Five Thoughts: Blackhawks Wrap Up Eventful NHL Draft Weekend
By James Neveau •
The Chicago Blackhawks wrapped up a busy NHL Draft weekend on Saturday as they finished selecting the nine new players that will join their stable of prospects in the coming years.
The Blackhawks didn’t make any big splashes once the draft actually began, but they created some fireworks beforehand as they traded away Niklas Hjalmarsson and Artemi Panarin in separate transactions.
So what did the Blackhawks do right, and what did they do wrong? To answer those questions, here are our Five Thoughts on how the NHL Draft shook out for the Blackhawks.
Biggest Success: Adding Young, Right-Handed Blue Liners
General Manager Stan Bowman went into the NHL Draft looking to add young, athletic players on his blue line, and he killed two birds with one stone as he also addressed another glaring need: right-handed defensemen.
He did that both in the Hjalmarsson trade, which netted the Blackhawks Connor Murphy, and he also did it in the draft, as he selected Henri Jokiharju and Ian Mitchell in the first two rounds of the draft.
Adding players that can pass the puck on the blue line, and that can also skate effectively through all three zones, was a critical success for the Blackhawks in this draft, and Bowman did a quality job of addressing a significant need.
Biggest Disappointment: Not Adding More Goaltending Depth
The Blackhawks likely acquired a player that will compete for their back-up goaltending job this season as they got Anton Forsberg from the Columbus Blue Jackets, but surprisingly the Blackhawks didn’t draft a single goaltender with any of their nine picks.
The team is dangerously thin at that position in their prospect ranks, with Jeff Glass really serving as the only other option besides Forsberg behind Corey Crawford. The Blackhawks do not have any dynamic goaltending prospects, and that is an area that they are going to absolutely need to address when they head into free agency and further into the offseason.
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The Chicago Blackhawks have had a ton of success over the years, and we're recapping all of the playoff action from their nine years under the guidance of Joel Quenneville, and with Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews in their lineup.
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The Blackhawks won the first two games of the series to get off to a hot start, but they faltered when the series shifted to Calgary, dropping two straight games at the Saddledome. A 5-1 win followed in Game 5 thanks to big performances from Kris Versteeg and Patrick Sharp, and Nikolai Khabibulin put up a strong effort in Game 6 as he stopped 43 shots to backstop the series victory.
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The Blackhawks lost the first game of the series and trailed 2-0 in the second game, but they found their scoring groove as they scored six goals to even the series up. After a crazy series that saw momentum swings and plenty of physicality, the Blackhawks prevailed in six games as Patrick Kane notched a hat trick in a 7-5 Game 6 victory.
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The upstart Blackhawks ran into a buzzsaw as they faced the defending Stanley Cup champions, but they held their own in Games 2 and 3, losing in overtime in Detroit and then winning in Chicago in Game 3. They got blown out in Game 4, but they made Game 5 a thriller behind a strong goaltending performance from Cristobal Huet before ultimately losing in overtime to be eliminated.
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In perhaps one of the signature moments of the Blackhawks’ run of success, Patrick Kane’s shorthanded goal with less than 20 seconds left to tie Game 5, and Marian Hossa’s game-winner in overtime, turned the tide of the series and propelled the Blackhawks to victory.
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After losing the first game of the series, the Blackhawks got some big performances out of some players that would go on to become legends during the playoff run, including Dustin Byfuglien. Who had a hat trick in Game 3 of the series and scored a goal in the team’s 5-1 victory in Game 6 that eliminated Vancouver for the second straight year.
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Byfuglien picked up right where he left off, scoring a goal in each of the four games against the Sharks. Duncan Keith also became a playoff legend in this series, losing seven teeth after getting hit in the mouth by a puck and then returning to the ice just a few shifts later.
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The moment Blackhawks fans waited 49 years for, as Patrick Kane’s game-winning overtime goal gave the Blackhawks their first Stanley Cup title in nearly half a century. The series was tied 2-2 going into Game 5, and once again it was Byfuglien doing the damage, as he scored two goals and dished out two assists in the victory.
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Down 3-0 in the series, the Blackhawks got some big-time goaltending from Corey Crawford and some clutch offensive play from key guys, but ultimately they fell short in Game 7 as they fell in overtime on an Alex Burrows goal off a Chris Campoli turnover.
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Perhaps the one time in his career with the Blackhawks that he’s looked bad in the playoffs, Corey Crawford’s poor play helped seal Chicago’s fate as they were bounced in the first round for the second straight year.
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After winning the President’s Trophy, the Blackhawks showed up for this series on a mission as they blasted the Wild and dominated in just about every facet of the game.
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Another truly epic comeback was executed in this series, as the Blackhawks erased a 3-1 series deficit. Michael Frolik’s penalty shot goal helped the team win Game 6 in Detroit, and then after Niklas Hjalmarsson had a late goal overturned by a penalty in Game 7, Brent Seabrook scored in overtime to give the Blackhawks the victory.
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A dominant series all around for the Blackhawks, this one was decided in a double overtime thriller in Game 5, as Patrick Kane blasted home a one-timer off a perfect feed from Jonathan Toews to send the Blackhawks to the Stanley Cup Final.
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17 seconds. That’s all it took for Bryan Bickell and Dave Bolland to score goals late in the third period of Game 6, and in the blink of an eye the Blackhawks went from a possible Game 7 to a second Stanley Cup championship in four seasons.
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Going up against a division rival, the Blackhawks dropped the first two games of the series, but they stormed back and won four in a row as they won their fifth consecutive postseason series.
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A tightly fought series, this one hinged on the incredible goaltending of Corey Crawford, as he held Minnesota to just two goals in the final two games of the series, and the scoring of Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews. Kane scored twice to lead Chicago to a 5-2 win in Game 1, and Kane also scored the series winner in overtime of Game 6 in Minnesota.
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In a series between two closely matched teams, the Kings got the lucky break that they needed, as Alec Martinez’s shot bounced off of Nick Leddy and evaded Corey Crawford to give Los Angeles an overtime victory in a thrilling Game 7 at the United Center.
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Scott Darling was the man of the hour for the Blackhawks in this series, as he played some of his best hockey in relief of Corey Crawford after Joel Quenneville yanked him. Ultimately Crawford did return in Game 6, and after he reclaimed his net the Blackhawks took the series in six games.
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The final result of the series suggests that the Blackhawks rolled over the Wild, but the reality is that the series was closely contested, and the Blackhawks managed to win closely fought games throughout the brief series.
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Down 3-1, Joel Quenneville jumbled up his lines, as he’s done on so many occasions, and putting Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane back together seemed to do the trick as the team ultimately triumphed in a blowout victory in Game 7.
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Down 2-1 in the series, the Blackhawks got a huge performance out of Duncan Keith, whose play throughout the postseason ultimately netted him the Conn Smythe Award. His goal in Game 6 was an especially memorable moment, and for the first time since 1938, the Blackhawks clinched a Stanley Cup championship on home ice.
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The Blues went up 3-1 in the best-of-seven series over the Blackhawks, but once again Chicago was able to fight back before Troy Brouwer, the former Blackhawk himself, scored late in the third period of Game 7 to eliminate the Hawks and send the Blues onto the next round.
Biggest Question Mark: Andrei Altybarmakyan
Altybarmakyan has some good skill, as he showed off in the KHL All-Star Game earlier this year, but he also comes with some big questions, as he wasn’t ranked in the top 100 prospects by TSN, and he ranked only as the 28th best skater among Europeans in this year’s draft class, according to NHL central Scouting.
Even so, the Blackhawks were certainly okay in going off board, as there aren’t any surefire picks in the third round, but it was interesting to see them go so far off the beaten path to take a player that probably would have been available at number 90.
Most Underrated Pick: Evan Barratt
Speaking of the 90th pick, Barratt could be a player that Blackhawks fans will get to know over the next few years.
Barratt will be heading to Penn State, but his skillset certainly could translate to the NHL level, as he likes getting into tough areas to score greasy goals, and he has very smooth hands when he gets the puck near the front of the net.
The big knock on Barratt is that he isn’t the most athletic player in the game, but with his hard-nosed determination and two-way skill, that shouldn’t be a big deal. He could end up coming out of college if his development arc follows the right path, and it will be fascinating to watch him get stronger and learn more of the nuances of the game.
What’s Left to Do:
As the Blackhawks near free agency, they’ll have to get some clarity on the Marian Hossa salary cap situation, and they’ll also have to acquire more goaltending help, whether in the form of prospects or cheap veterans who can compete with Forsberg for the back-up job in Chicago.
The Blackhawks will also be looking for some veteran help on their blue line, as they’ll need to have some insurance in case of injury to Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook this season.
