Chicago Blackhawks Morning Links- 73

Good Morning Chicago Blackhawks fans!

My last day of vacation, and my last day sleeping in and getting the morning links off so late. I will be back on schedule starting tomorrow with morning links getting posted early in the morning.

The countdown to opening night has hit 73 which still seems like a long time from now,  I mean the NFL will already be a month into their schedule when the Chicago Blackhawks kick off their season at the United Center against the St. Louis Blues.

Now that the dust has settled with the Stan Bowman moves, you have to like what he’s done to fix the Chicago Blackhawks defense, and by fixing the defense I mean being able to sign Brain Campbell at a price that was salary cap friendly.

The defense was the weakness last year with the loss of Johnny Oduya which was by far the most hurtful departure before last season.  Having Trevor van Riemsdyk moved back to a third pairing with Michal Kempny or Michal Rozsival will make for a much stronger defense than having TVR on a second pairing and Joel Quenneville worrying about who he’s going to bury on the bench on his third pairing.

The problem of course is that defense has gone from a weakness to a strength, so now we have to worry about the offense and who’s going to step up.  The good news is we have 73 days left to worry about and talk about who will step up this year.

More from Blackhawks News

• Blackhawks vs Flames: Date, Time, Lineup, Betting Odds, More
• Three Takeaways from the Blackhawks’ Win vs Vancouver
• Blackhawks: Why Derek King is the Right Coach moving forward
• Marc-Andre Fleury Carries the Blackhawks to a 4-2 Win vs Seattle
• Instant Reaction: Blackhawks top Kraken for first time in history

Here are some Chicago Blackhawks morning links to start your Sunday morning

Here is a Q & A with sophomore Dennis Gilbert after prospect camp before he heads to Notre Dame this fall (Blackhawks)

Ryan Hartman misses teammate and former Blackhawks prospect Stephen Johns (Second City)

A look at the Chicago Blackhawks and Stan Bowman’s liking of the NCHC (Committed Indians)

Another look at the Chicago Blackhawks players that are heading back to college this year (Hockey Writers)

More from Blackhawk Up

• Blackhawks: Three Noticeable Improvements in Comeback Win vs Blues
• Blackhawks: Key Takeaways from 3-2 win over the Blues
• Blackhawks: Grading Connor Murphy and a position comparison
• Blackhawks: Shuffling the lines to try and spark offense at 5 on 5
• These Lineup Changes could Solve the Blackhawks’ Scoring Problem

Jamie Benn is ready to ramp up his rehab after abdominal surgery and he talks about the season ahead (Sportday)

What are the 5 biggest arbitration awards in the past 10 offseasons (Hockey News)

The Las Vegas franchise has hired a GM and an Assistant GM which means things are getting there for the franchise (Puck Daddy)

Next: This Weeks Future Friday

How will the goalies in the trade winds shake out this summer (Sporting news)