Blackhawk Up Puts Their Bear Goggles On

MC: For starters, I want a bold, out-on-a-limb statement about the Chicago Blackhawks 2014-2015 season.

Jun 28, 2013; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Blackhawks left wing Bryan Bickell (29) during the 2013 Stanley Cup championship celebration at Grant Park in Chicago. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports

TL: I think in the 2014-2015 season we’ll see the Blackhawks’ defense go through some overhauling. For now, the Hawks have more or less solved the second line center problem that’s plagued them forever by signing Brad Richards and parting ways with Michal Handzus. Currently the Hawks are over the salary cap and the smart bet is the defensive ranks will feel the squeeze. The fact that Johnny Oduya, Michal Rosival, and Sheldon Brookbank all still have questions marks over their names is a strong indication that change is coming. Another interesting twist is that much touted Rockford IceHogs defensemen Klas Dahlbeck and Adam Clendening have very good chances of finally cracking the Hawks’ roster this year. Furthermore the Hawks also recently signed young veteran defensemen David Runblad and Kyle Cumiskey, so who knows what role they could end up playing. Regardless the Hawks can’t have a 14th-ranked defense again and expect to win another Stanley Cup. This upcoming season we’ll see a slightly different defensive squad than we have in the past two years skating for the Hawks.

MC: Besides Patrick Kane, Johnny Toews, Patrick Sharp, and Marian Hossa, which Blackhawk will score the most goals this upcoming season?

TL: The obvious answer is Brandon Saad. However that’s what a lot people are expecting, so I’d rather talk about a player that’s going to ink up the stat sheet next season that doesn’t have that expectation. That being said I think Ben Smith is primed to have a great season. I think he’s a player who’s currently under utilized that’s ready to step into a more prominent role. He’s got tremendous grit and can keep offensive drives rolling. He may not score the fifth highest amount of goals on the Blackhawks, but he’s definitely going to have more points than he did last season. He had tremendous success on the fourth line last year, and that was while skating with the likes of Brandon Bollig. Think what he can do when paired with an even more talented Blackhawks forwards.

MC: What newcomer will have the biggest impact next season?

TL: Jeremy Morin, hands down.

MC: Not Brad Richards?

TL: Well, Richards is certainly an upgrade from Handzus, but he’s entering the twilight of his career, whereas Jeremy Morin is just starting his, and Morin plays with amazing gusto. He’s been gunning to make the Blackhawks roster for several years now, and many Hawks fans were amazed he didn’t last year. This season, the gig still isn’t his for the taking, but he’s closer than he’s ever been with the departure of Brandon Bollig, and he knows it. The intensity Morin brings to the ice is unrivaled, and he made a huge impact with Bryan Bickell and Peter Regin last year at the end of the season, which helped the Hawks head into the playoffs strong. Morin strikes me as a Ben Smith-Andrew Shaw hybrid type forward who’s not afraid to use his body and is always driving towards the net. That being said Morin could easily thrive on the third or fourth line this season, where a multi-faceted player is needed considering how the Hawks struggled to roll all four lines at the end of the last year.

MC: Who is the biggest threat to the Hawks going to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2015?

TL: That’s tough to say, because the Western Conference in the NHL is an arms race. Many teams are viable contenders for the Stanley Cup in the Western Conference and many have made significant moves this past year and offseason to improve their chances of winning the Cup. However, I still think it’s the Los Angeles Kings because the Kings are very similar to the Hawks on paper, most importantly in aspect that both teams are built for the playoffs and can win with their backs against the wall. I can see the Hawks and Kings easily entering a similar dynamic the Detroit Red Wings and Colorado Avalanche had in the mid to late 1990’s: two powerhouse teams going back and forth in Stanley Cup wins and becoming bitter rivals along the way.

MC: Final question. Where do the Blackhawks finish in the 2014-2015 season?

TL: You’d hope the Blackhawks realize this is probably their last season to take a run at the Stanley Cup with the current roster, because after next season there’s a very good chance they’ll have to shed some big names to stay under the cap and have to undergo a bit of a retooling phase. However, this is still more or less the same team that won the Cup in 2013, and I like the improvements they’ve made recently. I think the Blackhawks will go as far as their defense allows them, because even though their offense is very potent, leads are worthless if they can’t defend them. As I said earlier, I think the Hawks’ defense is primed for an upgrade. I see the Hawks back in the Western Conference Finals at the very least; you can’t have their type of scoring ability and not make a deep playoff run. The question for the Blackhawks this season is while their offense will win games, will their defense win championships.

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LET’S GO HAWKS!

BEAR DOWN!