2009-2010 Player Preview: #19 Jonathan Toews

It’s no mistake we left the Jonathan Toews’ Player Preview for last.  He is the straw that stirs the proverbial drink; he’s the captain; and he’s the undisputed leader of the Western Conference finalist Blackhawks.

And, God, are we glad these are finished.  Bring on the hockey.

Today’s game against HC Davos – where John and Fork played three seasons together in the ’90s – in Zurich will apparently be viewable on NHL.com.  It may be a good day to pull your groin getting out of the office chair, and just go home.

2008-2009 Recap

It’s rare in sports today that such an offensively productive player – 69 points in 82 games last season in this example - is more often praised for his intangibles than his production, but such is the case for the Blackhawks’ captain Jonathan Toews.

Sure, Toews scored 34 goals in his most recent campaign, his 12-game goal scoring drought to begin the season notwithstanding; sure, he had 24 in his rookie year; sure, he’s added over 30 assists in each of his first two seasons.

What seems to be more important, though, is the intangible effect he’s had on Blackhawk hockey.  From Red Wings’ bench boss Mike Babcock praising Toews every chance he got last year to the 5-10-2 record posted by the Hawks while Toews was on the shelf during the ‘07-’08 term, Toews’ importance seems difficult to overstate.

Rarely is it pretty – his goal against Colorado two seasons ago not included – but Toews constantly finds ways to make positive contributions.  His board work is second to none; his will is better than his board work; and he has a knack for scoring big goals, even just by being in the right place at the right time.

Perhaps Toews’ most memorable evening last season was his four three-goal performance at the UC on February 27th against the Pittsburgh Penguins.  Toews notched a hat trick on the night the fans received Blackhawk construction helmets, which were appropriately thrown on to the ice by the dozens following his third goal.  Even after his third goal was controversially overturned, Toews scored another, once again welcoming a shower of construction hats to the ice.  The Hawks eventually lost the game when uber-superstar Evgeni Malkin scored in overtime.

Toews added seven goals and six assists (13 points) during the Hawks’ 17-game playoff run.

Toews’ 2009-’10 will be a success if…

He becomes an elite offensive player.  Toews has undoubtedly had productive offensive seasons in each of his first two NHL campaigns, but there’s more in the tank for the 21-year old.  He upped his goal total by 10 last season, even while having to wait until his 13th game to score his first of the season.  Toews has the potential to be a 50/50 game changer and with questions abound at the center position entering this season, perhaps it’s time he takes another significant step forward offensively.

He finds a way to compare favorably with other elite centers on elite teams.  He’s absolutely a tireless worker, but for the Hawks to be a legitimate Cup contender, Toews has to be one-half of the Hawk center picture that must compare to Crosby/Malkin, Datsyuk/Zetterberg, Richards/Carter, Getzlaf/Koivu.  Can he be?  This season?  With Bolland?

Toews’ 2009-’10 will be a disappointment if…

Um, he becomes un-Toews-like?  Listen, Toews’ work ethic and knack for contributing when it matters serve as dynamic proxies when he struggles to get on the score sheet.  Sometimes the pressure he puts on himself is visible from the 300-level and he struggles because of it.  But, barring injury, so long as Toews remembers he’s the Hawks’ captain and leader, it’s hard to imagine a “disappointing” season for the young Hawk.

2009-2010 Player Preview: #7 Brent Seabrook

2008-2009 Recap

Entering the 2008-’09 season, many wondered whether Brent Seabrook was a legitimate first-pairing NHL defenseman or just another average, slow-footed, Lyle Odelein look-alike blue liner.  Following the signing of a $10.5 million three-year deal in February of 2008, it was obvious what Hawks’ brass thought of him. 

When February of this past season rolled around, Seabrook answered the question for himself: legitimate first-pairing defenseman, with or without Duncan Keith.  It was then Seabrook who ramped up his physical game, often taking over games in his own end while almost exclusively playing against the best players the opposition had to offer.

Seabrook’s game is simple to describe: it’s, well, simple.  In his own zone, he keeps his movement to a minimum, skating in straight lines to a point of contact, while focusing on knocking an offender off the puck or out of the play with his body.  Offensively, #7 is an underrated passer in his own zone and led the Hawk defensemen in goals with eight during the regular season.  He added 12 huge points in 17 playoff games, which also led Hawk defensemen.

Seabrook’s 2009-’10 will be a success if…

He keeps things simple.  Players who find success often have a tendency to try to do too much after they’ve had time to digest said success.  Playing along side Duncan Keith against other teams’ top lines helps refine Seabrook’s game; he needs to be the large simpleton who compliments the flashier All-Star.

Seabrook’s 2009-’10 will be a disappointment if…

He doesn’t produce on the power play.  Those who watched Saturday’s game against the Capitals at the United Center know Seabrook saw significant time on the first power play unit, while Cam Barker and Keith manned the second unit.  No matter which unit Seabrook sees the most time on, he’ll be asked to contribute.  So long as he continues to get the puck to the net, he shouldn’t have a problem doing so.

2009-2010 Player Preview: #51 Brian Campbell

Since we have no idea what happened last night in Minnesota, we’re taking the view that what happens in Minnesota stays in Minnesota, including injuries to Adam Burish.

2008-2009 Recap

In the late afternoon hours of July 1, 2008, then-general manager Dale Tallon finally executed the standard player contract which would allow the Blackhawks’ Head Coach to pencil in a name next to the words “Power Play Quarterback” on the virtual line-up card. With the signing of the eight-year pact with the former Sabre and Shark, Brian Campbell, at long last it seemed the Hawks had themselves a bona fide puck-moving defenseman to lead the power play, which in previous years (read: decade) did little to benefit the team. With two separate swoops of the pen, the Blackhawks answered its fans’ intense clamoring for such a player, and Hawk fans finally rested. It was, for Hawk fans, the seventh day.

It certainly started off well. In his first game as a Blackhawk, in Madison Square Garden, Campbell forced the puck up the boards in the Ranger zone, started to swoop behind the net, and clanged a bank-pass off the outside base of the Henrik Lundquist-tended goal that landed perfectly on a surprised Patrick Kane’s stick. Before falling over in awe of his new favorite teammate’s offensive proficiency, Kane managed to one-time the novel delivery into the net for the Hawks’ first goal of the season.

In the weeks that followed, impressed Hawk observers and pundits raved about Campbell’s abilities to skate the puck, and many even said the new Hawk was the best offensive defenseman to wear a Hawks’ sweater since Doug Wilson.

But, the honeymoon wouldn’t last. By November, fans who rose to cheer for October own-zone spin-o-ramas loudly decried Campbell’s perfectly itch-less trigger finger from the point and defensive ineptitude. By mid-season, Campbell’s first unit power play minutes dwindled, and, by March, he was booed mercilessly by fans who grew tired of his injurious high wire style. A Sunday afternoon in the United Center versus the hapless Colorado Avalanche marked his low point; Campbell was a –3 in the embarrassing loss.

Thankfully for Campbell, though, he turned his game around just in time for the playoffs. Where he had faltered before (see: Campbell’s playoff performance with San Jose in 2008), Campbell flourished, focusing on moving the puck quickly and showcasing his speed above all else. He played so well, many thought he was the Hawks’ most valuable player in the first round series against Calgary – a particularly important feat at the time, considering how Duncan Keith struggled – and he was a driving force against Vancouver, even inadvertently knocking out Pavol Demitra for much of the series.

Campbell’s 2009-’10 season will be a success if…

He manages to remain on the first unit power play all season. One thing’s for sure: over $7 million per season is quite a lot to spend on an NHL player. And, when that player shows an inability to do the one thing he’s paid to do, it can feel like team ownership is siphoning the amount in large bills directly from the pockets of the team’s faithful. There is little doubt Campbell’s season will be judged on the success of the power play, and to ensure he’s not dragged from the UC in an angry riot, the power play must be a top-ten unit.

He’s in the top ten for defensemen scoring. While many good players are at their best when unnoticed, Campbell’s flashy and productive play is easy to see and quantify. No question about it, even from those who defend Campbell: if you’re going to be paid like a top offensive defenseman, you have to produce like a top offensive defenseman. One expectation-filled season is down; he should be better offensively this time around.

Campbell’s 2009-’10 season will be a disappointment if…

He’s asked to play top-four minutes. One thing Campbell is not is a great defensive defenseman. With Matt Walker gone, someone needs to fill in late-game minutes. If it happens to be Campbell, God help us all.

He doesn’t get off to a fast start offensively. With the Hawks starting in Finland next weekend, it’s easy to see the team sputtering out of the gate, especially in its first month back in the States. With his big pay check and easy-to-quantify playing style, Campbell better not put himself in a position to be scapegoated; many will have no problem doing it.

2009-2010 Player Preview: #31 Antti Niemi/#50 Corey Crawford

2008-2009 Recap

Between both Antti Niemi and Corey Crawford last year, they saw action in a combined 4 games.  Niemi was the only one to start.  He started two games in March while Nikolai Khabibulin recovered from his lower body injury.

In his first start against the Los Angeles Kings, the Hawks jumped to an early lead and kept the pressure out of their zone.  Niemi made key stops when he had to and he won his first start 4-2.

His next start wasn’t so pretty.  In the midst of their ‘March Tailspin’, the Hawks played their worst game of the season against the Colorado Avalanche.  They were thoroughly dominated by one of the more atrocious teams in hockey on their home ice 5-1 and Niemi was just as much to blame in that one as the rest of the team.

Crawford spent his whole season in Rockford.  In the playoffs, the Hawks called him up as their third goalie.  When Khabibulin went down with another lower body injury in the second period of Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals, Crawford had to make the unenviable journey from sipping water in the press box to being one injury away from seeing his first NHL action of the season.

He ended up seeing his first action in the abortion that was Game 4.  Crawford took over for the beleaguered Cristobal Huet and turned away 6 of the 7 shots he faced.

Corey Crawford/Antti Niemi’s (‘Nieford’) 2009-2010 will be a success if…

One of them is reliable enough to make 25 to 30 starts.  The biggest (and probably only) battle taking place in the Blackhawks training camp is for the back-up goaltender.  The winner of the roster spot will end up being one of the more important players on the team.  With Cristobal Huet subject to occasional breakdowns, ‘Nieford’ will be counted on to deliver adequate NHL goaltending.  The Hawks won’t be expecting the second coming of Ken Dryden during their starts, but ’Nieford’ needs to give them, at the worst, an 89% save percentage.

‘Nieford’s’ 2009-2010 will be a disappointment if…

Neither claims residence in Chicago.  Nothing will be worse for the Blackhawks than if both Crawford and Niemi are taking turns stinking it up in the NHL.  That will put the Hawks in a precaurious situation.  Having two goalies who aren’t good enough to make a start once a week will essentially force management’s hand into dealing for a veteran back-up.  It won’t cost a whole lot (probably a late round pick) but it’s not exactly what the Hawks planned on when they drafted Crawford in the second round and outbid other teams for Niemi’s service.

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One of the biggest criticisms of the Blackhawks off-season was their refusal to address the back-up goalie situation.  Cristobal Huet can’t make more than 60 starts in a season.  Any team that gives their starting goalie that many starts is begging for trouble (See last year’s Flames team).  That leaves at least 20 games and 40 points up for grabs.  The goalie responsible for picking up those points will be two guys with a combined 10 games of NHL experience.

Chances are strong to quite strong ‘Nieford’ will end up getting more than 20 games.  If they don’t respond with at least average goaltending, it has the potential to be a spectacular train wreck.

Would it have hurt to pick up a veteran goalie off the scrap heap and assure themselves of at least one stretch of solid goaltending ala Patrick Lalime in 2007-2008?  Only time will tell.  For now, I’ll remain completely skeptical.   

2009-2010 Player Preview: #25 Cam Barker

2008-2009 Recap

It took the better part of five hockey seasons, but the player drafted immediately behind Alexander Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin, respectively, finally started to play like it during the 2008-’09 NHL season.

To be fair, Cam Barker, taken third overall in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft, took some grief for his inability to develop at a pace comparable to his notable peers, but Barker is a defenseman, and defensemen typically have a more difficult time adjusting to the brains and pace associated with the NHL game. It didn’t help Barker’s case that he was drafted at perhaps the driest time of a historic Blackhawk drought and, as a result, that he was leaned on heavily by the organizations and its (relatively few, at that time) fans to develop quickly and adequately.

But, after starting the season in the AHL – due either to a silly “hockey decision” or, more probably, a salary crunch – like a house on fire, Barker continued to showcase his offensive upside at the highest level, scoring six goals and gaining 34 assists in 68 games, good for third in points and fourth in goals among his fellow Hawk defensemen. What’s more, as his season continued, Barker began to prove himself worthy in his own zone, and consequently was often asked to log top-four minutes in tight games.

He even showed a physical side, often pitching in with a big hit or dropping the mitts, as he did two times last year. Sure, he’ll likely never have an own-zone game of Chris Pronger, but he’s shown an ability to develop his defensive game. In time – maybe this season – he’ll be leaned on heavily to provide a defensive presence, too, and remember: defensemen don’t usually come into their own until their mid- to late-twenties. He’ll have to better his foot speed and positioning to do it.

But, what sets Barker apart – and what made him worth a contract extension worth nearly $10 million covering the next three seasons – is his presence on the power play. Undoubtedly, Barker’s confidence with the puck and his booming shot from the point help set the Hawks’ power play apart during the ’08-’09 campaign.

Barker’s 2009-’10 season will be a success if…

He takes power play pressure off Brian Campbell. Sure, Campbell was signed for big bucks to quarterback the power play, and for the most part, he did a nice job of doing so. But, $50 million has a tendency to wear players down. If Barker can continue to be the power play force he was most of last season, Campbell may feel a tiny bit of the load lifted from his shoulders, and that’s a good thing.

He continues to develop his defensive and physical games. Being a power play ace is fine, but Barker has all the tools to be a force in his own zone. He took a large step forward last season in those capacities, but there’s plenty – OK, a lot – of room for improvement. Many – me included – thought the Hawks were essentially writing Barker off with the acquisition of Campbell last offseason; Barker proved them wrong. This offseason the Hawks have a perceived need for a large defensive defenseman. Could it be Barker is capable of adding this dimension to his game?

Barker’s 2009-’10 season will be a disappointment if…

He’s asked to play third pairing even strength minutes. While Barker may earn his money on the power play alone, more should be expected of a third overall pick. With Matt Walker gone, Barker should be asked to pick up more late minutes.

Barker sure showed last season why he was worthy of the third overall selection, just behind the superstars mentioned above – and just ahead of Andrew Ladd, of course. And, it’s time he takes another large step forward in becoming the all-around defenseman he should be.

2009-2010 Player Preview: #39 Cristobal Huet

2008-2009 Recap

When the regular season opened up, former head coach Denis Savard tabbed Cristobal Huet as his starting goaltender.  In the opener against the New York Rangers, Huet was less than stellar.  In his home debut against Nashville, he was much better.  Unfortunately, he was on the losing side of the shootout so it only added more fuel to the anti-Huet fire.

After Joel Quenneville took over, he employed a strict goalie rotation not seen anywhere above the Squirt level.  Huet and Khabibulin played almost every other game unless there was a reason not to (i.e. injury). 

Huet responded with a lot of up-and-down play.  For stretches, he would be marvelous giving the Hawks every opportunity to win games by only giving up a goal or two.  Then in some games, all the wheels would come off and at the end of the game, there would be a huge crooked number on the board.

His best stretch of play came from December 7th to December 28th when he only gave up 4 goals in a 5 game span and the Hawks went 5-0, including their only win of the season against the Minnesota Wild.

When Nikolai Khabibulin went down at the beginning of February with a lower body injury, Huet was given the reign of the pipes.  It started off well enough with Huet winning five of the first seven starts.  Then, when he coughed up 5 goals and a two goal lead in Nashville on February 24th, it was the beginning of the end for him.  He followed that game up with a clunker against Pittsburgh where he was yanked after two periods. 

By this time, all Khabibulin needed to do was get healthy and the starting job would be his.  After the overtime debacle on March 18th against Columbus, Huet’s fate was sealed and he only received two more starts the rest of the season.   

Another factor to consider in his season was the scoring support he received.  In the 17 games where he gave up 3 or more goals, the Hawks were 2-13-2.   For the record, he gave up 6 goals twice, 5 once, 4 nine times, and 3 goals in five games.  So if you toss out the three games where he imploded, you’re left with 12 games where the Hawks were unable to overcome at least 3 goals.  The odds will probably even out this year to make that record a little less lopsided.

In the playoffs, Huet was the forgotten man until the third period of Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals.  Khabibulin re-aggravated his lower body injury while coughing up a 3-0 lead and the Hawks needed Huet to salvage their season.  

He did, temporarily, by keeping Detroit off the board the rest of the game as Patrick Sharp and the Hawks won it in overtime.

In Game 4, he laid an egg like the rest of the team.  In Game 5, he put on a performance that was as close to heroic as I’ll ever say about an athlete in a sporting event. 

Cristobal Huet’s 2009-2010 will be a success if…

He can handle the heavy workload.  At 34 years old and as a 6-year NHL veteran, Huet has played in more than 50 games just once in his career.  With the tallest midget contest currently taking place to be his back-up, he’s going to exceed that number again this year.  Can he play that many games without breaking down like he seemed to last season?  That’s what he has to prove.  If he can, then the Hawks will be sitting pretty.

He only occassionally is bad.  The Huet stink-bomb performance is acceptable from time to time.  It’s just going to happen.  We all have to accept that fact.  What can’t happen is his stretch of play in March that inspired confidence from nobody.  In those 8 games, he gave up 4 or more goals six times.  If he can surround his occassional poor performance with good outings, then he’ll quell many fears in this city.

Cristobal Huet’s 2009-2010 will be a disappointment if…

He handles the puck too many times.  On a list of things Cristobal Huet can do, handling the puck is probably on the bottom in between to ‘Stopping a bullet with his teeth’ and ‘Leaping from tall buildings in a single bound’.  Every time there’s a puck dumped in and Huet has to make a pass to a teammate, a little piece of me dies.  He cannot handle the puck at all.  The less he does it, the better off we’ll all be.

He is worthless to other teams by next June.  At this point, Huet is teetering on the edge of being bad money.  Statistically speaking, he’s still at the top of the food chain when it comes to goaltenders.  Unfortunately, his salary and his age complicate that situation.  If Huet can put together a solid campaign, the Hawks will be in a unique spot.  They’ll have a goalie that not only will be attractive to other teams, but they’ll also have a goalie they can count on.  If he’s lousy, then the Hawks will have no choice but to be stuck with a mediocre goalie for the next two years at $5.625 million.    

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There may not be a more polarizing player on the Blackhawks than ‘The Man From France’.  It’s a time honored tradition in Chicago for fans to base the majority of their opinions off their first impressions.  For Huet, he made the mistake of laying an egg to open the season and then losing in a shootout in the home opener.  After that, plenty of people had already made up their mind that he was a lousy goalie.

What they missed was a solid stretch of play and a guy who finished the season with a 91% save percentage. 

Assuming that Huet can handle the workload of a number one goaltender and receives some better goal support from his team, he should rebound to have himself a nice season.   

2009-2010 Player Preview: #32 Kris Versteeg

2008-2009 Recap

Last season, Kris Versteeg had the expectation level of most 5th round draft picks – not very high.  The squirrelly winger (turned center in mid-season) didn’t prove much in his 2007-2008 debut with 4 points in 13 games.   So when the season opened, fans were quite hesitant that Versteeg was even on the roster. 

8 games into the season, a new fan favorite was born.  In the opening two weeks, Versteeg chipped in 2 goals and 6 assists.  He was seeing big minutes while seeing time on both the second power play and penalty kill units. 

With the early offensive contributions, his confidence started to grow and for the first time in his young career, he had no problem showing off his superb stick-handling abilities. 

Never was it more apparent than on December 3rd against the Anaheim Ducks.  The Hawks came into that game on a three-game losing streak.  They also were struggling with contending teams.  At that point in the season, the Hawks had already dropped games to Detroit, San Jose, Anaheim, and Boston. 

It didn’t look very good on this night.  Anaheim took a 2-1 lead 48 seconds into the third when Chris Pronger flipped the puck from the blue line past Cristobal Huet.

From there, the Ducks started to put the squeeze on the Hawks in the neutral zone, giving them zero room to do anything with the puck. 

Enter Kris Versteeg. 

With just under six minutes in regulation, he picked up the puck in the neutral zone, completely dangled the Anaheim defenseman with an inside-out move, fed the puck to Duncan Keith, who in turn set up Marty Havlat for the one-timing equalizer. 

He wasn’t done there.  Four minutes later, he found himself alone in front of the net with only Anaheim goalie Jonas Hiller in front of him.  Showing the poise of a ten-year veteran, Versteeg chipped the puck across the crease to a wide-open Jonathan Toews who poked home the game-winner. 

When the Hawks were searching for a 3rd center in February, it was Versteeg who filled in admirably.  Sure, he wasn’t Pierre Turgeon reincarnated, but he gave the Hawks all they could realistically ask for.

Once the playoffs rolled around, Versteeg was back on the wing.  For the last three games of the Calgary series, he was a tiny beast.  In those games, he racked up 2 goals and 5 assists. 

In the other 14 playoff games, he managed a mere 2 goals and 2 assists.  It would have been acceptable if he played a solid two-way game, but after a season of being able to stick-handle his way out of trouble, his dangling actually got him into trouble in the post-season.

The warning signs started in the Vancouver series when they employed their neutral zone trap.  Instead of chipping the puck in deep, Versteeg would try to carry the zone, and more often than not, get stripped at the blue line.  By the Detroit series, he became a neutral-zone liability with his puck-carrying.

Live by the sword, die by the sword.  You could say that was the rallying cry for Kris Versteeg in 2008-2009.

Kris Versteeg’s 2009-2010 will be a success if…

He comes close to matching last year’s scoring output.  No one is looking for Versteeg to lead the Hawks in scoring.  There’s no doubt he’ll go for stretches without showing up on the scoresheet.  He has to, however, remain the prime secondary scoring threat for the Hawks.  While some may disown him if he goes 20/25, that would be perfectly acceptable in these parts.

He remains a balanced scorer.  Last year, Versteeg scored 12 equal-strength goals, 6 power-play goals, and 4 short-handed.  That is exactly the type of output the Hawks need from their second or third-line winger - a guy who is a threat to score in all facets of the game.

Kris Versteeg’s 2009-2010 will be a disappointment if…

He fails to grasp the simplicity of the game.  Sometimes in hockey, you’re better off giving up possession of the puck to prevent the other team from a prime scoring opportunity.  Hopefully, one of the coaches has gotten that message through to Versteeg.  Early in the season, his blue line blunders probably won’t come back to bite the Hawks, but by April, he better have learned from last year’s mistakes.  The Hawks don’t want to neuter one of their more skilled players; they simply want to advance his hockey IQ.

You hear the words ”Rockford” and ”Versteeg” in the same sentence.  This may be a bit of a reach, but stranger things have happened.  If one of their younger (See: cheaper) players in Rockford is deserving of a call-up and Versteeg is failing to get his season on track, it wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility for the Hawks to send him down on the farm for the rest of the regular season.  That would not be good for anybody.

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With a new 3-year contract, the Calder Trophy runner-up won’t sneak up on anybody this year.  He’ll be expected to play on any of the top 3 lines and score on a semi-regular basis.  Whether or not the Hawks decide to use him as a penalty killer again this year remains to be seen. 

As last season progressed, his play in all three zones began to deteriorate.  Now that he’s been through the grind, it should be a little easier for him to stay steady. 

If we could only do something about that whole sophomore slump thing….

2009-2010 Player Preview: #88 Patrick Kane

2008-2009 Recap

Before the season, there were significant concerns across Hawk Nation that the 2007-2008 Calder Trophy Winner, Patrick Kane, may suffer from a significant sophomore slump.  Those concerns were short-lived as Kane came out of the gate firing on all cylinders.  By the seventh game, he already racked up 8 points.  Keep in mind, this was before Marty Havlat became Christ on Skates and Jonathan Toews was in the middle of a horrendous goal-scoring slump to open the season.

It wasn’t just by the numbers, either.  Watching Kane in the early going of his second season, it was quite apparent that he spent his summer working on his speed and shooting.  Kane had an extra gear he never had in his rookie season.  His shot had improved nearly ten-fold.  After going through his rookie year with pop gun wrists, he was now picking out corners with some steam coming off the puck.

In the first 33 games of the season, he notched 16 goals and 25 assists.  Then on December 30th, Kane got his ankle caught along the boards while trying to avoid a check from Detroit’s Daniel Cleary.  What resulted was the dreaded high ankle sprain.  With the Winter Classic two days later, Kane rushed himself back, re-aggravated the injury during the game, and missed the next two games.

The extra gear Kane sported at the beginning of the year was mostly lost and his numbers began reflecting that.  In the remaining 47 games, he scored only 9 more goals to go along with 20 assists. 

Just like in his rookie season when he went through a dry spell of 2 goals in 28 games, he fell victim to another slump when scored only 1 goal in a 21-game period spanning from December 26th to February 17th.  What made this drought even worse was that he only had 5 assists during that time frame. 

Another important part of his game in the regular season is his scoring touch in shootouts.  His rookie season he was nearly automatic with 7 goals in 9 shots.  This past season, he came back down to Earth with 3 goals in 9 shots.  When it comes to grabbing that extra point, a skill like this shouldn’t be dismissed. 

Once the playoffs came around, many fans were worried (once again) that the rough and tumble playoffs would be too much for the gentle Kane.  Then in Game 1, Rene Bourque delivered a huge (and definitely cheap) hit to Kane.  He looked visibly groggy after the hit.

He came back from the hit though and ended up with 4 points in the 6 game set with Calgary (though he only played in 5 games, he sat out Game 3 with the flu), including a huge goal and assist in the Game 6 clincher.

In the Western Conference Semi-Finals, the Vancouver Canucks felt it was in their best interests to let Patrick Kane be the one who beats them.  Bad idea.  In the 6 game series, Kane scored 6 goals with 2 assists.  He set up the game-winning goal in Game 5 when he found Dave Bolland on the doorstep with less than 8 minutes to go.  Then, Kane saved his best performance for the final game when he scored a hat-trick.  Two of the goals will be seen on the United Center Jumbotron throughout this season.

After seeing what happens when defenses don’t key on Kane, Detroit made a point of using Niklas Lidstrom to shut him down in the Conference Finals.  And shut him down he did.  It wasn’t until Game 5 when Kane finally had more than an inch of breathing room that he scored his first goal against the Wings.  It was a beauty and set up the overtime where the Hawks would eventually lose.

If many in the Hawks organization feel this was a “so-so” playoff performance, I’d hate to see what they think of the rest of their team.

Patrick Kane’s 2009-2010 will be a success if…

He avoids prolonged scoring slumps.  So far in both of his two seasons, Kane has gone an extended period without scoring any goals.  If he wants to become a true elite player in the NHL, then this has to stop.  In his defense, in one of the years, he was going through his first season, and in the next, he was battling a nagging ankle injury.  Now, there are no more excuses.  So what better time to deliver the goods that someone of his talent level promises.

He increases his even-strength goal total.  There’s no doubt that Patrick Kane will score on the power-play.  In his two year career, 20 of his 46 goals have come with the man advantage.  In order to become an even bigger scoring threat, he has to be just as dangerous with 5-on-5 play.  So far, he’s been simply ok.  Again, to get himself on the level of the elite scorers, this number needs to improve.

Patrick Kane’s 2009-2010 will be a disappointment if…

This is his swan song in the Indian Head.  I have a feeling we’re going to spend countless hours this winter trying to explain to people how restricted free agency works in the NHL.  For whatever reason, there’s countless fans who feel the Hawks would be better off without Kane on the team.  How or why they conceived this notion is something that most of us are still trying to figure out.  Put it this way, to lose the number one overall pick after only three seasons would be an absolute abomination.

He doesn’t improve his defensive zone play.  Going into his third season, Kane has to show marked improvement in the defensive zone.  His +/- numbers in the playoffs don’t show it, but Kane was a far more responsible player in his own end.  Gone were his lazy turnovers from the regular season and off the top of my head, I can only remember him taking one penalty that forced me to facepalm.  If he can carry this over, then he’ll be that much better of a player.  If not, then he’ll remain the one and a half-dimensional player that he currently is.

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Patrick Kane certainly had the most eventful off-season of any Blackhawk player in quite some time.  His run-in with the law will likely define the early part of his season.  How he deals with that will be an interesting character study. 

Ultimately though, all that really matters is if A.) his teammates don’t want to kill him and B) he produces on the ice.  If that happens, then this summer will only be an ugly footnote in his career.

The more important thing to watch for will be if this is the year Kane makes ’The Leap’ into the upper echelon of NHL talent.  So far, he’s proven that 70 points is no big deal.  Now the question becomes, can he improve even more on those numbers or have we seen his ceiling? 

Something tells me, though, when a 20 year-old scores 70+ points in consectutive seasons, we’re only starting to see the beginning of what his potential truly holds.       

 

2009-2010 Player Preview: #22 Troy Brouwer

2008-2009 Recap

What began as another year down on the farm quickly turned into a first for the Blackhawks’ Troy Brouwer last season: an extended stay at the NHL level. While Brouwer didn’t show himself to be the power forward with the Midas scoring touch as he had in the AHL, he did prove himself capable of making valuable contributions.

During a season in which Brouwer became most known for blowing premier scoring opportunities, he quietly put together a very responsible campaign, becoming something of a jack-of-all-trades for the Hawks. To be sure, Brouwer was asked to do just about everything, a stark contrast from the Denis Savard days, when he was given little opportunity to stick with the big league club – much less time to experiment with roles.

It took a while for Brouwer to get his sea legs, though. Many nights Brouwer was invisible – too slow to skate with top line mates and lacking the savvy to create his own opportunities. He would find his way, though, using his big frame and hockey sense, often taking the body in highlight reel fashion once an evening, sticking up for a line mate or doing the dirty work in the corners. And, it was this willingness to be something other than a 40-goal scorer that earned him a spot in the playoff lineup as a fourth line grinder, a role he became accustomed to late in the regular season.

Troy Brouwer’s 2009-’10 season will be a success if…

He, well, plays. As is usually the case with forwards who scored ten goals the previous season, Brouwer’s spot in the lineup is anything but guaranteed. The Marian Hossa surgery will help his cause until December, and perhaps his intangibles can take him the rest of the way.  Brouwer has shown, if nothing else, he can be an effective player in any role.

He gets significant time on the power play. Often times, for a young NHL forward, half the battle is getting chances, and Brouwer certainly did that last season. Of course, his problem was cashing in. Given the opportunity, the Feather believes Brouwer could have something of a breakout offensive season, assuming he can find the scoring touch he flaunted at the AHL level. We had this to say about Brouwer in Fantasy Hockey Scout’s Blogger’s Breakouts feature in July, where we pegged him as a possible 20-goal scorer this coming season:

Brouwer, 23, is a big man – 6’3” and 215 pounds – and figures to be a regular in the stocked Blackhawks’ line-up during the upcoming season.  His 2009 playoff action came as a “banger” on the fourth line with Ben Eager and Adam Burish, but he played the majority of the regular season on scoring lines.  He’s best known by Hawk fans as the big winger who blew upwards of 40 scoring chances last season – often by clanging would-be goals off a post behind the goaltender.  Depending on who he calls “linemates” during the 2009-10 season, Brouwer could well find the scoring touch he’s displayed previously in the WHL and AHL.  Indeed, as many young scorers’ first major stepping stone is getting chances, it could be said that Brouwer took a major step towards becoming a solid second-tier NHL scorer last season.

Troy Brouwer’s 2009-’10 season will be a disappointment if…

He becomes unwilling to do the dirty work.  Being a goal scorer in the NHL as a 23-year old isn’t easy; just don’t ask Jonathan Toews.  Being a big time goal scorer as a second year player (which Brouwer will be this season) isn’t a whole lot easier. Brouwer will have to continue to make his mark mucking and grinding, no matter who his linemates are. The goals, as they say, will come.

2009-2010 Player Preview: #81 Marian Hossa

2008-2009 Recap

Before we delve into the mythology that surrounds Marian Hossa’s playoff performances, let’s first take a look at his superb lone season with the Detroit Red Wings. 

There were plenty of times during the season that Hossa was the best player on the Red Wings.  This was the same team Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg skated on, so this is hardly light praise. 

Hossa gave the Wings stellar play in all three zones and was a cold-blooded assasin with the puck on his stick.  He notched 40 goals, the third time he’s done that in his career.  10 of those goals came with the man advantage and 8 goals were game-winners.

My ever-lasting image of him in a Wings jersey will be the October 25th tilt against the Blackhawks.  In a 1-1 shootout tie, Hossa picked up the puck at center ice, took about three strides into the zone, and rifled the puck over Nikolai Khabibulin’s shoulder for the winning tally.  That’s what they call a goal scorer’s goal.

Hossa seemed to save his best performances last year for the Hawks.  In 4 games last year, he notched 2 goals and 4 assists, with three of those assists coming in the Winter Classic.  Then, in Games 3 and 4 of the Western Conference Finals, he had 2 goals and 3 assists.  He also would’ve assisted the game-winner in Game 5 if Crisotbal Huet didn’t make the ’Save of the Century’ to close out regulation. 

What defined Hossa’s Red Wing career in many people’s eyes, though, was his performance during the playoffs.  Statistically, 15 points in 23 games is nothing to scoff at.  Unfortunately for Hossa, those points came in bunches so it appeared as though as he disappeared for stretches.  If his current shoulder injury helps explain that, then maybe his postseason wasn’t so bad at all.

Something to keep in mind before the uneducated help sway your opinion about his past playoff performances: Hossa was arguably Pittsburgh’s best player in the previous year’s Cup run.  He racked up 12 goals and 14 assists in 20 games.  Before that, he put up some impressive numbers with the Ottawa Senators in the 2001-02 and 2002-03 playoffs. 

To put into perspective how fickle people can be about the playoffs, we’re a year removed from various media outlets raking Evegeni Malkin over the coals for his performance against the Red Wings in the Finals.  How does that look now?

Marian Hossa’s 2009-10 will be a success if…

Playing with Patrick Kane will invoke images of his Thrasher days.  Hossa never put up better numbers in his career than when he skated with Marc Savard and Ilya Kovalchuk.  In his two full seasons in Atlanta, he notched 92 and 100 points.  If he skates on a line with Patrick Kane, there’s a very good chance his numbers will be just a tick below those.  Hossa will be the true sniper that Kane has yet to play with at the NHL level.  Of course, a lot of that depends on this…

Hossa is fully recovered from rotator cuff surgery.  Nothing will be more of a cock-tease than if we’re constantly hearing about when Hossa may return.  So far, the word is that he’ll be back by late November.  If that’s the case, he’ll only have missed about 20-25 games and that wouldn’t be too bad at all.  If it’s January and we still haven’t seen him, start lighting your torches and sharpening your pitchforks.  Sure, it would be lovely if he could play the whole year, but he’s here for the remainder of his career, so I’m sure you’ll see him play a full season in the Indian Head at some point in the next decade.    

Marian Hossa’s 2009-10 will be a disappointment if…

He averages less than 0.75 points per game.  In his career, he has an average of 0.93 points per game.  If he’s only playing in 60-something games next year, it would be a real drag if he can barely clip the 30 point barrier.  Unlike every other player on the Hawks this year, Hossa won’t be judged by his final output.  What’s more important, because of his limited playing time, will be how much he produces while he’s healthy.

He becomes the Blackhawks scapegoat for playoff failure.   Fair or not, to many people, Marian Hossa was the reason the Wings lost in the Finals to the Penguins.  He put a pretty big bullseye on his back by spurning the Penguins multi-year deal for a one-year deal with Detroit and up until the trade deadline, the move seemed like a no-brainer.  Now, Hossa spurned the Wings for what amounts to a lifetime contract with the rival Blackhawks and he’ll be expected to produce in the bright lights of the playoffs.  If he doesn’t, then the vultures won’t just be circling his carcass, they’ll be in full feasting mode.

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Unlike last year’s two big free-agent signings for the Blackhawks, Hossa doesn’t come with any warning tags.  He plays strong in all three zones and is one of the true elite talents in the NHL.  Unfortunately, he went under the knife a couple months ago, so fans will have to wait another couple months to see their newest present unwrapped.

The way I see it, the Hawks will come roaring out of the gates to start the season, plateau as they gear up for the annual Thanksgiving trip, and in desperate need for some scoring.  Enter Marian Hossa.  If he brings anything his career numbers suggest, then it will be like making an in-season trade and should be enough to carry the Hawks through the rest of the season.

If he doesn’t, then God help us all.