience.  Leddy struggled a lot when he was paired up with Niklas Hjalmarsson. For whatever reason, those two just did not work very well together.  Leddy played much better when he got to spend some time next to Brent Seabrook.  He found a nice place once he was matched up with newcomer Johnny Oduya as well.  I would look for the duo of Leddy and Oduya to start the season off as the 2nd pair.

Nick Leddy has played 128 games in the NHL where he has scored 7 goals, has 44 assists and is a -15.  One of the best aspects of Leddy’s game is that he does not take bad penalties.  He has only 14 PIM so far in his career.  If you look at some of the numbers of other high caliber defensemen after 128 games, you will see Leddy is going to be just fine.

Duncan Keith struggled quite a bit his first two seasons in the NHL and he didn’t get the call up until he was 22.  At the 128 game mark Keith had 9 goals, 30 assists and was a -7.  He also had accumulated 125 PIMs during that span.  People don’t remember that Keith was not very good in his first two seasons.  A major reason for that is that there were not nearly has many people paying attention to the Blackhawks in 2005 and 2006.

All Star defenseman, and former teammate of Leddy’s, Brian Campbell’s numbers after 128 games were not spectacular either.   Soupy only had 6 goals, 24 assists and was a -16 after 128 games.  Campbell turned out to be one of the better offensive defensmen in the game.  In fact, the Blackhawks traded Campbell away because they believe that Leddy will develop into the type of player Campbell is.

The Washington Capitals’ Mike Green is another defenseman in the same mold of Nick Leddy.  In his first 128 games Green only scored 6 goals, had 16 assists, was a -26 and took 78 minutes worth of penalties.

So if you compare the numbers Leddy has put up to some of the better offensive defensemen in the league, you will see that he has been pretty good.  Yes he still has some improvements to make but I am confident those will come with more ice time.  I am excited to see what he can do this coming up season.  He could be in for a breakout season if he is used correctly on the ice.  Leddy needs to be quartbacking the power play where his strengths can be fully optimized.  Leddy will be a restricted free agent at the end of this season.  Hopefully the Blackhawks can get an extension done during the season because someone will give him an offer sheet next offseason.  Get him signed under your terms and don’t let another general manager dictate what you will have to pay him.

Thank you for reading, be sure to follow me on Twitter @SAMotherPucker

I went into my second Blackhawks Convention one year older and MUCH wiser about how to make the most of my weekend.

I didn’t attend on Friday last year, but since my family and I were going to stay at the hotel this time we came down to the Hilton on Day One.  Traffic was pretty rough so we decided to forego the Opening Ceremonies and get settled.  After checking into the hotel I headed down to Registration.  There I got a snazzy red backpack filled with all kinds of goodies and my Instant Winner VIP Autograph Session for Saturday afternoon (if you stay at the hotel two nights you get an Instant Winner automatically).  In addition, one of my two scratch offs was a winner and I got another VIP session for Saturday morning.  The weekend was off to a great start!

My dad and I studied the program guide and decided on a plan of attack for the evening.  I wanted to have my picture taken with Nick Leddy and he opted for the Corey Crawford signing since we had missed out on Crawford last year.  It was around 4:30pm and wristbands were being given out at 5pm.  I think that was the shortest amount of time I waited for anything all weekend!  After we had both secured our wristbands we walked around the vendor area and picked up some puck holders.  We ventured up to the International Ballroom and caught the tail end of the Opening Ceremonies.  It was packed up there!  Despite moving the festivities to a bigger ballroom this year there wasn’t nearly enough room for everyone.  It was festival seating so everyone was just kind of standing in a big clump.  I was able to see all the guys on the big screen, though.  Since we had about two hours to kill before the signing and photo sessions we grabbed something to eat and studied the program guide some more.  We were trying to guess who our VIP autographs might be.  (The program guide lists all the possibilities for the Instant Winners and the Scratch and Win winners.)  By process of elimination we figured our Instant Winner was Duncan Keith (if you look at the panel listings you can figure out who is where at what time and Dunc was the only one free that afternoon).  It was harder to guess the Scratch and Win one, though, because there were eleven possibilities.

Around 7pm we got in line for Crawford and Leddy.  Leddy was early for his session so the line moved pretty fast.  The biggest hold up was that the camera needed time to reload between each picture so you had to wait.  When it was my turn I shook his hand and he asked me how I was and what time I had arrived at the convention.  After the picture was taken we exchanged nice to meet yous.  They print the pictures on site so I was able to pick mine up right away.  Leddy is such a nice guy and I was glad to be able to meet him again.

By that time my dad was near the front of the Crawford line so I headed up to grab a seat at SecondCity.  Along with the cast, Kane, Carcillo, Shaw, and Stalberg were performing.  The show lasted about an hour and was hilarious.  The guys all have such great chemistry with each other.  It was a lot of fun.  I met up with my dad after the show and he got Crawford’s autograph on a puck and on a birthday card I was carrying around all weekend for a good friend of mine.  He also managed to catch Marcus Kruger leaving his autograph session and got him to sign the card as well.

Day Two started early.  My dad and I hopped in the line to get in line for wristbands around 6:30am and there were probably about 100 people in front of us.  (In order to get decent access to the autograph sessions you have to get in that line so that when they let you in the autograph area to get wristbands you are one of the first people in.  They only hand out 315 autograph wristbands per session and 150 photo wristbands per session.  So basically you wait in line twice, but there’s really no way around it.)  Despite the long wait in line (we got into the autograph area around 8am) the time passed quickly.  There are always plenty of fans who want to chat.  I was sitting with someone who had never been to the convention before so I did my best to help him plan out the best strategy for his day.  When the doors opened at 8am my dad and I headed for Brandon Bollig’s line.  They weren’t supposed to hand out wristbands until 8:30am, but as soon as you got in they gave you the band.  Bollig arrived around 9:30am.  He signed a puck for me and the birthday card as well.  Technically each player is only supposed to sign one thing and not pose for pictures, but Bollig didn’t seem too fussed and signed both items and posed for a picture with me.  He was really sweet and chatted with me while he signed.

When that was over it was after 10am.  My dad got Bill White’s autograph and then headed up to our Scratch and Win session and I went to The Olympic Ideal Panel.  The panel featured: Toews, Kane, Seabrook, Keith, Hossa, O’Callahan, and Olczyk.  Pat Foley was the moderator.  It was a really interesting and fun panel.  The fans were able to ask questions too, which is always entertaining.  I think the highlights were the girl who rewrote Call Me, Maybe, which was really a request for Toews to sign her jersey (which he did) and the person who asked Toews if he was related to Joey, The Jr. Reporter (he’s not).  I met up with my dad after and found out his pass was for Coach Q.  While Q was trying to sign the puck his sharpie didn’t work and he tried a different one and wrote over the first autograph.  He didn’t like how that looked so he signed the other side of the puck as well.  We headed back down to the autograph area and I got in the line to get a wristband for Ben Smith while my dad met Eric Nesterenko and Ab McDonald.  After I got my wristband the person directing traffic sent people to the wrong line so the order kind of got mixed up and I ended up in the front of the Smith line.  Lol Lucky for me, I guess.  Smith was really nice, kind of quiet.  He signed a puck and the birthday card.  His ‘handler’ (person who sits with the player while he signs) was a little stricter so I didn’t get to take a picture.

I was interested in getting Andrew Shaw’s autograph at 5:30pm and I knew they were handing out wristbands at 4:00pm, but through chatter I heard the line was already getting pretty long (it was around 1:45pm at this point).  I caught up with my dad who had gotten Sheldon Brookbank’s autograph in the meantime.  He said he’d wait in the Shaw line for me while I went up to the Instant Winner session then we’d trade places.  That session started at 2:30pm and when I got up there the line was already pretty long.  Just as we started to move my dad called to tell me they were going to hand out the Shaw wristbands early.  I couldn’t get out of the line I was in so he just got the wristband instead.  My Instant Winner was Duncan Keith.  His handler was pretty strict too so I only got my puck signed.  I didn’t mind, though, because just meeting him was great.  He shook my hand and was just really sweet.  A super nice guy.

When I left that session my dad gave me the Shaw wristband (a big no-no as you’re not supposed to trade wristbands, but it’s not like we sold it or anything so I didn’t feel too bad about it).  It was around 3:30pm at this point so my dad went to get Dennis Hull and Cliff Koroll’s autographs.  I decided to check out the WGN broadcast and heard interviews with Coach Q, Sharp/Seabrook, and then Kane/Carcillo.  That was a lot of fun to listen to and seeing the guys interact with each other is just great.  By then I decided to get in the Shaw line so I wouldn’t be near the end of it.  I cannot say enough nice things about Andrew Shaw.  He was so genuinely sweet and you could tell how happy he was to be there and just be a part of the organization.  I wished him a happy belated birthday and we chatted while he signed my puck and the birthday card.  He was nice enough to take a picture with me too.  Just such a great guy.

Day Three started even earlier than Day Two.  Seabrook, Stalberg, and Carcillo were all signing that morning so the line was even longer than before.  Since we had met Stalberg the year before I decided to get in the Seabrook line (well, technically I had met Seabrook before, but he’s one of my favorite players and I couldn’t resist) and my dad headed for Carcillo.  While in the Seabrook line I was chatting with a very nice family behind me and we heard rumblings that there were some unclaimed Scratch and Win passes being given out at the Registration booth.  The sessions for that morning were Hossa and Toews.  By the time I got to the booth they had handed them all out.  I was bummed, but it was such an off chance that I couldn’t really be too upset.  I got back in line and about twenty minutes later someone said they were handing out passes again.  Some people even had two and three passes to both sessions.  I went to the booth and the girl said she didn’t have any left, but you could see she still had a stack behind the counter.  Yelling at people doesn’t make you any friends so I just waited quietly in case they handed them out again.  Finally at 10:30am (that’s when the signing started) I figured it wasn’t going to happen.  While I was leaving a woman came up to me and asked if I wanted her pass to meet Hossa.  I was thrilled and couldn’t thank her enough.  By that time my dad had met Carcillo (another signature on the card!) so I gave him the Hossa pass since I had met him before at the Blackhawks Live dinner.  He got a puck and the birthday card signed.  He said Hossa looked great and said he was ready to get back on the ice.  By the time that was all over with it was time to meet Seabrook.  Despite all my running around that morning I still had a good place in line because the very nice man sitting behind me held my place.  Blackhawks fans are the best people!  Right before I went up there the handler told me he’d only sign one thing.  Seabrook signed a picture for me and I asked about the card and he had no problem doing it.  He was really nice and shook my hand.  My new friends in line took pictures for me during the signing since he couldn’t pose.  I was most appreciative.  Seabrook tends to get a bad rap from some fans, but on the occasions that I’ve met him he’s never been anything but nice.

Once I was done with that I caught up with my dad who was in the Nesterenko, McDonald, Pilote line.  I did a little shopping (got some new pins for my lanyard) and wandered around the interactive area.  I chatted with a nice woman who shared various Blackhawks pictures and stories with me including the fact she was staying on the same floor as Pilote and had breakfast with him!  By then it was time to head home.

Just a few observations I made.  There was at least double the amount of photo sessions this year.  I think the sessions are awesome and the fact you get the picture instantly is great.  The wristband system is wonderful.  It’s a pain to wait, but at least you know you’re guaranteed an autograph.  What’s not great is when people in front of hold places for twelve of their friends.  It didn’t directly affect me, but I don’t think it’s right.  If you want the autographs badly enough you should have to wait like everyone else.  I also didn’t like the way the surprise VIP passes were handed out on Sunday.  It was obvious they had extra passes even when they said they didn’t.  It should have been an all or nothing thing.  Finally, I saw people trying to sell their VIP passes.  That’s just not right.  I don’t think it’s wrong to trade passes, but money shouldn’t be exchanged.  It was nice to see someone trying to sell his Hossa pass get it taken away from him.  It just takes a few bad apples to spoil things for everyone else.  Overall it was a WONDERFUL experience.  The Blackhawks organization puts on an amazing weekend for us fans.   And yay I ended up with eight signatures on the birthday card (double what I accomplished last year).  I’m already planning next year’s strategy and now more than ever I’m ready for hockey season!

Dennis Wierzbicki-US PRESSWIRE

The Blackhawks are not waiting until July to do their free agent shopping.  They resigned Jamal Mayers, last week, to a one year deal and now they have given defenseman Johnny Oduya a three year contract extension.  It was no secret that both Stan Bowman and Joel Quenneville were fans of Oduya.  He is a puck moving defenseman who fits in with exactly what Q wants to do on the ice.  This is a pretty good signing for the Hawks.  Oduya solidified the Hawks blue line and was able to eat up meaningful minutes.  Having him here for a full season should take away some ice time from Brent Seabrook and Duncan Keith which is a good thing.  Also, Nick Leddy played his best hockey of the season when he was paired with Oduya.

Oduya’s new deal is for 3 years with a $3.375 million cap hit per season.  There was some outrage in the Twitterverse over the amount of money given to Oduya.  I think this is a fair price considering the kind of money that has been thrown at defensemen in the last couple years.  Anytime you feel upset about $3.375 million for Oduya just remember Jay Bouwmeester is making $6.8 million and James Wisniewski is getting paid $5.5 million. There, don’t you feel better?

Oduya’s salary does raise questions on what the Blackhawks are going to do with their defense next year.  It is safe to say Oduya and Leddy will be the second pair, behind Seabrook and Keith.  That leaves the 3rd pairing for Steve Montador and Niklas Hjalmarsson.   The problem is Montador is set to make $2.75 million and Hjalmarsson is owed $3.5 million.  That is an awful lot of money to have invested in your 5th and 6th defensemen.

Dennis Wierzbicki-US PRESSWIRE

Is Montador’s concussion issues worse than the Blackhawks letting on?  Do the Hawks want to trade Montador or Hjalmarsson, or both?  These are all valid questions.  Hjalmarsson’s name has been part of trade rumors for awhile, and I don’t think its a secret the Blackhawks would like to move his salary.  Hjalmarsson has not lived up to his $3.5 million salary and he might be due for a change of scenery.  If the Hawks wanted to move one of the two, Hjalmarsson would be the easier to trade.  He is younger, still has some upside and one of my least favorite words in sports, “potential.”  If the Hawks can move one or both of these defensemen that will free up some more cap space to go after a big name free agent.  But, with a rather weak free agent market I am not expecting much action out of the Hawks front office come July.  It will interesting to see, on draft night, if the Blackhawks start moving some pieces around.

Dennis Wierzbicki-US PRESSWIRE

Jerome Miron-US PRESSWIRE

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

18     1    4    5     3        0          0          0             0         30     3.3         Regular Season

6       0    3    3     1        0          0          0             0           9      0.0         Playoffs

Contract Status: Unrestricted free agent

A lot of people were upset that the only player Stan Bowman acquired at the trade deadline was Johnny Oduya.  In hindsight, Oduya might have been the best deadline move that was made.  Johnny made a very positive impact on the Blackhawks.  He was a -3 after his first period with the Hawks but everything got better after the bumpy start.  Oduya sured up the 2nd defensive pairing and was able to take some of the burden off of  Brent Seabrook  and Duncan Keith when it came to ice time.  Nick Leddy played some of his best hockey of the season while being paired with Oduya.  If you eyeball his playoff numbers you would have to say he played pretty good.  Well, sometimes the numbers can be deceiving.  Oduya did not have a good series against the Coyotes.  He was not nearly as sure with the puck as he was down the stretch.  He made too many turnovers and was out of position too many times.  But, with that being said, I think Oduya played himself into a new contract with the Blackhawks.  Stan Bowman mentioned Oduya more than once in his state of the team address and never once mentioned Niklas Hjalmarrson.  It will be interesting to see what plays out over the summer.  My guess is Oduya is here in October and Hjalmarrson is not.

2011-2012 Final Grade: B

Dennis Wierzbicki-US PRESSWIRE

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

82    3   34 37  -12    10         0          0            0          94     3.2       Regular Season

6       1    2    3      1        0          0         0            0            9      11.1     Playoffs

Contract Status: Signed through 2012-2013 ($1.1 million cap hit)

We all know Nick Leddy is not going to win a Norris Trophy.  His defensive skills need  improvement, but lets remember he should have just finished his junior year as a Golden Gopher.  He has had to learn the pro style game at the highest level and I think he has held his own pretty good.  His 34 assists was 5th best on the team and only Duncan Keith had more in the defensive group.  Nick Leddy is at his best when he is involved in the offense.  I think he needs to be used more on the power play come next season.  He has great vision and passing skills in the offensive end.  His -12 was the worse among all defensemen.  For whatever reason, the pairing of Leddy and Niklas Hjalmarsson never worked.  Leddy played much better when he spent some time paired with Brent Seabrook and settled in nicely with Johnny Oduya.  His biggest downfall is his size.  Let Leddy spent the summer with me and I will put him on a cheeseburger and Budweiser diet.  He will be bigger in no time!  Despite his lack of size, to his credit, he never backed away from contact.  Leddy and Patrick Kane were the only two Blackhawks to play in all 82 games, so durability is not an issue.  Leddy has room for improvement but I think he will develop into a solid player.

2011-2012 Final Grade: C

Jeff Griffith-US PRESSWIRE

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

51     0    7    7   -6      23          0         0          0            30      0        Regular Season

2       0     0    0  -3       0            0         0          0           0         0        Playoffs

Contract Status:  Unrestricted Free Agent

When the Blackhawks brought in Sean O’ Donnell they were hoping he would be the 7th defenseman, and I was ok with that.  A good veteran presence with some grit to throw out there 30-35 times a year would be good.  Then I actually saw O’ Donnell play and there was not much to like.  Coach Q kept telling us he has experience, but experience can not overcome 40 year old legs.  Experience was the reason O’Donnell got the start in Game 1 versus the Coyotes.  He was on the ice for the overtime goals against the Hawks in both Game 1 and Game 4.  The Game 4 goal started when O’Donnell tried to pinch in when he had no business making that play.  His -6 was the second worse among defensemen, only Nick Leddy had a worse +/-.  I used to make fun of how slow Brent Sopel was by yelling at him to take the piano off his back.  O’Donnell made Sopel look like Viktor Stalberg!  I will give the guy some credit, he did show some heart and would stick up for his teammates but he just didn’t have much to offer to this team.

2011-2012 Final Grade: F