Blackhawks Look To Contend For The Cup Again

[icehogfan08]

There were so many familiar faces gone from the Chicago Blackhawks' run to capture the Stanley Cup in 2010 that there was plenty of mystery about the 2010-11 edition.

As the regular season progressed, it was clear the Blackhawks weren't the same team that had won the Cup the previous spring. The hope was just to get into the playoffs and see if some of that Cup-winning experience would have a residual effect. Chicago almost didn't make it -- the Blackhawks needed Dallas to lose on the final day of the season just to back into the eighth seed in the Western Conference.

After dropping the first three games to rival Vancouver in the opening round, the Blackhawks rallied to force a Game 7 and pushed the eventual conference champs to the limit before losing in overtime.

A few players took key steps forward in 2010-11 -- most notably goaltender Corey Crawford. After years of waiting, Crawford finally became Chicago's No. 1 guy and went 33-18-6 with a 2.30 goals-against average.

Nick Leddy didn't turn 20 until March, but he proved he belonged at the NHL level and could be a fine No. 3 defenseman behind the top duo of Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook before too long.

There were several forwards to replace, and Bryan Bickell's 17 goals and 37 points were a welcome addition to the lineup. A midseason trade for Michael Frolik could pay bigger dividends this coming season.


Departures:
The emergence of Leddy and Bickell allowed Chicago general manager Stan Bowman to trade defenseman Brian Campbell and forward Troy Brouwer at the draft to open up more salary cap space. Brouwer was a restricted free agent and Bowman received a first-round pick from Washington for the rugged forward. Removing Campbell's huge contract in a deal with Florida allowed Bowman to make several moves to improve the club's depth.

Free-agent forward Tomas Kopecky joined Campbell with the Panthers, while center Jake Dowell signed with Dallas. Defenseman Chris Campoli was a restricted free agent but the Blackhawks walked away from his arbitration decision.

Given how full the roster is, remaining free agents Fernando Pisani, Ryan Johnson, Jordan Hendry and Marty Turco are not likely to return.


Arrivals:
Bowman's additions were a clear sign he wanted Chicago to be tougher to play against this season. Defenseman Steve Montador signed a four-year, $11 million contract to join from Buffalo. A pair of former Philadelphia Flyers, forward Daniel Carcillo and defenseman Sean O'Donnell, were added on one-year deals.

The two guys who could be responsible for replacing Brouwer and Kopecky are Andrew Brunette, signed from Minnesota on a one-year pact, and Rostislav Olesz, who was the return in the Campbell deal. Brunette's goal total dipped from 25 two years ago to 18 last season and he will be 38 years old, but the Blackhawks are banking on him being rejuvenated by playing with Chicago's talented forwards.

The Hawks also added forward Jamal Mayers and defenseman Sami Lepisto on one-year contracts. Bowman did a good job of adding role players without making long-term commitments.

A few of the other prospects Chicago has added in recent years besides Leddy could also find roles on the Blackhawks, but the roster is crowded. Jeremy Morin played nine games for the big club last season and could be ready for full-time duty. Marcus Kruger and Ben Smith were late-season additions who could also carve out more permanent roles.


Outlook:
The Blackhawks should show up for training camp hungry to return to contender status, and being able to rationalize last season as both a transition year because of all the new faces and at least partially a product of a Stanley Cup hangover.

Regardless of the changes made by Bowman, whether the Blackhawks are Cup contenders again is in the hands of the team's stars. Jonathan Toews and Patrick Sharp had great seasons for the Blackhawks in 2010-11, but a few others will be looking to have bounce-back campaigns.

Marian Hossa had at least 35 goals in five of the six seasons before coming to Chicago, and he has only 49 in his two seasons (while also missing 42 games). Patrick Kane's numbers dipped a bit. Keith's production fell off dramatically.

The Blackhawks can match firepower with any team in the League, and Crawford proved to be a dependable No. 1 goaltender. Being deeper and tougher will likely help, but having the big guns all firing at optimal levels would go a lot further in helping Chicago back into the NHL elite.

30-in-30: Blackhawks look to contend for Cup again

 

[tbo41fan]

We shall see if they can do it again...I have a mixed feeling about this team.

Im just not sure yet

 

[TheChicagoFan]

They were extremely close last year and added what they really needed, but other teams in the west also improved. The Kings look mighty dangerous. I like this team, but there are a couple holes and question marks.

 

[Everyday I'm Byfuglien]

Couldn't be more excited about this years team.

Hawks are going to be dangerous.

 

[DewsSox79]

They were extremely close last year and added what they really needed, but other teams in the west also improved. The Kings look mighty dangerous. I like this team, but there are a couple holes and question marks.

close to what? specifics?

 

[Uman85]

I personally think they're a middle-of-the-road team right now. I don't know if they will be Cup contenders, but I didn't expect much last year and they proved me wrong. Hope they do again this year.

 

[Jntg4]

We're the 5th favorite out of the West alone according to Vegas last I checked... but I'll take the 5th seed any day... better than the 8th seed anyway.

I don't think we win it this year, but maybe if we aren't facing the #1 seed in the first round we have a chance to go deep...

Next year (2012-13), when Detroit's potentially out of the way (for the division/conference anyway), our chances look better IMO.

 

[tbo41fan]

We're the 5th favorite out of the West alone according to Vegas last I checked... but I'll take the 5th seed any day... better than the 8th seed anyway.

I don't think we win it this year, but maybe if we aren't facing the #1 seed in the first round we have a chance to go deep...

Next year (2012-13), when Detroit's potentially out of the way (for the division/conference anyway), our chances look better IMO.

detroit will never be out of the way entirely

 

[TheChicagoFan]

close to what? specifics?

I don't know if anyone else feels this way, but I think if they had gotten past Vancouver, which they almost did, they would have gone to the finals. I'm not saying they would have won, but they would've gotten there. The team was looking very good in Game 4-6 and even showed the heart and desire to win in game 7.

 

[LonghornBob]

Holy crap. Jinx on you Chi fan. I was just about to post the exact same thing.

This may be the dumbest thing I've said on this forum, but I honestly feel that we gave Vancouver a WAY BETTER series than anyone else in the West, and had Sharps's shot not bounced off Luongo's bicep, I think we would have rolled through the Western Conference.

I'm not willing to say we would have used Thomas, but I look back at the way the Canucks handled the rest of the West and I think we would have done the same and at least gotten a chance at the Bs.

We hit four posts in game 1. We were half asleep in the first half of that series and we'd been through a brutal season, with very little break after a long Cup run, the Olympics, all-star game, etc., and we were WORN OUT.

I think once we got our legs under us and started playing against Vancouver we showed that we were well better than the 8 seed. We needed ONE BOUNCE, just needed that puck to bounce inside the pipe instead of outside it, off his arm when he was COMPLETELY fooled and not paying attention, and we would have been in the Cup Fnals in my estimation.

It might have been abbreviated, but I feel like we made a Cup run last year. Maybe I'm a homer but give me that Sharp shot two inches away from where it was and I'll take my chances and say we'd have gone against Boston for a second straight Cup.

 

[tbo41fan]

I don't know if anyone else feels this way, but I think if they had gotten past Vancouver, which they almost did, they would have gone to the finals. I'm not saying they would have won, but they would've gotten there. The team was looking very good in Game 4-6 and even showed the heart and desire to win in game 7.

I agree...if we would have beaten vancouver, we would have won the west

 

[TheChicagoFan]

Holy crap. Jinx on you Chi fan. I was just about to post the exact same thing.

This may be the dumbest thing I've said on this forum, but I honestly feel that we gave Vancouver a WAY BETTER series than anyone else in the West, and had Sharps's shot not bounced off Luongo's bicep, I think we would have rolled through the Western Conference.

I'm not willing to say we would have used Thomas, but I look back at the way the Canucks handled the rest of the West and I think we would have done the same and at least gotten a chance at the Bs.

We hit four posts in game 1. We were half asleep in the first half of that series and we'd been through a brutal season, with very little break after a long Cup run, the Olympics, all-star game, etc., and we were WORN OUT.

I think once we got our legs under us and started playing against Vancouver we showed that we were well better than the 8 seed. We needed ONE BOUNCE, just needed that puck to bounce inside the pipe instead of outside it, off his arm when he was COMPLETELY fooled and not paying attention, and we would have been in the Cup Fnals in my estimation.

It might have been abbreviated, but I feel like we made a Cup run last year. Maybe I'm a homer but give me that Sharp shot two inches away from where it was and I'll take my chances and say we'd have gone against Boston for a second straight Cup.

Yeah. The Canucks' toughest series was against us and one slip of the stick changed that. We would've been playing Boston in the final and who knows how that would have ended. Thomas was fantastic, but he does have his flaws and I feel like Vancouver didn't attack them as much as they could.

 

[Jntg4]

detroit will never be out of the way entirely

I mean that if they do move to the Eastern Conference, they'll have a much smaller effect and won't prevent us much from getting in or getting to the Cup...

 

[Everyday I'm Byfuglien]

No way could the Hawks would have handled Boston. They got a taste of Boston late in the regular season and it was NOT a good matchup for the Hawks.

Hell, the way Niemi played against the Hawks last year, I wouldn't have liked the Hawks odds against the Sharks had the Hawks run into them after Vancouver.

I'm incredibly optimistic about this coming year and I'm actually fond of last year's playoff run just because the team showed some real heart and it made for incredibly entertaining hockey. But the Canucks are CLEARLY a group of gutless, front running pussies. They were and still remain a fragile bunch of ladies on the ice and they presented the Hawks their best chance to win in the 1st round out of any other team. You can count posts and missed opportunities all day long (Canucks had a pretty crucial post hit in the 2nd period of game 6) but if Chicago was going to get out of the 1st round last year- Vancouver was their best shot- top seed be damned.

But, the Hawks played like scared losers for the first two games of the series and that was enough for Vancouver.

It was one hell of an entertaining series, but lets not make it something it wasn't.

 

[Capt. Serious]

Maybe this season, we'll find a way to beat the Sharks before the last meeting.

They got even better with Havvy & Burns..

 

[icehogfan08]

The Sharks did get better and the Kings did as well. Anaheim will be very scary if they stay healthy. Phoenix I can see having goaltending issues, and Dallas could make some noise, but they need to decide if they want to rebuild or not. Vancouver was the #1 seed last year because they were in the weakest division. Hopefully some of those other teams like Minnesota and Colorado, and possibly Edmonton can start giving Vancouver a run. Calgary is just getting to old. The central should be very fun to watch just like the Pacific. Detroit, Chicago, Nashville, a new Columbus, and St. Louis. this division could have 4 playoff teams, its going to be a fun and exciting race with the Pacific and Central Divisions.

 

[LonghornBob]

L.A. scares the shit out of me with that lineup. They are flat out loaded.

Brown, Penner, Kopitar, Williams, Stoll, Gagne, Richards, Richardson, Doughty, Greene, Johnson, and the two old guys on D (Scuderi and Mitchell). Jesus, that's a good hockey team.

 

[icehogfan08]

I feel the same way. San Jose doesn't quite scare me as bad, but they did improve on getting them a very good D-man. Havlat could help to along with Thornton. It's hard to say because you don't know what Thornton, or what Havlat will show up.

 

[Diehardfan]

No way could the Hawks would have handled Boston. They got a taste of Boston late in the regular season and it was NOT a good matchup for the Hawks.

Hell, the way Niemi played against the Hawks last year, I wouldn't have liked the Hawks odds against the Sharks had the Hawks run into them after Vancouver.

I'm incredibly optimistic about this coming year and I'm actually fond of last year's playoff run just because the team showed some real heart and it made for incredibly entertaining hockey. But the Canucks are CLEARLY a group of gutless, front running pussies. They were and still remain a fragile bunch of ladies on the ice and they presented the Hawks their best chance to win in the 1st round out of any other team. You can count posts and missed opportunities all day long (Canucks had a pretty crucial post hit in the 2nd period of game 6) but if Chicago was going to get out of the 1st round last year- Vancouver was their best shot- top seed be damned.

But, the Hawks played like scared losers for the first two games of the series and that was enough for Vancouver.

It was one hell of an entertaining series, but lets not make it something it wasn't.

Yes and no, EIB. I agree, the Boston matchup wouldnt have been a good one but until San Jose actually does something other than gag in the playoffs...I will never take them seriously. As far as Vancouver goes, Ive made it clear in other threads that I believe that they are done. Their champoinship window is closed. You either have to have a great coach or a great player(a Jordan) to fight off the depression of what went down....losing a Finals 7th at home, your goalie going in the tank and your moronic fans tearing up the city.

They have neither.....they are done. Will they make the playoffs? Possibly, but if they do.......that's when their hell really begins.

 

[icehogfan08]

Yes and no, EIB. I agree, the Boston matchup wouldnt have been a good one but until San Jose actually does something other than gag in the playoffs...I will never take them seriously. As far as Vancouver goes, Ive made it clear in other threads that I believe that they are done. Their champoinship window is closed. You either have to have a great coach or a great player(a Jordan) to fight off the depression of what went down....losing a Finals 7th at home, your goalie going in the tank and your moronic fans tearing up the city.

They have neither.....they are done. Will they make the playoffs? Possibly, but if they do.......that's when their hell really begins.

Vancouver is going to have to make some changes real soon. The Salary Cap has caught up with them. They lost one of their best defenders, they still have some who are making a good chunk of change. Their future goalie prospect is ready to take the reigns but he is served as a back-up due to Luongo. They lost some role players who helped them in the playoffs, and their farm system isn't one of the best.