Chicago Blackhawks: 5 Reasons For Optimism In 2016-17

2. Bolstered blue line
It’s no secret the Chicago Blackhawks’ brass decided to go “all in” on defense this year. Because of salary cap issues, they couldn’t concentrate on both offense and defense; so they chose to strengthen the latter.
With the signings of Brian Campbell and Michal Kempny, they have significantly reinforced a blue line that struggled all last season due to lack of depth.
Veterans Duncan Keith, Niklas Hjalmarsson and Brent Seabrook all had to pull a lot of weight last year. Now they are reinforced with these newcomers who should help take off some of the pressure.
There is also Trevor van Riemsdyk, who had a fairly solid year last year. He should be able to sustain more success this season. And then there is the veteran presence of Michal Rozsival, and the youngsters Erik Gustafsson and Viktor Svedberg. Wait; I just morphed into the negative post. Sorry, more to follow.
Next: Reason No. 3: On Goaltending