Bad weekend proved Blackhawks need new approach

So... This 11-forwards, 7-defensemen system has been a great experiment that, to Jeff Blashill and the Blackhawks' staff credit, worked out for a long time. However, with a dreadful back-to-back on the West Coast that saw the team lose two games in a row by 6+ goals, I think it's time to scrap this idea and go with the conventional approach.

Blackhawks have more than enough forwards

Let's take a quick look at the forwards being scratched on a nightly basis. Sam Lafferty is a great checking-line forward, and so is Landon Slaggert. Could the team attempt to call up AHL stand-out Nick Lardis? Maybe, but as weird as it sounds, offensive skill was not the issue.

It doesn't matter how many snipers you've got on the team if they can't shoot the puck. Connor Bedard can only do so much on his own to generate chances, but the Blackhawks are too one-dimensional. Having 11 forwards causes the team to attempt to figure out lines and defense pairings on a nightly basis. Chemistry is shot, and so is the identity that the specific lines and pairings should have had time to develop in the last 20 games.

Defense struggling to adjust

When there are seven defensemen, the usual top-six have to figure out how to play with the lone defender without a pairing. It doesn't matter if the opposition has to face Alex Vlasic twice as much when he's exhausted by the end. These back-to-back losses emphasize that the system wears down the forwards and messes up the defensemen's coverage.

The team wasn't ready to play in general; however, there were many times when miscommunication led to chances against. Sam Rinzel needs more time to develop in the AHL, with his ice time decreasing, anyway.

Chemistry is key to success

The special teams units don't change, and we can see how good they can be with chemistry. The guys understand what the unit as a whole will do at any given time and react accordingly. We should see more of this on 5-on-5, but the only time lines change is during 5-on-5.

4-on-4 is somehow better for the Blackhawks, with not just more space but also knowing who is on the ice with you. The 11/7 system worked a lot longer than I thought it would, but it's about time to end the project.