Last week, on January 10th, the NHL announced its roster for the 2018 All-Star Game to be held on June 28th in Tampa, Florida. Patrick Kane was the only selection from the Chicago Blackhawks, the first time only one member of the team was selected since 2008 (Duncan Keith was the chosen one in that season). Since then, there were at least three players from the Hawks in the game.
2008 was also the last year the Blackhawks missed the playoffs, the last year of head coach Denis Savard, and the last year the team was considered a laughingstock in the NHL.
That is, until now.
Simply put, things are not good. The team is 22-17-6 as of January 17th, putting them squarely in last in the Central Division and, at the moment, well out of reach of a playoff berth. Now, those 50 points make them only 3 behind the Los Angeles Kings who are in the wild card, but they also have played more games than most of the people ahead of them. Furthermore, they are currently sitting stagnant in their league-mandated bye week. Even worse, goalie Corey Crawford has “vertigo-like symptoms” which could end his season, taking out one of the only good things the Hawks have and one of the NHL’s top goaltenders.
Why are they down so poorly? It’s mostly a lack of consistency. One week they’re doing incredible, winning almost every game. The next week, they lose every game. This has put them around .500 in the standings, a place you wouldn’t expect a championship-caliber team like Chicago to be in. There’s no depth. The team relies almost entirely on its core players and can’t find anything in their bottom lines. The defense is shaky at best, forcing their goalie to do most of the work (further solidifying how serious a loss of Crawford would be). What results is a team who doesn’t compete when it needs to.
That cannot be accepted in the Blackhawks front office.
One of the big reasons for Chicago’s turnaround in the late 2000s was the rise of Rocky Wirtz, taking over the team after his father’s passing. He made it clear that he wanted his club to be championship-minded, hiring an all-star CEO in John McDonaugh, who in turn built a front office that surrounded itself around “One Goal:” winning. In that time, the Blackhawks went from the league’s worst team to a self-proclaimed dynasty in less than 10 years, securing three Stanley cups in six seasons and a large playoff berth.
Now, with the Blackhawks slipping into mediocrity, fans are left wondering where the problem lies, and one name arises. A man once hailed as a god who is now under fire from the Windy City.
Stan Bowman.
Is the newfound hatred or questions undeserved? Absolutely not. These fans should expect more from the Blackhawks, they should hope for wins and playoff runs that don’t end in the first round. After the 2017 season, Bowman vowed to make changes to the Blackhawks, and he delivered on that front. However, these changes were for the worse. He failed to address the loss of Marian Hossa in a realistic way. He made poor decisions in the free agency, opting to bring recognizable names back instead of real talent. Patrick Sharp was Bowman’s only real answer to Hossa, and he has only produced 13 points this season so far. Compare that to Hossa’s 45 last season, and there’s a big difference, even considering the season is only halfway done.
Bowman gave Kane and Toews massive contracts, the highest in the NHL at the time, which was a poor choice. He could have negotiated better with an understanding that the two could’ve taken a pay cut to stay in Chicago, a team they love playing for. This handicapped the team after 2015, forcing Bowman to rotate in and out young players who are good for one season, then are either bad afterwards, or get too good to stay in Chicago. He forces Joel Quenneville to rely on only a few solid players and a bunch of placeholders to fill the roster and keep the core from getting too tired.
Bowman needs to start making adjustments fast. If he loses the Blackhawks’ playoff streak, he will likely lose his job. He needs to stop playing it safe and build more veteran players to work with the core, and not put all the burden on them. He needs to find solid scorers who can supplement the talent of Kane and Toews. He needs a good defense that isn’t all Duncan Keith, and that requires addressing issues like Connor Murphy or Brent Seabrook.
How he handles Corey Crawford will be his greatest test. If he falters in finding a solid goaltender to start for the Blackhawks, it will be the end of a dynasty. By casting blame to everyone else but him in 2017, he put all the blame on him for 2018. And so far, he has proven unsuccessful for the Blackhawks in finding success.
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