CHICAGO, IL -- Well, we've reached the end of the road, boys.
If you haven't heard, the Blackhawks were eliminated from playoff contention with the Colorado Avalanche's win over the Oilers on Tuesday.
I'm not going to lie, it's been a fun season. There have been definite highs and lows this season, and at the end of the day, the Hawks are ending on a higher note than they expected to.
This season really has been a whirlwind for this team--there was a relatively big group of new guys at the start of the season (Brandon Manning, Chris Kunitz, Cam Ward, Henri Jokiharju, Andreas Martinsen, to name a few), and while some of them didn't stick around, they all left a mark on the team--good or bad, that's for you to decide.
Coach Quenneville was fired fairly abruptly in the midst of what would be an eight-game losing streak in early November, and the Hawks brought in rookie coach Jeremy Colliton to replace him. Colliton really has grown on me this season, and it's clear the guys love him, so I think he'll be great moving forward.
The Hawks also gained more new faces in late November, December and January. They added Dylan Strome and Brendan Perlini in November, Drake Caggiula in December, and Slater Koekkoek in January. I think each of them has been beneficial in their own way, and I'd like to think that they'll all be a part of the Hawks lineup next season as well.
Patrick Kane wowed the league at the All-Star Game and kept the red machine rolling with a 20-game point streak, which also featured a record-breaking 17-game assist streak as well. To top things off, he's already surpassed his career-high points in a season (106). At age 30, his season has been nothing but impressive, and I really do think he'll come back even better next season.
Jonathan Toews and Alex DeBrincat had fantastic years as well--Toews has also already reached his career high goals (34) and points (77) in a season and there are still two games left, and DeBrincat became the youngest Blackhawks player to reach 40 goals. Toews is on pace for 80 points I believe, which is great for the captain--especially after last season, when fans and the media thought he was on the down-and-down. Clearly, that's not the case, and I really do think this is the true Toews shining through.
Though they had two eight-game losing streaks early in the season, the Hawks had a great 7-game winning streak in late January/early February that brought them back into the playoff picture.
Hell, they were even in a playoff spot for forty-five minutes back in March--let me tell you, that was the happiest I've been all season because it meant the Hawks were just close enough.
Obviously, just close enough isn't good enough, but I think it was a major step forward.
Between the terrible to mediocre signings in the offseason, to the abrupt coaching change mid-way through the season, to the bad defense from all skaters (forwards and defensemen), the Hawks fared a lot better this season than they did last, and I genuinely think they could get back to the playoffs next season.
What do they need to do to get there?
Shoring up the defense should be GM Stan Bowman's first and most important move this summer. I think there are a handful of RFA and UFA defensemen out in the league, and if that doesn't suit his fancy, he has defensive prospects in Ian Mitchell, Nicholas Beaudin, Adam Boqvist and Jokiharju, and at least one of them is likely for the NHL next season. You can't expect to get to the playoffs if you ice the same D-core next season--that ain't it, chief.
I think a top-six winger would be the next target. Artemi Panarin likely isn't coming back, and a lot of the other options can be pricey, so Bowman might have to do some finagling to get things in place. This season they just relied too heavily on the big guns (especially Kane), and you just can't ride one guy to the playoffs.
Like Kane said on Wednesday after a great win over the St. Louis Blues, they'll be back. I have no doubt in my mind that if they adjust and tweak a little over the offseason that this team can come back strong and make it to the playoffs again.
Who knows? They might even bring home a fourth cup.
I've said this so many times this season, and it still stands, even as we face an almost six-month long offseason. I'm in this thing for the long-haul.
Are you in?
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Side note! I'm sure some of you are wondering what's going to happen to this blog once the offseason starts. I'm still going to try and post every Friday, and I already have a list going of topics I want to discuss. If you have any ideas or articles you want to see, let me know!
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