Blackhawks: What to do on Monday if Chicago is swept

Not many people expected the Chicago Blackhawks to get passed the Edmonton Oilers, now, not many people are expecting the Blackhawks to win one game in their first-round series.

The Chicago Blackhawks are now down 3-0 in their series against the Vegas Golden Knights after tonight’s 2-1 loss. There was some excitement surrounding this game with fans, as most of us expected to see a better game out of their offense.

Honestly, it’s hard to say they’ve played terrible. The last time they were down 3-0 in a series was 2017 against Nashville, where they were flat. This time around, Games 2 and 3 were close, Chicago just had too many unlucky breaks that went against them.

This series doesn’t feel like a 3-0 series. Chicago is down but not out yet, as they still could come back and win the series. The only thing on their side is if Vegas figured they had the series won and ended up losing momentum by back-to-back wins by the Blackhawks. Still, if they fail to win the series, serious changes need to be made.

If Chicago is swept, Monday morning, there will need to be chances that will start retool this team to where they need to be. They’re close to being a successful team again, but Jeremy Colliton isn’t the right coach for the job. The Blackhawks need a veteran coach, like Gerard Gallant to come in and clean up this mess. Gallant could help fix the sloppy special teams and help improve the Blackhawks defensive play. He could help turn this team around in one-year if given the chance.

The next thing is cutting ties with Corey Crawford. Crawford has done great things with the Blackhawks but they have to let go of him. He isn’t young anymore and has progressively gotten worse as the years have gone on. He won’t ever be a top goalie in a Blackhawks jersey again, it’s best to let him go.

I would get rid of Malcolm Subban too and look towards signing a younger goalie in the offseason. Also, bring up Collin Delia and see what he has. I believe Delia is the future of the Blackhawks.

Next, the Blackhawks have to work on signing Dylan Strome, Dominik Kubalik, Drake Caggiula, and Slater Koekkoek. Strome and Kubalik are a must-keep, while, Caggiula and Koekkoek are replaceable, but are cheap.

Looking at the free agents, signing a depth, a veteran winger who can add 20-goals to the roster for one-to-two years could help Patrick Kane add to his game. He hasn’t had a great player with him since the Artemi Panarin trade, as he’s been pushed around through different lines with younger players. It’s time to stop wasting Kane and get him some real help.

Finally, do I have to say it? Replace Stan and Scotty Bowman. Rocky Wirtz has to pull the plug and say “Thank You, but this isn’t working out anymore.” These are just my initial reactions after Game 3’s loss, more will come as we find out where the Blackhawks finish this season.

Let’s see if this team can pull something out and make it respectable.