Shantz My Pants
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Something has to be done.
Two mediocre seasons, followed by two awful playoff appearances is not progress.
You cannot claim that your team plays a certain style of hockey, yet in 82 games plus playoffs, not show any evidence of this style to back up your statement.
With a fan base that is growing weary of poor results from a team that has such great potential, while also getting a bill for a hike in ticket prices that would make you think you were watching a great product year after year; NOW is the time to fix their errors before history repeats itself.
The past two Stanley Cup winners were not teams that were suffering from an identity crisis. No, all 18 skaters on their respected teams understood that in order to win, it was going to take a team effort. Each individual accepted their roles on their team and on their lines that they had been given. They came out every night with the same mindset that nobody was going to outwork them or outplay them. They didn’t rely on one player to win them games. They worked together like a well-oiled machine and didn’t look back.
Does this sound familiar? It shouldn’t. That paragraph above is the exact opposite of the past two years Blackhawk lineups. Constant line shuffling, players playing positions that were very new to them, different efforts given during different games and players relying on others to get the job done is what we the fans have watched the past two years. With a team full of All Stars and great young players, first round exits and 9 game losing streaks should not be acceptable.
The Hawks are not a puck possession team despite their constant usage of the term to describe their play. They refuse to accept that they have very little, to no physical presence on their team, especially on the back end. Their poor in zone play has shown no signs of improvement.
The time is now to accept the reality and adjust accordingly for the 2012-2013. Here are a few suggestions that can help jumpstart the Blackhawks to show signs of improvement so we the fans don’t feel as if we are watching the same team as we have been the past two seasons:
Trade for a 2[sup]nd[/sup] line center:
Patrick Kane is not a 2[sup]nd[/sup] line center. Kane is also not the most defensively responsible player on the Hawks. In today’s NHL, you need your centers to be defensively sound in their own zone. Mike Richards, Patrice Bergeron, Pavel Datsyuk , Niklas Backstrom and Toews are all offensive threats who are also dependable in their own zone. Kane is not a dependable player in his own zone like the above. Learning the positioning and the thought process that comes with being a center can take YEARS, not a training camp/preseason. The Hawks need that 2[sup]nd[/sup] line center (or just move Sharp over, something that still boggles many fans minds) to succeed. This year’s FA pool does not have many, if any 2[sup]nd[/sup] line centers. That means trading is the only option they really have. With a solid farm system and with some young prospects coming up through the system, the Hawks currently do possess some assets that they can use in a trade for a 2[sup]nd[/sup] line help. Prospects like McNeill and Hayes are still a year or two away, and Brandon Pirri probably needs another year in the AHL before full time duties in the NHL so there are not much options within the system yet for the big club.
Add some physicality up front:
When I say toughness, I don’t mean enforcers. I more or less mean players who are willing to grind it out and thrive on a physical style of play. Frolik and Brunette are not those types of players (Brunette is gone, but an example of the type of player who should not be signed). Bryan Bickell can be that player, but refuses to play that style of hockey. There are 3 roster spots currently mentioned that can be replaced by skaters who are willing to play a physical and hard forechecking style that the Hawks so desperately lack. They can also give some of that playing time to Andrew Shaw, Jimmy Hayes or Brandon Bollig; guys who will try and skate through a wall and that have a bit of an offensive upside (Except Bollig, he’s perfect for the 4[sup]th[/sup] line as a physical presence. Any offensive production from him would be a bonus). But let’s not forget the biggest need for some physical play…
Add some physical defensemen:
It’s time to accept the fact that Hjalmarsson is not going to be the physical defenseman that many thought he was going to grow into. The recently signed Oduya isn’t that type of player either as well as Leddy and Keith. Montador showed a bit of physical play, but who knows where he is health wise (plus he wasn’t that great in his own end either). That leaves the Hawks with Seabrook as the only physical presence they have on the back end (excluding Olsen who currently is the odd man out on the depth chart unless Montador won’t be back). The LA kings had Doughty, Mitchell, Greene and Scuderi who were all willing to throw their weight around and protect the “house” while making it difficult for the opposition forwards to get quality shots off. The Hawks need that, and luckily there are some guys out there come July 1[sup]st[/sup] who will be available that the Hawks could sign. Barrett Jackman, Bryan Allen, Shane O’Brien, Scott Hannan, Jim Vandermeer, and Cory Sarich are players that could fit this mold, obviously some being better than others but none the less a type of defenseman the Hawks extremely lack and might come at a lower cap hit.
Obviously from the suggestions above, some are easier to obtain than others. If the Blackhawks could fix one of the three areas (mainly the defensemen issues) we would be seeing a major improvement. Something we Hawk fans haven’t seen since the Cup year.
Click here to view the article
Two mediocre seasons, followed by two awful playoff appearances is not progress.
You cannot claim that your team plays a certain style of hockey, yet in 82 games plus playoffs, not show any evidence of this style to back up your statement.
With a fan base that is growing weary of poor results from a team that has such great potential, while also getting a bill for a hike in ticket prices that would make you think you were watching a great product year after year; NOW is the time to fix their errors before history repeats itself.
The past two Stanley Cup winners were not teams that were suffering from an identity crisis. No, all 18 skaters on their respected teams understood that in order to win, it was going to take a team effort. Each individual accepted their roles on their team and on their lines that they had been given. They came out every night with the same mindset that nobody was going to outwork them or outplay them. They didn’t rely on one player to win them games. They worked together like a well-oiled machine and didn’t look back.
Does this sound familiar? It shouldn’t. That paragraph above is the exact opposite of the past two years Blackhawk lineups. Constant line shuffling, players playing positions that were very new to them, different efforts given during different games and players relying on others to get the job done is what we the fans have watched the past two years. With a team full of All Stars and great young players, first round exits and 9 game losing streaks should not be acceptable.
The Hawks are not a puck possession team despite their constant usage of the term to describe their play. They refuse to accept that they have very little, to no physical presence on their team, especially on the back end. Their poor in zone play has shown no signs of improvement.
The time is now to accept the reality and adjust accordingly for the 2012-2013. Here are a few suggestions that can help jumpstart the Blackhawks to show signs of improvement so we the fans don’t feel as if we are watching the same team as we have been the past two seasons:
Trade for a 2[sup]nd[/sup] line center:
Patrick Kane is not a 2[sup]nd[/sup] line center. Kane is also not the most defensively responsible player on the Hawks. In today’s NHL, you need your centers to be defensively sound in their own zone. Mike Richards, Patrice Bergeron, Pavel Datsyuk , Niklas Backstrom and Toews are all offensive threats who are also dependable in their own zone. Kane is not a dependable player in his own zone like the above. Learning the positioning and the thought process that comes with being a center can take YEARS, not a training camp/preseason. The Hawks need that 2[sup]nd[/sup] line center (or just move Sharp over, something that still boggles many fans minds) to succeed. This year’s FA pool does not have many, if any 2[sup]nd[/sup] line centers. That means trading is the only option they really have. With a solid farm system and with some young prospects coming up through the system, the Hawks currently do possess some assets that they can use in a trade for a 2[sup]nd[/sup] line help. Prospects like McNeill and Hayes are still a year or two away, and Brandon Pirri probably needs another year in the AHL before full time duties in the NHL so there are not much options within the system yet for the big club.
Add some physicality up front:
When I say toughness, I don’t mean enforcers. I more or less mean players who are willing to grind it out and thrive on a physical style of play. Frolik and Brunette are not those types of players (Brunette is gone, but an example of the type of player who should not be signed). Bryan Bickell can be that player, but refuses to play that style of hockey. There are 3 roster spots currently mentioned that can be replaced by skaters who are willing to play a physical and hard forechecking style that the Hawks so desperately lack. They can also give some of that playing time to Andrew Shaw, Jimmy Hayes or Brandon Bollig; guys who will try and skate through a wall and that have a bit of an offensive upside (Except Bollig, he’s perfect for the 4[sup]th[/sup] line as a physical presence. Any offensive production from him would be a bonus). But let’s not forget the biggest need for some physical play…
Add some physical defensemen:
It’s time to accept the fact that Hjalmarsson is not going to be the physical defenseman that many thought he was going to grow into. The recently signed Oduya isn’t that type of player either as well as Leddy and Keith. Montador showed a bit of physical play, but who knows where he is health wise (plus he wasn’t that great in his own end either). That leaves the Hawks with Seabrook as the only physical presence they have on the back end (excluding Olsen who currently is the odd man out on the depth chart unless Montador won’t be back). The LA kings had Doughty, Mitchell, Greene and Scuderi who were all willing to throw their weight around and protect the “house” while making it difficult for the opposition forwards to get quality shots off. The Hawks need that, and luckily there are some guys out there come July 1[sup]st[/sup] who will be available that the Hawks could sign. Barrett Jackman, Bryan Allen, Shane O’Brien, Scott Hannan, Jim Vandermeer, and Cory Sarich are players that could fit this mold, obviously some being better than others but none the less a type of defenseman the Hawks extremely lack and might come at a lower cap hit.
Obviously from the suggestions above, some are easier to obtain than others. If the Blackhawks could fix one of the three areas (mainly the defensemen issues) we would be seeing a major improvement. Something we Hawk fans haven’t seen since the Cup year.
Click here to view the article
