Welcome to Puck Drop Preview 2014-15, where our hockey department gives you a detailed look at each team from around the NHL leading to the start of this hockey season and offers our insight and analysis. Makes sure to stick around until the end of the series, where we’ll offer our full predictions for the standings in each division, and eventually our collective LWOS 2014-15 Stanley Cup pick. You can check out all our articles on our Puck Drop Page. Today is the 2014-2015 Chicago Blackhawks.

Last Season

The Chicago Blackhawks opened the 2013-2014 regular season campaign with the raising of their 5th Stanley Cup banner, which transcended up into the rafters of the historic United Center, the arena where the Hawks had been playing their home games in since 1994. In front of a sold-out crowd of over 22,000 ecstatic fans, the Hawks hoped to defend their title and capture their third Cup in five years. During the regular season, however, Chicago’s core had suffered a series of injuries that led to the Colorado Avalanche clinching the Central Division title.

First, it was Corey Crawford who went down with a lower-body injury that ailed him during the month of December. Backup goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin was currently sidelined for the entire season after only suiting up in four contests in the beginning of the year. This unfortunate series of events thrusted 24-year-old Finnish netminder Antti Raanta in between the pipes for Chicago on numerous occasions. In his first taste on North American ice at the professional level, Raanta performed very well, capturing a Rookie of the Month honor as well as tacking on a record of 10-1-3. However, after going on a 3-4-1 stretch, Crawford returned to action to help ease the pressure off of the newcomer.

Despite several heartbreaking overtime losses after the Olympic break, the Blackhawks were neck-in-neck for the division title, battling along side the St. Louis Blues and the Avalanche. After all, the Hawks still possessed a group of four forwards (Patrick Sharp, Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, and Marian Hossa) that outmatched any team in the National Hockey League, let alone the Western Conference. By the time March concluded, the Blackhawks looked like a different team.

On March 17th, Chicago hosted St. Louis, who was riding a 7-0-1 streak thanks to newly acquired goaltender Ryan Miller. The Hawks ended up shutting out the Blues 4-0 that night, but suffered a massive blow to their lineup that a singular “L” in the standings couldn’t compare to. While tangled up along the boards with Blues forward Brenden Morrow during the game, Patrick Kane suffered a leg injury that forced him out of the Hawks lineup for the rest of the season. One of Chicago’s superstar playmakers was now unavailable for their quest to capture the Central Division, but at least they still had captain Toews healthy in their lineup. That is, until a March 30th game against Pittsburgh rolled around.

Penguins defenseman Brooks Orpik delivered a crushing and more importantly, unsuspecting hit to #19 in white and red, sending his right shoulder into the boards. It’s not often that you see Toews struggling to get back to the bench, but when you do, it means that “Captain Serious” is in a significant amount of pain. The initial diagnosis revealed that Toews would miss “a couple games,” but after acknowledging the short time left in the season, head coach Joel Quenneville decided to shut down his captain until the postseason. When it was all said and done, Colorado won the Central and the Blackhawks (46-21-15) were paired up against the injury-depleted Blues in the first round, who had lost their previous six games heading into the playoffs.

After backing themselves into a 2-0 hole in the series, the resilient Blackhawks (who were also without Brent Seabrook for games 3, 4, and 5 due to a suspension) were victorious in four consecutive games, eliminating St. Louis in a hard-fought matchup that consisted of four games heading to sudden-death overtime. Their next opponent would be the Minnesota Wild, another division foe that had gained momentum coming off of their dramatic series win over none other than the Avalanche in seven games.

Similar to the opening round of the 2013 Playoffs, the Blackhawks captured the first two games of the series at home. Unlike last year, Minnesota managed to take Game 3 and Game 4 in the Xcel Energy Center. Home-ice advantage prevailed once again in the fifth game of the series, as the Hawks took a 3-2 series lead. In Game 6, the Hawks were tied through three frames against the Wild, prompting one of the most clutch individuals on Chicago’s roster to take center stage. Kane, who had been the hero in Game 4 against St. Louis a couple of weeks before, was able to bang home the series-clincher past Ilya Bryzgalov in the ensuing overtime period.

For the second consecutive year, the Blackhawks would face the Los Angeles Kings in the Western Conference Final. In 2013, Chicago dominated the Kings in every facet of the game, which lead to the series concluding in five games. This time around, it was the Kings who came out firing on all cylinders. After coming up short in Game 1, LA found their groove in the form of Jeff Carter. The 29-year-old had a four point night in Game 2 including a hat-trick, evening up the series at one.

At the Staples Center for the next two games, it was simply Los Angeles Kings hockey. They shut down the Hawks offense almost entirely for periods of time by utilizing their brutal style of play, particularly keying on impact players like Sharp and Kane. The Hawks were heading back to the “UC” facing elimination come Game 5.

Dramatics filled the contest from start to finish as Michal Handzus notched the game-winning goal in double-overtime, keeping Chicago’s hopes alive at least for another day. The Hawks would then force a seventh game thanks to a Patrick Kane late tally, shifting the momentum back to the ones gracing the indian head on their sweaters.

Chicago struck quickly in the early going of Game 7, achieving a two-goal advantage. But as we saw throughout the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs, no lead is safe when you are up against the LA Kings. 2-0 turned into 2-2, 3-2 became 3-3, and 4-3? Well, it doesn’t take an expert to guess what happened to that Blackhawks lead. Heading into overtime once again at the United Center, the next goal would send the recipient’s team to the Stanley Cup Final. Unsung hero Alec Martinez threw a puck from the point to the front of the Blackhawks net which somehow found its way behind Crawford, ending the Hawks journey to repeating as champions of the hockey world.

2014-15 Chicago Blackhawks

Offseason Changes

The toughest division to play in the National Hockey League only got tougher on July 1st, with the Dallas Stars acquiring center Jason Spezza and the St. Louis Blues signing Paul Stastny. Nashville also signed James Neal and Mike Ribeiro, then Minnesota inked Thomas Vanek. In Chicago, GM Stan Bowman was not as eager to sign a big-time player once the free agent period commenced.

Despite this, the Blackhawks still needed to fill their second-line with a man up the middle. With Handzus not returning, the Hawks turned to their inner talent in hopes of finding the player to fit that role. Ben Smith, who found great chemistry as well as success while centering Kane and Brandon Saad on the second line, will most likely start the season at his normal right wing slot. Finnish star Teuvo Teravainen is hoping to make the jump into the NHL permanently, but his inexperience raised eyebrows around the Chicago organization.

Enter 34-year-old Brad Richards.

Coming to the Blackhawks on a one-year, $2 million deal, Richards will be immediately inserted into the Hawks top six. After being bought out for the last six years of his contract by the New York Rangers, he is looking for a fresh start in the Western Conference with Chicago. Whether he thrives or performs poorly with the Hawks remains to be seen, but it was a needed and an affordable signing for Bowman.

Still, the biggest offseason move by the Blackhawks wasn’t a change at all, and it revolved around their two superstars who have played alongside one another since 2007. On July 9th, Kane and Toews signed identical eight-year contract extensions that will be paying them $10.5 million each season. With the core now locked up long-term, Bowman spoke about the future of his club:

“We have ideas of what our team is going to look like down the road, but we’re focused really on where we are as a team and we have a great group. The core group of our team has accomplished an awful lot over the last five years. (But) there are a lot of ways to improve your team leading into next year and we’re going to keep working at it.”

2014-15 Lineup Projections:

This lineup is most likely going to change come training camp, but below is a representation of who I believe the Hawks will be pairing together come October:

Forwards

Patrick Sharp – Jonathan Toews – Marian Hossa

Brandon Saad – Brad Richards – Patrick Kane

Bryan Bickell – Andrew Shaw – Kris Versteeg

Jeremy Morin – Marcus Kruger – Ben Smith

(Teuvo Teravainen, Peter Regin)

Defense

Duncan Keith – Brent Seabrook

Niklas Hjalmarsson – Johnny Oduya

Nick Leddy – Michal Rozsival

Goaltenders

Corey Crawford

Antti Raanta

Players on the Rise:

Brandon Saad (78 GP, 19 G, 28 A, 47 PTS)– At 21-years-old, the “Man Child” is only becoming more of a man. In this year’s postseason, the Pennsylvania native came into his own. He scored six goals and added ten assists while putting up five multi-point games, which was good enough for second in the NHL in that regard.The left winger is also showing more and more signs of his fellow linemate Kane in the way he protects the puck. Whether it’s along the boards or in open space, Saad is able to deliver precise passes that make defenseman’s heads spin.

He’s one of the more tenacious Hawks on the roster, always fighting for every inch, whether it requires him to sacrifice his body to block a shot or taking a hit to make a play up ice. He is only being depended on more by Quenneville, as Saad is seeing more time on the man-advantage and the penalty kill. Expect Saad to score 20+ goals this season, and who knows, maybe Brad Richards could have some wisdom to share with the young winger that could help him elevate his play even more come October.

Ben Smith (75 GP, 14 G, 12 A, 26 PTS)– Fresh off of a two-year contract extension, Smith is devoted to performing at a more consistent level than he has in the past. Chicago has one of the deepest teams in the NHL, so it is difficult for an all-around player like Smith to find ice time. If he is once again put on the fourth line, we can’t expect an extreme increase in points for the 26-year-old, there’s no doubt there. But if he is able to climb the ladder in the Hawks depth chart as the seasons wages on, a 20-goal season could be a possible outcome for Smith.

At 5’11”, he isn’t the biggest guy on the ice, but he certainly plays like he is. Battling in front of the net for rebounds and deflections as well as limiting turnovers in all three zones are just some of Smith’s attributes. He certainly has the hands to finish and with an increased amount of minutes, Smith has the capability to come up big for Chicago if called upon.

Andrew Shaw (80 GP, 20 G, 19 A, 39 PTS)– Nicknamed the “Mutt” by some of his fellow teammates, Shaw’s play exemplifies that one hundred percent. He isn’t afraid to throw his body around, even when Zdeno Chara is on the receiving end of the collision. We saw his toughness on full display in Game 6 of the 2013 Stanley Cup Final, but he has taken that element of grit and determination and improved others along with it. He’s simply a workhorse, a guy you can put in any situation and expect positivity to come out of it.

While centering the second line with Saad and Kane, Shaw has shown signs that he can hang with the big boys, totaling eight points in 12 playoff contests this spring. If an injury should plague the top forwards like it did last season, it’s safe to say that Shaw will be one of the first guys Coach Q gives the nod to.

Players on the Decline:

Kris Versteeg (WITH CHI- 63 GP, 10 G, 19 A, 29 PTS)– After capturing the Stanley Cup with the Blackhawks in 2010, Versteeg bounced around the league. From Toronto to the Flyers, to most recently the Florida Panthers, it’s not surprising that he found a change of scenery once again with his former team in Chicago. There’s not that many positives that can come from Versteeg’s recent play as he was put in the doghouse by Quenneville on several occasions throughout the latter half of the postseason. It could be age, it could be his health, but something has thrown #23 off his game almost entirely. He’s gone from a player confident with the puck to one who makes Hawks fans cringe once he possesses it.

In a top-line role in Florida a couple years back, he played extremely well (a 54 point season in only 71 games, in fact), which is why Chicago even tried him out on a line with Kane and Toews at some point. Unfortunately, the added ice time failed to help him recover and led to even more turnovers/miscues. As Happy Gilmore said it best: “Talk about your all-time backfires.” On a serious note, it is unknown what the 28-year-old’s true role is on this Blackhawks squad, especially with their current salary cap issues. If I’m Stan Bowman, I’m trying to find a way to get rid of Kris Versteeg and his $2.2 million contract before someone gets injured.

Bryan Bickell (59 GP, 11 G, 4 A, 15 PTS)– Throughout the year, Bryan Bickell takes on two forms. There is the dreaded regular-season mode where he can’t seem to skate quick enough or utilize his quick release to put pucks in the back of the net. He battled constant ailments last season, as Hawks fans were left wondering “did we really give this guy four million a year to score 15 points?”

Fortunately, there is the “playoff” mode that Bickell turns on once the puck drops in the opening round of the postseason. In 2013, it was well-documented: here is this big guy with a scoring touch moving his body to the front of net and providing traffic/screens in order for goals to result. It was a slow start for Bickell this April, but he once again was able to score timely goals and create scoring chances. Ten points in nineteen games isn’t a terrible performance, don’t get me wrong. It’s one where the Hawks hoped he would have built on the previous year, but in the end, he simply didn’t earn his money for about 90% of the season. Will we see “playoff mode” Bryan Bickell show up early in the regular season? The Hawks are surely counting on it.

Nick Leddy (82 GP, 7 G, 24 A, 31 PTS)– The point total for Nick Leddy doesn’t look like one where he should be in any doubt regarding his position with the Chicago Blackhawks. He was a plus-10 during the regular season and is still a younger guy on the roster looking to improve. That’s the problem, “looking to improve.”

In Leddy’s first full campaign in the NHL, he registered 37 points, the sky was the limit for the blueliner. However, there hasn’t been that much improvement in his puck handling skills or decision-making over the past two years. In the postseason, he continued to take steps backwards. The 23-year-old was deemed a healthy scratch by his head coach during the second round against Minnesota. Against the Kings, he played 15 minutes or fewer in the last three games of the series. The Hawks organization continues to wait and see if Leddy will blossom into the player Chicago is expecting him to be. Time will tell if his $2.7 million cap hit will need to be let go if he doesn’t revamp his performance, not just in the regular season, but when it matters most.

2014-2015 Season Expectations:

Every team in the NHL’s expectation is to win the Stanley Cup, and it is no different in Chicago. They know what it takes to win and what compete level they need to go to in order to achieve greatness, and they can succeed in doing that once again if the right pieces stay healthy and the role players continue to step up in prime scenarios.

Like any team, however, the Hawks will have their fair share of hiccups along the way. Will Corey Crawford limit his inconsistent play? Will Brad Richards provide a well-needed spark to the offense? Will Duncan Keith remain one of the top defensemen in the NHL? Before they answer those questions, they need to address their salary cap issues like I mentioned before. According to capgeek.com, they are $2.21 over the cap with 23 players already signed. Whether that requires a guy like Versteeg heading out or even Johnny Oduya (with a $3.375 cap hit) remains to be seen, but one thing is for certain:

The Chicago Blackhawks are once again among the favorites to capture the Stanley Cup title in 2014-2015.

Thanks for reading! Please take a moment to follow me on Twitter – @CMS_74_. Support LWOS by following us on Twitter – @LastWordOnSport – and “liking” our Facebook page.

For the latest in sports injury news, check out our friends at Sports Injury Alert.

Have you tuned into Last Word On Sports Radio? LWOS is pleased to bring you 24/7 sports radio to your PC, laptop, tablet or smartphone. What are you waiting for? GO!

Interested in writing for us? Find out more by visiting our “Write for Us” page.

Main Photo:

Main Photo: