The BU Roundtable: Where do the Chicago Blackhawks go from here?

The 2018-19 NHL season is winding down with 10 games remaining for the Chicago Blackhawks. We asked our team of writers, “What is the most important aspect the ‘Hawks should concentrate on during their final games?”

Unlike our Chicago Blackhawks mailbag (coming soon) where you asked and we answered, we’ve decided to ask ourselves one of the most burning questions ahead of the last few weeks of the season. Here are each of our writers’ answers to the question: “What is the most important aspect the ‘Hawks should concentrate on during their final games?”

Steve Yatsushiro

The ‘Hawks have climbed out of the cellar and have been playing winning hockey since January 20.  NBC Chicago’s Charlie Roumeliotis went in depth on this in his article:

Let’s dive into the numbers and break down what’s behind it all, courtesy of naturalstattrick.com. Since Jan. 20… — The Blackhawks have the best points percentage (.727) and most wins (16) of any Western Conference team. In the 49 games before that, they had the worst points percentage (.418) and fewest wins (16) of any NHL team. — The Blackhawks have a plus-14 goal differential at 5-on-5; they had a minus-21 goal differential in their previous 49 games. — The Blackhawks rank No. 1 in the league with 94 goals (4.27 per game); they had previously ranked 14th with 145 goals (2.96). — The Blackhawks have the best 5-on-5 shooting percentage at 10.6; their percentage before that was 7.7, which ranked 23rd. — The Blackhawks have converted on 25.0 percent of their power plays, which ranks fifth-best; they previously had a power-play percentage of 18.9, which ranked 17th. — The Blackhawks’ goaltenders have a high-danger 5-on-5 save percentage of .859 which ranks fifth; their high-danger save percentage previously was .843, which ranked 10th. —  Four different Blackhawks have averaged more than a point per game: Patrick Kane (1.55), Alex DeBrincat (1.46), Jonathan Toews (1.32) and Dylan Strome (1.27). They had only one before that: Kane (1.35). — Duncan Keith has a plus-19 rating in the last 22 games, which ranks No. 1 among all NHL skaters over that span. He had a minus-8 rating in his previous 49 games.

All things considered, the Chicago Blackhawks still don’t stack up against the powerhouse teams such as the Tampa Bay Lightning, Washington Capitals, Boston Bruins, Calgary Flames, and San Jose Sharks. Even if they were to gain a playoff berth, they just don’t have the defensive depth to advance very far into the playoffs.

Nevertheless, these recent stats are incredible, especially considering just how bad this team was in the first half of the season. With this insane offensive surge, the ‘Hawks should continue their pursuit of a playoff spot. The veterans need to have fun playing again, and the youngsters need the experience of high-stakes hockey.  A key component of the offensive surge has been the restructured power play.  It has slumped a bit recently, and this is an item they should continue to develop.

Captain Jonathan Toews recently stated that this final push is their playoffs, as they are fighting to avoid elimination. The important caveat here is that the ‘Hawks should go all in, but not by increasing the workload of the veteran players. The young players should be pushed to step up their games to a playoff-intensity level. Alex DeBrincat, Dylan Strome, Dominik Kahun, Brendan Perlini, David Kampf, Dylan Sikura, Erik Gustafsson, Gustav Forsling, Carl Dahlstrom, Slater Koekkoek, and Connor Murphy need to be given every chance to experience pressure-packed situations and learn what playoff hockey is all about at the NHL level. They might not reach the final destination, but the journey is what matters.

With their recent surge, the Chicago Blackhawks have significantly reduced their odds of landing a top pick in the 2019 NHL draft. Since they’ve been trending up, they should continue on this track.  They need to learn how to play like contenders and make themselves better prepared to legitimately contend next year. With an all-in competitive level, ‘Hawks management can also evaluate who the keepers are for next year.

Sam Boland

Steve makes a lot of great points. Playing competitively and making these games truly matter is undoubtedly important as it helps this mixture of young, inexperienced players and veterans to grow as a team. That said, in that statement lies what I feel is the most important aspect of these final few weeks.

Growth.

Like Steve points out, the Chicago Blackhawks aren’t currently on the same level as powerhouse teams like the Tampa Bay Lightning or Washington Capitals.

Yet the fact that this team is in the playoff discussion at all is a major step in the right direction. Charlie Roumeliotis pointed out all the positives strides the ‘Hawks taken to get to this point. What’s most important to me is that they continue taking these steps.

These final games carry weight. They have meaning. The young players on this roster have an opportunity to play in high-pressure games. Furthermore, the veteran core has the opportunity to play in those games with a new group of guys. They can take another step towards growing together as a team.

After all, that’s what this end-of-the-season-defying-all-odds-playoff-run should be about: growing as a group.

Win or lose, playoffs or no playoffs, there are valuable lessons to be learned in this final stretch. My hope is that the Chicago Blackhawks can find them, learn from them, and carry this momentum (and growth!) into being a better hockey team next year.

Jeremy Colliton just might be the guy to ensure that happens.

Nick Meyers

My most important aspect heading into the final stretch of the season? Go easy on Corey Crawford.

What does Corey Crawford need to prove this year? Whether or not the Chicago Blackhawks make the playoffs, the net is secure enough to keep his games at a minimum to ensure he his healthy in the off-season.  Playing the hell out of him at this point of the year will not provide the playoff insurance fans are looking for.  With the defensive problems and lack of real depth scoring, if Chicago makes the playoffs the road will be short.  Also, a team with the league-worst penalty kill is going to have a tough time making big strides come playoff time.

Keep Crawford healthy and split the games more in Ward’s favor.  Corey has been able to put up a .907 GAA in 30 games despite his heartbreaking back-and-forth injuries of the last year and a half.  His jaw-dropping shutout in Montreal notwithstanding, that performance is highly unlikely to be sustainable to allow for a deep Cup run.  By comparison, Cam Ward has also played in 30 games (27 starts) with a .893 GAA.

While his numbers may not be stellar, it isn’t awful either.  On top of that, he was on a 5-game win streak prior to the overtime loss to the Canucks. #50 deserves the Masterton Memorial Trophy this summer, hands down.

Juliana Nikac

There are obviously a variety of things the Chicago Blackhawks should be focused on as this rollercoaster of a season draws to a close. Two of the most important aspects they should concentrate on in the final stretch, playoffs or no playoffs, are playing their hearts out and remaining as positive as possible heading into the offseason.

Yeah, that probably sounds cheesy. But you know what, I’m a cheesy person and while this season has been somewhat miserable for the fans and the team, there are a ton of positives they can focus on heading into next season.

Why should they remain positive? Well, whether we like it or not, most of this team will probably still be here next season. Unless Stan Bowman has some big trade that literally no one knows about in the works, I can’t see the Blackhawks dealing any of their big guys. All the pieces that will probably leave or be shipped off aren’t members of the core. Therefore, this team needs to attempt to figure of what kind of system they want to play, and I think we’ve seen flashes of that during some moments of the law few games.

It’s also not healthy for this team to be all negative, in general. Having some anger about the way the season played out should ignite more of a fire under some guys. However, a lot of players have been fantastic this season and it’s been overshadowed by the fire tire that is the defense of the Chicago Blackhawks.

What may help this team have a more positive mindset heading into the offseason is if they play their hearts out for the last 10 games of the year. The Blackhawks should channel some of that mojo they had in the 7-1 win over the Coyotes and use it for the rest of the season. Considering nine of their finals games are against Western Conference opponents and six of those games are a Central Division rival, they’re important not just in the standings, but for the team’s psyche, too.

Basically, the Blackhawks should just play as well as they possibly can and have fun while doing so. At the same time, they can admit their faults and address them in the offseason to the best of their abilities. That’s always better than sulking over wondering about what could’ve been.

Round table wrap up

There you have it, fans.  Our Blackhawk Up staff is pretty much in agreement that the ‘Hawks should continue to shape its identity for the rest of the season rather than tank for a chance at a high draft pick.  If the team wasn’t showing any improvement, we’d go with the tank.  But here we are in the final stretch with reasons for optimism for the future.

We’ve never seen as potent a power play as what we’re seeing now.  Imagine what this team could have accomplished over the past 3 years with this type of potency.  Coach Jeremy Colliton deserves credit for coaching up a highly talented core of players to finally reach its potential.  Also, imagine this power play next season along with an improved defensive roster and more depth in the third and fourth forward lines.

And to the point of the forward lines, the Chicago Blackhawks have some exciting young players who are coming into their own.  Coach Colliton is putting these young forwards in positions to learn and succeed.  Brendan Perlini just earned 2nd star of the week honors in what has been a stunning break out for this young forward. Dylan Strome and Alex DeBrincat are replicating their Erie Otters chemistry in a big way.  Dylan Sikura has been steadily improving with his chances on the top line.  Dominik Kahun has shown that he can play effectively on any line.  David Kampf could be the shutdown center to allow Jonathan Toews to continue playing as a playmaker. And Drake Caggiula can’t be overlooked while recuperating in concussion protocol.  His gritty play fit in well on every line he’s played on.  As Sam Boland says, let these kids have at it and see how far they can go.  This experience is invaluable.

John Aubert reminded us that Henri Jokiharju is chomping at the bit to return to the NHL. Coach Colliton expects more from this talented 19-year old defenseman and is patiently allowing him to develop at an appropriate pace.  He really could benefit from a call-up, but he’s probably going to stay in Rockford for their AHL Calder Cup playoff push.  The current mix of young defenders will need to show that they belong in the NHL.  Again, the theme is that the journey is more important than the destination right now.

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OK, Blackhawk Up readers. Give us your feedback and opinions on who, what, where, when, and how the Chicago Blackhawks should spend their final stretch to the 2018-19 season.  Your table awaits.