Blackhawks: Staff Reaction To Our Preseason Predictions

Starting goalie

Kevin Lankinen

Seth Stauffer:

The starting goalie question wasn’t necessarily answered, but it wasn’t my pre-season pick of Malcolm Subban. He wasn’t bad when he played and even recorded a couple of shutouts. However,  he didn’t make a strong enough case to be the team’s “1A” option in the net. Instead, that has gone to Kevin Lankinen, and deservedly so.

Subban’s SV% at the end of the season was .900. That’s firmly in the realm of a competent backup. Lankinen on the other hand ended the year with .909. While that’s marginally better, Lankinen played 37 out of the 56 games, whereas Subban played 16.

Somewhat forgotten goalie Collin Delia played the rest. Lankinen got more starts in the compressed season, and it would be hard not to think that once he started to perform in net, he got the starter’s share of the starts. It’s not Lankinen’s net at all, but Subban didn’t take the crease as I had thought.

Jimmy Lynch: 

I kind of predicted that the Blackhawks would split it kind of evenly – similar to Lehner and Crawford. That did not happen. I do not even think the team rode the hot hand because if that was the case Lankinen would not have been given as many games as he had.

Jake Wheeler: 

I picked Collin Delia to eventually win the Blackhawks starting goalie job this season. Delia was able to get some starts early on but when the team got blown out those games, with Lankinen coming in and playing well, Delia would be sent to the AHL/taxi squad for most of the season. I did not expect Lankinen to play as well as he did but later on in the season, Lankinen did slow down with Delia getting some more starts.

Justin Klawans: 

I originally thought that if any one goalie was to get the edge in net, it would be Malcolm Subban. However, Kevin Lankinen really ended up surprising everybody and kept the ‘Hawks in many games that they probably should’ve lost. I don’t think anyone expected a guy with no NHL experience to jump into the league so quickly. However, Subban, as well as Collin Delia, are both still battling for that top position, so I’d expect that to continue next year.

Team record – 24 – 25 – 7

Seth Stauffer:

A paltry 24-25-7. Yeah… As mediocre as that is, it is far better than the 12-25-19 I had predicted. My assumption before the season started was that Chicago was primed to lose most of their games but still have enough talent to force overtime.

I never would have guessed that at any point they would be in contention for a spot in the playoffs. That successful stretch was a very pleasant surprise, and I’m happy to be wrong. It was fun seeing the young team push back against some of the best talents in the NHL, even if the season ultimately ended with a “thud”.

Justin Klawans: 

Back at the beginning of the season, I predicted the Blackhawks’ record to be 22-29-5. They ended up going 24-25-7. Not a great record by any means, but at least the team has nowhere to go but up.

Jimmy Lynch: 

I went with 22-27-7 so I mean the Blackhawks beat my expectations by two games.

Jake Wheeler: 

I had the Blackhawks finishing 20-31-5. I knew they would not contend this season with just having announced a rebuild, and with some key injuries but to my surprise, the team played a lot better than expected. The kids who played this season did a really good job, with some of them contributing a decent amount. If the Blackhawks are able to get some key guys back from injury, while making a trade/signing or two, look for this team to take another step forward.

Breakout star

Jake Wheeler:

I had Pius Suter as the breakout star this season, and while you could say he was, I’m actually going to give it to Brandon Hagel. Hagel had nice chemistry with whoever he played with while being able to play in multiple positions and roles. Not to mention, he scored back-to-back overtime-winning goals for the Blackhawks. For a guy who was a 6th round pick, free-agent signee, it is looking like he’ll have a bright future

Seth Stauffer:

Before the season began my hunch was that Pius Suter was going to be the team’s breakout star. I think you could make a case for him to be just that with 27 points, but I’m not sure he’s the breakout star.

I assumed that Suter’s success as a pro in Switzerland would translate over to the NHL, and help him immensely. I still think this is accurate, but Brandon Hagel beat him out for breakout star in my opinion.

Hagel was right behind Suter with 24 points. While Suter adapted very quickly to North America, Hagel has made a case for himself to be a part of the team’s future. As good as Suter was, he proved he belonged in the NHL, but not necessarily in Chicago.

If he’s gone in the off-season it wouldn’t be a surprise. Phillip Kurashev can be the 3rd line center in place of Suter but neither Suter nor Kurshev could take Hagel’s place in the lineup. Hagel is the kind of player that Chicago has been lacking. He plays with a tenacity that only a handful of players have recently had for Chicago, such as Andrew Shaw. The Blackhawks simply need a player like Hagel.

Jimmy Lynch: 

I chose Adam Boqvist as my breakout star, and personally I think he did take a little step forward, just not enough to be the breakout star. Boqvist has 16 points this season the most amongst defensemen on this team. Now all he needs to do is start scoring more and get stronger and the team is set with a solid option. But I mean come on the only answer this season has to be Hagel he was an instant favorite.

Justin Klawans: 

Ian Mitchell seemed to me like a guy that was primed to break out this season, and he definitely had a good year. However, after watching all of the games this season, I think this title should go to one of three guys: Kevin Lankinen, Pius Suter, or Brandon Hagel. Each of these three players had remarkable years with very little experience under their wing. In my opinion, any one of them could be worthy of being called a breakout star.

Top Four Teams In The Central

Ended up being Carolina, Florida, Tampa Bay, and Nashville

Seth Stauffer:

Like my other preseason predictions, the top teams in the Central Division weren’t exactly on the mark. Before the first puck had dropped, I had guessed that the top four teams would be, in order:

Tampa Bay Lightning, Dallas Stars, Carolina Hurricanes, and Columbus Blue Jackets

I was half right. Tampa Bay and Carolina made the cut, but Dallas and Columbus were replaced by Nashville and Florida. There were a variety of issues that plagued Dallas, literally and figuratively, but there’s no real way to explain why Columbus had such a poor season.

By contrast, Florida was excellent, and look to be legitimate cup contenders. Nashville made it to the postseason, and even if they aren’t the strongest team, they’ll still be a tough out for any team they match up against.

Justin Klawans: 

I predicted the top four teams in the Central to be: Tampa Bay, Dallas, Columbus, and Carolina

I honestly thought that both the Stars and Blue Jackets would have much better seasons than they did. The Jackets completely fell off the wagon and fired Tortorella as a result. Dallas was only a year removed from the Stanley Cup Final, but at the end of the day, was just not consistent enough to sneak back into the playoffs.

Jimmy Lynch: 

Pretty much everyone disregarded Florida before the season began, and I was no different as I thought it would be Tampa Bay, Carolina, Dallas, and Nashville. While I did get three of the teams right, Florida is a contender just as much as Tampa and Carolina.

Jake Wheeler: 

I had Tampa, Columbus, Carolina, and Dallas as my top central division teams. Tampa and Carolina are correct while Dallas and Columbus both underachieved a lot this season. Considering Dallas made it to the cup finals last year and how Columbus played really well in the playoffs last summer I thought they’d easily make it back to the playoffs. However, Florida and Nashville both played well and secured the other two playoff spots. With Coach Q turning Florida’s culture around and Nashville playing well down the stretch, it is no surprise to see them in the playoffs.

Pick to win it all:

Seth Stauffer:

I’ll stand by my preseason pick of the Colorado Avalanche. The team is great from top to bottom. They’re the total package and boast elite scoring, quality defense, as well as reliable goaltending.

At the time this was written, Colorado was in 4th place for the entire league, compared to defending champs Tampa Bay, also a phenomenal team, who occupy ninth. I still think Colorado is the real deal and ready for a deep playoff run, if not the Stanley Cup.

Justin Klawans: 

I originally picked the Colorado Avalanche to win the Stanley Cup this year. However, heading into the playoffs, I believe that the Carolina Hurricanes will now be the ones hoisting Lord Stanley. The Canes had an incredible season and lost the fewest games in the NHL this year. Between guys like Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov, and a talented defensive core, I think that we will be seeing the Cup headed back to Raleigh in 2021.

Jimmy Lynch: 

I cowardly did not pick a winner for the Stanley Cup, what the heck is up with that? I said that Tampa was going to have an easy ride through the playoffs and that Vegas and Colorado would be the only other real contenders, well that is not the case. At this time I am going to say the Vegas Golden Knights will win the Stanley Cup against the Edmonton Oilers.

Blackhawks News: Goaltender Arvid Soderblom signs a two year contract

Jake Wheeler: 

I’m going to stick with my pick and say Tampa will repeat, as they have the same team as last year, with the addition of David Savard. I think Colorado, Vegas, and Pittsburgh could give Tampa a run for their money.

Thanks for reading along, and I hope you will join us next season when we do another round of season predictions!