Gone Puck Wild
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Looking at the Competition in the Central Division

By Lake Martin

ST. PAUL, MN - AUGUST 22: Craig Leipold, owner of the Minnesota Wild, listens as Bill Guerin answers questions from the media as the new general manager for the team at a press conference at Xcel Energy Center on August 22, 2019 in St. Paul, Minnesota.(Photo by Bruce Kluckhohn/NHLI via Getty Images)
ST. PAUL, MN - AUGUST 22: Craig Leipold, owner of the Minnesota Wild, listens as Bill Guerin answers questions from the media as the new general manager for the team at a press conference at Xcel Energy Center on August 22, 2019 in St. Paul, Minnesota.(Photo by Bruce Kluckhohn/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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From top to bottom, the Central Division may be the most complete and competitive division this season. The Stanley Cup Champion. The Former Dynasty looking to rekindle the flame. Mile High Hockey. Smashville. With the regular season starting THIS WEEK, let’s unpack what makes up each team in the Central.

Chicago Blackhawks

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – SEPTEMBER 25: Slater Koekkoek #68 of the Chicago Blackhawks passes the puck against the Washington Capitalsduring a preseason game at the United Center on September 25, 2019, in Chicago, Illinois. The Capitals defeated the Blackhawks 6-0. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – SEPTEMBER 25: Slater Koekkoek #68 of the Chicago Blackhawks passes the puck against the Washington Capitalsduring a preseason game at the United Center on September 25, 2019, in Chicago, Illinois. The Capitals defeated the Blackhawks 6-0. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /

This is a team that has struggled to find its place after its dynasty years. Since their last cup win in 2015, they have not passed the first round of the playoffs, losing in Game 7 to St. Louis and being swept by Nashville in back-to-back years, and then failing to make the postseason since. Last season, a late run nearly resulted in a playoff berth, but ultimately fell short of postseason competition.

Biggest Strength: Championship Pedigree and Elite Skill

This team still has Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane. The team has also moved more and more away from “keeping the band together”, and instead have been looking to retool around their two keystones. No one exemplifies that better than 21yr old Alex DeBrincat who scored 41 goals in his second professional season and 26yr old Brandon Saad who netted 23 goals. Combining these talents with a consistent two way forwards this century and one of the most prolific American goal scorers in the NHL creates a team that could be incredibly dangerous. But before I go ahead and hand them their fourth Stanley Cup in ten years…

Biggest Weakness: Goaltending and Defense

Look, Corey Crawford was a spectacular goalie, but he has been plagued by injuries since that 2015 cup. It includes:

  • Missed two to three weeks for a broken foot at a concert December 2014
  • Missed indefinite amount of time for unspecified upper-body injury March 2016
  • Appendectomy Surgery December 2016
  • A year later, he would be put on IR after sustaining a lower-body injury, return after three games, and seven games later go back on IR after an undisclosed upper-body injury, where he would stay the rest of the season.
  • December 2018 he would suffer a concussion after Evander Kane checked Dylan Strome into him and would miss 28 games.
  • In their penultimate game in the 2018-2019 season, he would suffer a groin injury

Last season, Goalie Anton Forsberg and Collin Delia would occupy the 4×6 space Crawford left behind. Although they provided adequate netminding, Forsberg and Delia couldn’t keep the puck out of the net, and hardly got help from their defense. Speaking of.

The defensive issues largely surround two players: Brent Seabrook and Duncan Keith

Seabrook (33yrs old) and Duncan Keith (35yrs old) make $6.875M and $5.538M this season and both have struggled in recent years as they continue to age, and the Hawks have struggled to replace their depreciated value. According to DailyFaceoff.com, the Hawks’ first defensive pair is projected to be 14th when compared to the rest of the league’s first pairs, the second pair is 26th, and the third pair is 9th.

The Hawks’ strength is certainly their offense at the expense of their defense and arguably the most impactful position in the game, Goalie.

How they Improved this Offseason

This offseason, Chicago was incredibly active. Their moves include:

  • Acquired F John Quenneville from New Jersey for F John Hayden.
  • Acquired D Calvin de Haan and F Aleksi Saarela from Carolina for G Anton Forsberg and D Gustav Forsling.
  • Agreed to terms with F Ryan Carpenter on a three-year contract through the 2021-22 season and with F David Kampf on a two-year contract extension through the 2020-21 season and G Robin Lehner on a one-year contract.
  • Acquired F Alex Nylander from Buffalo for D Henri Jokiharju.
  • Acquired F Zach Smith from Ottawa for F Artem Anisimov
  • Acquired F Andrew Shaw and 2021 7th round pick from Montreal for 2020 2nd and 7th round pick and 2021 3rd round pick
  • Acquired D Olli Maatta from Pittsburgh for F Dominik Kahun and a 2019 5th round pick.

They brought back gritty forward Andrew Shaw, elected to bolster their blue line with more experienced defensemen, and brought in Robin Lehner to create a 1A-1B goalie tandem or if Corey Crawford gets hurt/struggles (allowed six goals on 26 shots on Wednesday’s preseason game, when the Hawks dressed most of their regulars) Lehner can take over the net.

Although they made many moves, I’m unsure if they have done enough. It’s a quality vs. quantity argument. They moved out some players who are a bit longer in the tooth (Anisimov) for younger players and brought in more prime-aged guys (de Haan and Maata) to help the netminder. Robin Lehner and Thomas Greiss had a spectacular season for the New York Islanders, no one can take that from them, but I believe they benefitted from a team that decided to be incredible defensively at the expense of their offense. They scored 228 goals last year (21 of 31) but only allowed 196 (Fewest in the league). I’m unsure if Lehner will get that support from this Hawks squad.

Ultimately, this team will only go as far as its offense will carry it. In this division, that might not even be enough.

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