Can Jonathan Toews, Duncan Keith and Patrick Kane lead the Chicago Blackhawks to their fourth Stanley Cup of the 21st century?
The Chicago Blackhawks making the Stanley Cup playoffs has become a bit of a tradition. They’ve built one of the most successful franchises in all of sports, winning three Stanley Cups since the start of 2010. The Blackhawks are back and they’re the top seed in the Western Conference.
Their success is largely due to an elite core of players. It’s not a coincidence Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane and Duncan Keith have played huge roles in each of their three Stanley Cups. Each of them has a Conn Smythe on their resume. Toews is among the best two-way centers in the NHL and is a perennial Selke Trophy candidate. Moreover, Kane is one of the league’s top scorers and brings an element of flash to their offense. Keith is a hockey cyborg, capable of playing huge minutes without showing a hint of fatigue.
This year, the role players have stepped up big time. Brent Seabrook is aging, but still remains a very solid defenseman. Niklas Hjalmarsson is one of the best shut down defensemen in the NHL, even if he is no longer productive offensively. One of the best decisions Chicago has ever made was matching the offer sheet the San Jose Sharks signed him to.
Richard Panik has been a huge surprise this season. He has doubled his previous career highs in goals (22), assists (22) and points (44). Panik has even earned coveted playing time next to Toews, which shows how much head coach Joel Quenneville trusts him. Artemi Panarin didn’t have a sophomore slump, notching his second consecutive 30 goal season.
The Chicago Blackhawks have a crop of young forwards who can produce. Combined with the experience of Toews, Kane, and Marian Hossa, they have one of the best forward groups in the Western Conference.
Defensively, they’re very strong. Keith, Seabrook, and Hjalmarsson can eat up a ton of minutes. Brian Campbell, Johnny Oduya and Trevor van Riemsdyk provide very solid depth. In net, the Blackhawks have postseason hero Corey Crawford. He has shed the label of being a product of Chicago’s success over the past two seasons. Scott Darling might be the best backup goalie in the NHL.
Why The Blackhawks Can Win The Stanley Cup
They have the most talented roster in the Western Conference. The NHL’s playoff format could make them face the Minnesota Wild in the second round, but the Chicago Blackhawks have dominated them in previous postseasons. There’s not a team in the Western Conference who matches up against them too well on paper. Last year, the Blackhawks limped into the postseason. This year, they’re surging into it. Chicago doesn’t have any glaring weaknesses and they have one of their deepest rosters of their dynasty era.
Why They Won’t Win
Despite all the Chicago Blackhawks success, there are a few concerning trends. The health of Artem Anisimov is key. If they can get him back healthy, they can beat just about anyone. However, the Blackhawks haven’t been nearly as efficient without him. While they’ve be winning, they haven’t been winning pretty. On one hand, winning matters a lot. You don’t get style points for winning pretty in the NHL. However, on the other hand, the Blackhawks have the 14th best SAT percentage in the league. Since losing Anisimov on March 14, Chicago has a bottom 10 SAT percentage. If Crawford gets injured, Darling has struggled as of late. Since March 7, he has a save percentage of .886.
X-Factor
It’s nuts how easy it is to overlook Hossa, but perhaps it’s appropriate. He’s never been a star, but he’s always been one heck of a role player. Hossa got overlooked because of the Ottawa Senators depth. With the Atlanta Thrashers, he got stuck in the shadow of Ilya Kovalchuk. In Pittsburgh, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin stood out. After signing with Detroit, Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg grabbed the spotlight. With the Blackhawks, Toews and Kane run the show. However, Hossa is very important to Chicago’s success. He has 149 points in 201 playoff games, playing an important role in three Stanley Cup titles. The Chicago Blackhawks are hoping Hossa continues to produce consistently under the radar. A fourth Stanley Cup could be enough to make him a surefire Hall of Famer.
Prediction
The Chicago Blackhawks are the favorites to come out of the Western Conference. However, do they have what it takes to take down the Eastern Conference champion? The playoffs are weird and the best team doesn’t necessarily always win. But there’s no reason to expect the Blackhawks to be knocked out before the Western Conference Finals.