Hawks News Round-Up

CHICAGO, IL -- I feel like there are a lot of things happening with the Blackhawks lately, and I haven't really properly talked about any of it.

So, we're going to tackle all of the pressing Hawks news today--from point streaks to goalies to wins to trades, it's safe to say that there's a lot to talk about in the Hawks' world right now.

The Goalie Thing

If you don't follow the Blackhawks on any social media or you're living under a rock, you may not have seen that Corey Crawford has been practicing with the team again. I'm going to reiterate here that this really doesn't mean anything--he could still be pretty far from returning to the team. If nothing else, it's definitely a good sign.

He attended the full practice earlier this week, which is great news, especially if the Hawks are going to make a legitimate run at the playoffs.

But, you have Cam Ward who has a no-move clause in his contract meaning he can't be sent down to Rockford (or traded), and you have Collin Delia who just signed a $3 million deal, so Crawford coming back puts the Hawks in a strange spot.

Do they carry three goalies if Crawford returns? They might not have much of a choice. They do technically have the roster space to do this, but it's always a little awkward carrying three goalies. Not sure they'd want this to be a long-term or even short-term solution, but it might be the only one they have if Crawford is ready to return this season.

If the Hawks don't end up getting close to a playoff spot in the next couple of weeks, I don't see a huge benefit in Crawford returning to the team. I don't think he needs to be rushed back at all if they're not in the playoff picture within the next few weeks as all of the wacky Western Conference shakes out. Of course it'd be a confidence-booster for him, but I don't know that it's the right move if the Hawks are really not looking at the playoffs.

But, if they go on a run here and maybe get close to a wildcard spot and he feels ready to go (I still maintain that they shouldn't rush him back, even if the Hawks are looking at the playoffs)... why not? On the flip side, though, Ward and Delia have been a great goaltending tandem since about mid-to late-January, and why disrupt that?

The Hawks have a lot to think about with their goalie situation, but hey, it could be worse--they could be the Flyers, who have gone through (I think) 7 goalies this season. The Blackhawks have a good problem on their hands.

Going Streaking

Wow. I mean, wow, wow, wow. Patrick Kane, am I right?

I don't think it's totally unusual to see Kane on a point streak, but he's already starting to rival the insane 26-game streak he went on in the 2015-16 season. With 16 games under his belt, he's certainly climbing towards it. And, with last night's 2 assists, he's now holding the organization's longest assist streak, with 15 straight games. Oh yeah, and in his last 21 games, he has 46 points (19 goals and 27 assists). That's insane. Nikita Kucherov (leading point scorer as it stands), watch the hell out.

But, he's not the only one on a roll--Jonathan Toews was on a point streak (from January 20th to February 10th), and so was Alex Debrincat (from Janauary 17th to February 12th). Oh yeah, and the Hawks were on a winning streak that lasted for seven games. If nothing else, this team has a lot of fight left.

All I Do Is Win

That may not be totally accurate, but the Hawks are sitting on wins in eight of their last nine games, which is damn impressive, given where they started this season. That seven-game winning streak was a definite confidence-booster for the team, and you can see it.

Everyone's playing stronger games, playing like they actually play hockey professionally, and it really shows. I figured the streak wouldn't last more than eight or nine games, and though it fell a little short of my guess, it was still a great streak and a great way to get them back into playoff contention.

Do I genuinely think they can pull it off? You know, I'm not counting them out just yet. On top of them playing well, though, they need to hope that the teams in the race with them are not playing well. And as I mentioned last week, they really need to win the Western Conference games. Is it doable at this point? I'd say so.

Trade Deadline Talking

The big question now that the Hawks are in playoff contention is whether or not they're going to do anything at the deadline. As I said last week, I think they should stay quiet. They've got a couple pieces they could move if they really wanted to, but I think it's best for the Hawks to lay low and work with what they've got--which has been outstanding as of late.

Not that they ever were officially on the block, but I think Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook have been playing the best hockey since the news broke that the Hawks were going to ask them to waive their no-move clauses. Keith has scored three goals in the past month, which is a goal more than he scored all of last season, and he's got six assists in that same period. Seabrook, too, has been playing better, scoring a goal and racking up seven assists in the past month.

If the Hawks were ever thinking about trading them, hopefully those thoughts are out the window. Those stats aren't the sexiest--there's definitely room for improvement--but compared to last season or hell, even earlier this season, they've been dynamic together. Both of them have rotated on the power play as well, which has also been on fire as of late.

I think the Hawks really should look to keep them--it also doesn't sound like either of them are too keen on leaving. Honestly, I really don't see the Hawks making any blockbuster trades in the next week and a half before the deadline, but who knows. Unfortunately, only time will tell.



So, that's the Hawks roundup for the past couple of weeks. I really do believe in this team, and I think they can make a run at the playoffs if they keep playing at the caliber they've been playing at.

Are you in?