The Blackhawks aren’t elite, but they’ll cause trouble in the playoffs

The Chicago Blackhawks will be a tough out for the Edmonton Oilers, even though they’re not elite anymore.

The Chicago Blackhawks not being elite doesn’t mean they can’t become elite during this potential playoff run. It’s no secret that the Blackhawks fell apart during the past five seasons. They were the team to beat in the Western Conference for years, now they’re just a playoff hopeful.

The team was very elite from 2009 up to around 2017. The second they were swept by the Predators in the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs, everything changed.

With the veteran players on the roster who have been through these deep playoff runs, they’ll be a big help for the younger players. Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews will be the most important players if the team goes anywhere.

Kane and Toews, along with Duncan Keith are the last guys left on the team from 2010 that still can play at a high level. They’ll all be counted on a lot this playoff run.

If we look at the 2013 and 2015 roster, there are more players that still can play at a high level that are still on the team. They just have to tap into that skill level. Brandon Saad will be a key player in the playoffs. He isn’t a top 6 player, but he’ll be key for the bottom two lines.

Saad having a good playoff run helps the team in many ways. He’s paid $6,000,000 per year, he has to show up in the playoffs to earn his money.

Lastly, Corey Crawford needs to play well. If he can get hot, Crawford can make the Blackhawks an elite franchise again in the playoffs. They have to win something again thought to become elite again.

I’m excited to see what these key players do in the playoffs. The Edmonton Oilers are a tough team to play. They have a solid roster, but I know for a fact the Blackhawks can beat them. They’ve already done that this season.

August, can you come sooner?