If nothing else, we aim to please at CommittedIndians, and received an insightful question that warranted not only an answer, but some research as well.
Tom, a regular reader, asked what the Blackhawks’ record was in the new alternate third jerseys this year. So, we did some research, and came up with the following fun facts.
The Hawks will wear the third alternate jerseys 12 times this year, and still have six of those games remaining in the final 18 of the season. Nothing like driving sales through the finish, right?
So far, the third jerseys have been worn on Dec. 1 and 22, Jan. 5, Feb. 9 and 14 and March 2. In those six games, the Blackhawks are 4-2-0 with three shoot-out victories.
But looking deeper into the games is more intriguing…
Cristobal Huet has started three of the six, but relieved Antti Niemi in the Rangers game. Overall, Huet has allowed nine goals on 74 shots (.878 sv pct), while Niemi has allowed ten goals on 67 shots (.851 sv pct). The ugliest performance from Huet was the Dec. 22 loss to San Jose at the United Center, when he allowed three goals on only 14 shots. Obviously the start in New York was Niemi’s worst in the alternate jersey.
The defense in front of the netminders hasn’t been that bad. Opponents have only put an average of 23.5 shots per game on net, but have scored 3.17 goals per game. The Hawks have only allowed three goals on 22 power plays, an 86 percent kill rate.
On offense, it’s been all about Patrick Kane in the alternate jerseys this year. He has six goals in the six games in the alternates, and Marian Hossa has two multi-point games to lead the team. Patrick Sharp has also played well in the third jerseys, scoring two goals. The Hawks have only scored on six of 26 power plays in the third jerseys, though, good for only a 23 percent conversation rate. Jonathan Toews has won 72 of 127 faceoffs in the third jerseys (57%). The Hawks have supported their goalies with 3.50 goals per game of offense.
One point that was odd regarding the six games in the third jerseys that was odd was the number of players that have scored. Besides Kane, Hossa and Sharp, eight Blackhawks have scored a goal in an alternate jersey this year: Toews, Kris Versteeg, John Madden, Troy Brouwer, Bryan Bickell, Jacob Dowell, Dustin Byfuglien and Brian Campbell.
The Blackhawks will wear the alternate jerseys six more times this yeah:
It only took 37 seconds for the gloves to drop, and the penalties kept coming all night but the Blackhawks handled their business with a stunning 6-3 win over the Vancouver Canucks on Friday night.
The Blackhawks ran a clearly frustrated Roberto Luongo after only one period by scoring five goals in the first 20 minutes and Vancouver was never able to get into the game. With their win, the Hawks stay tied for the Western Conference lead with the San Jose Sharks and move within three points of the Washington Capitals for the top spot in the NHL.
Despite being shut down for a full two-minute, two-man advantage after two fights broke out less than a minute into the game, it didn’t take long for the Hawks to get on the board. Andrew Ladd, who was involved in the first altercation of the evening with crybaby Ryan Kesler, scored his 12th goal of the year just 3:48 into the game to give the Blackhawks the lead. Seven minutes, six penalties and two fights later, Duncan Keith scored his 12th goal of the season on a power play to extend the lead. The flood gates were now open, and Luongo’s leash was shrinking.
Troy Brouwer scored his 19th goal of the year only 31 seconds after Keith’s, and the route was on. Kesler made a pretty play, shooting the puck between Keith and Cristobal Huet’s legs to get Vancouver on the board, but Kris Versteeg got off the schnide with his first goal (and only his third point) in his last 16 games. When Jordan Hendry added his first of the season with only 43 seconds left in the period, Luongo looked like he needed a shower. The Blackhawks five goals came on only 14 shots.
Andrew Raycroft replaced Luongo after the first period and would allow two goals on only ten shots in the final two periods. Alex Burrows tried to help Raycroft out by scoring the first goal of the second period and drawing the Canucks to within 5-2, but Marian Hossa made sure the hopes of the visitors were short-lived when he put in his 19th at 16:55.
Tanner Glass had an impressive night for Vancouver, being whistled for five penalties, all for separate offenses. His nine penalty minutes led the way in the game, as Ben Eager and Vancouver’s Andrew Alberts would also serve seven minutes in the box. In total, 18 penalties were called on Friday night. The Blackhawks took advantage of a man-advantage situation on Keith’s goal in the first, but ended the night just 1-7 on the power play; Vancouver was 0-4 on the night.
Hossa, Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews all continued their hot scoring streak after the Olympics on Friday night. Kane had one assist, Toews two assists and Hossa one assist and one goal to lead a balanced offense for the Blackhawks. Jordan Hendry, the game’s Number One Star, had one goal and one assist. Also being credited with assists on Friday night were Dustin Byfuglien, Brian Campbell, Niklas Hjalmarsson, Kim Johnsson and Patrick Sharp.
Huet’s raw numbers weren’t spectacular (three goals allowed on only 23 shots) but he made a number of spectacular saves early on and, for the most part, controlled the puck in traffic when needed. Once the lead was established in the first period, the action spread out and Huet only faced 12 shots in the final two frames.
Over the next three weeks, the Blackhawks will learn a lot about how they stack up against the rest of hockey’s elite teams.
Between now and March 25, the Hawks will play nine games against playoff teams, most of whom made significant moves at the trade deadline to improve their club. When the Hawks play a home-and-home against Columbus, they should have a good idea of what they’ll need to do to win the Stanley Cup.
Starting Friday, when the Vancouver Canucks come to the United Center (after hammering the Red Wings 6-3 on Wednesday), the Hawks will face one of the toughest stretches of games on their calendar. Four of the first five games are at home, against Vancouver, Detroit (now at 11:30 AM in Chicago, thanks NBC), Los Angeles, then at Philadelphia before hosting Washington on the 14th. In that stretch, the Hawks will do battle with teams currently in third, fourth and eighth in the Western Conference and first and sixth in the East.
If the last two games against the Islanders and Oilers seemed rough at times, wait until this stretch. The little mistakes in the corners will turn into goals, and the probability that the Hawks can hold one of these teams to three shots in a third period like they did on Wednesday is zero.
March 14: Ovechkin in Chicago
While the Hawks have faced the Canucks, Red Wings and Kings already this year, the game against the Washington Capitals on the 14th will be the only time during the regular season that they will face the team with the best record in the NHL.
Despite their potent offense and 92 points, the Caps were very busy at the deadline. Washington added defensemen Joe Corvo and Milan Jurcina, and forwards Eric Belanger and Scott Walker in four deals that give them more depth all over their roster. This game will be a nationally-televised gauge for how the Blackhawks match up against the Eastern Conference’s best.
After the first five games, the Hawks hit the road for an intriguing three game trip filled with familiar faces in new places.
The trip starts in Anaheim, where the Ducks added defensemen Aaron Ward and Lubomir Visnovsky at the expense of Ryan Whitney. The Ducks are presently sitting in 11th in the West, but are just three points behind Detroit for the final playoff spot. Adding the trade of Jean-Sebastian Giguere to Toronto for Jason Blake and Tesa Voskala (who was subsequently traded to Calgary for Curtis McElhinney), the Ducks made a number of impact moves to make a run for the postseason.
The Hawks play the following night at the Kings, who made a few strong moves of their own. Gone is Teddy Purcell, but the Kings added Jeff Halpern and Fredrik Modin. LA is the hottest team in hockey right now, running off an 8-1-1 record in their last ten games.
After a Friday night off, the Hawks spend the night of Sat. March 20 visiting the busiest team at the trade deadline, the Phoenix Coyotes. Peter Mueller is gone, but the Coyotes added Derek Morris, Wojtek Wolski and Lee Stempniak to a team that’s been playing very well of late. The Coyotes are just one point behind LA for the fourth seed in the West, and the added scoring of Wolski and Stempniak should only improve their 25th-ranked offense.
The Hawks will then come home and play the Coyotes again on Tues. March 23, concluding the nine-game gauntlet.
Following the home-and-home against Columbus, the Hawks will play each of their final eight games of the regular season against teams that are either currently in the playoffs or within four points of the eighth spot. Perhaps the best playoff barometer will come on Friday, April 2 when the Blackhawks play in New Jersey against the Atlantic Division-leading Devils.
In all, the Hawks’ final 19 games will prove to be a hard testing ground against teams battling for playoff position. Any questions the Hawks have in net will either be answered or magnified, and any scoring droughts will cost them games. When the regular season ends, Hawks fans should have a very good idea of how far this team can go in the playoffs.
Will the Hawks play for this?
The Blackhawks honored their six Olympians before the game.
After a disappointing return from the Olympic break in New York on Tuesday, the Blackhawks certainly didn’t want to leave points on the table against the dreadful Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday. They didn’t.
The Oilers were playing with a handful of AHL players after the organization made a few deals at the trade deadline earlier in the day, and the Blackhawks took advantage. It wasn’t an easy start, and there were a few moments of doubt, but the Hawks handled their business and got a big win for Cristobal Huet. San Jose did not play on Wednesday, so the Blackhawks and Sharks are now tied atop the Western Conference with 89 points through 63 games.
Because the Blackhawks did not make a move to improve between the pipes at the deadline, it’s going to be Huet or Antti Niemi the rest of the way. Niemi struggled and was pulled on Tuesday, but Huet didn’t do much better. The second period didn’t treat Huet very well, either, as he allowed two fairly weak goals. The first should have been blown dead by the officials, but was allowed to count after Huet failed to control a puck under his legs, and the second was a shot from between the circles that should have been handled as well.
But the Blackhawks are considered an elite defensive group for a reason, and they showed it in the third period. Huet would only face three shots in the third, and the defensive moved the puck up the ice well to create chances for the scorers. In that third period, Niklas Hjalmarsson was rewarded for supporting the rush with just his second goal of the season, what proved to be the game-winner only 20 seconds into the period, and opened the flood gates. From there, the game was over.
Dustin Byfuglien played one of his best all-around games of the season, and scored his 16th goal of the season on a power play near the mid-point of the third to extend the Hawks’ lead to 4-2. Jonathan Toews, on his bobblehead night, put the nail in the coffin with his 20th goal of the season with under four minutes left as the Hawks finished with a solid 5-2 victory. In the game, the Blackhawks outshot the Oilers 47-14.
In total on his bobblehead night, Toews had a goal, an assist, won 16 of 23 faceoffs, blocked a shot and was credited with three hits. Not bad.
Patrick Kane had two assists to give him five points in the two games since the Olympics. Also scoring multiple points on Wednesday were Duncan Keith (two assists), Toews (goal, assist), Marian Hossa (goal, assist) and Dave Bolland (goal, assist). Bolland and Hossa’s goals in the second period featured wonderful passing between the two, as Bolland appears ready to assume his spot as the second-line center now that he’s fully healthy.
Most Chicago fans felt that the Blackhawks would make at least one major move, if not more, before Wednesday’s trade deadline. After all, there are a few areas (goaltending, goaltending and… goaltending) that most fans and analysts thought could use improving if the Hawks are going to make a run at the Stanley Cup.
But then the deadline came and passed… and the Blackhawks did nothing.
The knee jerk reaction to the lack of action from the United Center is a lot of four-letter words and sweaty palms. How are the Blackhawks supposed to win the Stanley Cup with the guys they have? What are we going to do? Help!
Pause.
Deep breath.
OK. Let’s take a step back and look at the Blackhawks from a sane, big-picture perspective. It’s going to be alright.
First of all, let’s be realistic about playoff position. The Blackhawks are going to win the Central Division; they have a 14-point lead on second-place Nashville. Despite a few moves by the Predators, it’s unrealistic to think that the Preds will catch the Hawks with 20 games left in the season. By winning the division, the Hawks are assured of one of the top three seeds in the Western Conference in the playoffs.
Secondly, at the top of the Western Conference there are as many issues with the other teams as there are with the Blackhawks. The Sharks are only two points in front of the Hawks for the top seed, and have questions surrounding their own situation between the pipes. While Hawks fans might have reasons to question Antti Niemi’s lack of experience and Cristobal Huet’s questionable, albeit limited, results in the postseason, the Sharks have a netminder in Evgeni Nabokov that not only has a resume filled with recent playoff failure, but he just crapped his pants in the Olympics for Russia.
There’s no reason to think that the Hawks can’t catch the Sharks for the top spot, and should have at least even confidence with the Sharks, if not better, in the goalie situation in Chicago. With Vancouver nine points behind the Hawks in in third, and with a tough division chasing them, to assume that the Blackhawks will end the year in one of the top two seeds in the West isn’t far fetched.
So the Central Division and seeding in the playoffs shouldn’t be a concern.
The Blackhawks, despite their offensive droughts and struggles in net, still rank near the top of the NHL in most statistical categories. This team is not bad. It’s easy to scream about soft goals and a bad night when the team’s playing for a championship; remember, two years ago the Blackhawks were trying to remember how to spell the word “playoffs.”
Also consider the reality of what’s left this season.
Because of the Olympics, every team in the NHL will have to slam 20 games into the next five weeks. Simple math indicates that teams will average four games per week, with travel, before the playoffs begin. Whenever a trade, no matter the profile of the player, takes place, there is always an adjustment period that will take place. Before the Olympic break, the Hawks added Kim Johnsson from Minnesota and are still working through who will play how many minutes on the blue line.
Practice is where players get to know each other, and where coaches are best able to gauge how players work with each other. It’s hard, in any sport, to establish flow to a game plan when you’re mixing up players that don’t know each other. But with teams having only two, sometimes three days off per week to not only travel but also practice, working new players into the rotation is going to be hard to during the rest of this year’s regular season.
Another factor the Blackhawks had to consider at the deadline is that Dave Bolland has only played a couple games after returning from injury, and Adam Burish is coming back on Sunday. Adding two smart players to the mix, along with Johnsson, gives coach Joel Quenneville too many pieces to have in uniform every night already. The Blackhawks will have enough trouble picking someone to watch from the suite every night.
Let’s not ignore the reality that every team that will compete for the Stanley Cup this spring had players in the Olympics. This presents a few situations for teams to deal with when considering a trade.
First, the immediate impact of a trade on contending teams is players missing from the ice. On Wednesday night, the Blackhawks host the Edmonton Oilers, who will be without Denis Grebeshkov and Lubomir Visnovsky on their blue line; both players were dealt before the deadline. The Oilers received only a draft pick for Grebeshkov, and won’t have Ryan Whitney (acquired for Visnovsky) in uniform yet for the game. So the Blackhawks will face a depleted defensive unit a night after getting their tails whipped in New York.
The Oilers are just one of many teams that will be without players in key positions tonight. If points are at a premium at this time of year, can a team trying to gain the best position possible in April afford a night with two or three AHL guys playing a major role on the ice? No.
Second, the medium-term impact is trying to work new players into the rotation and still get Olympians the rest they’ll need to be fresh in the postseason. Look at Anaheim, for example. Ryan Getzlaf and Cory Perry played seven games in Vancouver for Canada, and now they’re not only losing Whitney but they’re looking at a roster that is adding Aaron Ward and Visnovsky on the blue line.
The on-ice chemistry will either remain a work-in-progress that will have to be figured out during games (again, potentially costing the team valuable points), or will be achieved through practices on the limited off days the team has in the coming weeks.
The long-term impact on a roster is dead legs. Both Ward and Visnovsky should be key contributors for the Ducks down the stretch, but at what expense to the odometer of their Olympians’ legs? With limited time for rest between now and the end of the season, finding time to be off the ice will be crucial for teams hoping to make a deep run.
Look around the Western Conference. Phoenix improved the most, moving underwhelming Peter Mueller out and adding Wojtek Wolski and Lee Stempniak up front and Matthieu Schneider and Derek Morris on the blue line. The Los Angeles Kings also made a couple solid moves, adding Jeff Halpern and Fredrik Modin. But outside of Phoenix, LA and Anaheim, nobody in the West did much to make a dramatic improvement.
In the East, the Washington Capitals certainly made some strong moves, as did the Pittsburgh Penguins. But only one of those teams can play the Blackhawks for the Stanley Cup, and anything can happen in a seven game series.
If the Blackhawks were good enough to be at the top of the conference with what they had, if they stay together and avoid the potential headaches that other teams will have to deal with moving forward, they’ll have a great chance to run deep into the playoffs and possibly compete for a Stanley Cup.
If the Blackhawks are going to make a move for a goalie, specifically Florida’s Tomas Vokoun, the Hawks are certainly playing their best poker faces right now. On Thursday the team practiced without the six players that have games remaining in the Olympics, and coach Joel Quenneville was asked about his goalie situation when he met the media.
“During the course of the season somebody is going to get the net and get the opportunity to keep it,” Quenneville said. “That was the chance and (Niemi) took it and he’s got it. Based on him winning, it’s tough to change the goalie in that situation.”
Does that sound like a coach preparing for a major trade? Maybe not, but Quenneville has been in the NHL long enough to know how to handle the media, and his locker room.
“We’ll announce our goalie going into the Islander game and go from there, but we won some games and I don’t like usually bucking that trend,” Quenneville added.
One trend Quenneville will have to deal with, whether a trade is made or not, is the playing time he’s giving his forwards. Adam Burish skated with the team on Thursday and indicated that he is targeting the Sunday, March 7 home game against the Detroit Red Wings for his return. Ben Eager also skated on Thursday, creating a more crowded roster from which Quenneville has to choose is lineup each night.
A candidate to possibly see some time in the the suite before the break was Tomas Kopecky. He is tied with Dustin Byfuglien for the worst plus-minus on the roster (-6) and has only contributed 12 points (4 G, 8 A) this season. However, Kopecky has played very well in the Olympics for Slovakia, and his game-winning goal that put Slovakia in the medal rounds for the first time ever should put his confidence at an all-time high.
As the Olympics continue Friday night, the trade rumors will undoubtedly pick up. If, and where, the Blackhawks make a move could be one of the dominoes that lead to other deals all over the NHL, so we’ll be sure to stay on top of the situation.
On Monday, the day before the Olympic hockey tournament begins, the so-called “time off” for the Blackhawks is already getting interesting.
ESPN 1000’s “Afternoon Saloon” reported that a source inside the Blackhawks told one of the hosts, Harry Teinowitz, before Saturday night’s game that Antti Niemi would start both weekend games “no matter how he performed on Saturday.” The reason, according to the source, was because the Blackhawks were close to trading Cristobal Huet.
Teinowitz claimed that his source said the Hawks were talking about a deal that involved both Huet and minor league netminder Corey Crawford. He also claimed that the Hawks were shopping for a power forward, and the St. Louis’ Keith Tkachuk was mentioned as an example of the type of player the Hawks were looking for on the market.
First and foremost, the thought of the Blackhawks making any deal that involves both Huet and Crawford seems unlikely on face value. Unless a goalie came back in the deal, moving Huet and Crawford would compromise the organization’s depth too much to make sense. If Huet is not back in Chicago next year, Crawford would figure to somehow be involved in the equation because he would cost very little to retain.
There have been a number netminders rumored to be available. Boston’s Tim Thomas had been linked to the Blackhawks, as has Dallas’ Marty Turco. When Dallas acquired Kari Lehtonen from Atlanta, coincidentally in the middle of the Blackhawks-Stars game, speculation ran wild that Turco’s days in Dallas were over. Nashville’s Pekka Rinne has allegedly been made available, and if Florida continues their fire sale Tomas Vokoun could enter the market as well.
What makes the comments of Teinowitz more intriguing is his claim that the Hawks were looking for a power forward. With a roster that currently includes Dustin Byfuglien, Andrew Ladd, Troy Brouwer and Ben Eager, and with prospects like Jake Dowell, Bryan Bickell and Kyle Beach already in the organization, this rumor also appears to be contrary to logic.
When the Blackhawks dealt Cam Barker to Minnesota for Kim Johnsson and Nick Leddy, GM Stan Bowman showed the ability to get considerably better value for his assets than many fans, and analysts, considered possible. Whether or not the jokes about Minnesota collecting former Chicagoans have any weight, the performance of the Hawks over the last two years has likely elevated the value of Blackhawks’ players in the eyes of the rest of the league.
The Blackhawks might not be done dealing, and this latest rumor raises eyebrows. Considering how much money the Hawks still need to cut off next year’s payroll, it’s understandable that the Hawks will continue to be active in the trade market. The smooth transition of Johnsson into the lineup in the last two games before the break certainly helps calm the fears about the team’s chemistry as well.
Over the next two weeks, we’ll certainly hear more rumors. This is the start of two furious weeks of talking between GMs with very few games to keep an eye on, and with all of the talent on display in one arena in Vancouver. If the fans are stir crazy right now, consider how close to loco some GMs will be by March 1.
As the Olympics begin, it gives us two weeks to look back at the first 61 games of the season. The standings in the Central Division are updated through the beginning of the break already.
Below are the full team stats for the Blackhawks to date.
Legend: PIM = Penalty Minutes, ATOI = Avg Time on Ice, PPG/A = Power Play Goals/Assists, SHG/S = Shorthanded Goals/Assists, GWG = Game Winning Goals, FO% = Faceoff Win Pct, BS = Blocked Shots.
Legend: SO = Shutouts, TSA = Total Shots Against
Kim Johnsson is formally welcomed to Chicago after his first period goal.
How about that for an introduction to Blackhawks’ hockey?
Just a little more than 24 hours after being traded from Minnesota to Chicago, Kim Johnsson took part in a game that flashed every bit of the first two-thirds of the season. Big scoring, a blown lead, a late comeback and a shootout thriller ended up being the recipe for Johnsson’s debut.
For his part in the 5-4 Hawks win, Johnsson was good enough to earn the game’s Number Three Star. He scored his first goal for Chicago less than ten minutes into his first game here, and would play 19:24 in the game and was credited with one hit and one blocked shot as well.
The game looked like a Hawks blowout at the end of the first period. After Jim Slater scored on a wrap around for Atlanta, the goals came quickly for the Blackhawks. Patrick Sharp scored his 18th of the season, on a power play, at 7:31 in the period. Johnsson would then score on a pretty pass from Patrick Kane at 9:44, and Marian Hossa scored shorthanded at 13:14 to extend the Hawks’ lead to 3-1.
The second period, as has been the trend of late, was a totally different story than the first. The Hawks were not only out-shot early in the period, but were outplayed for most of the frame. On the third penalty of the period the Thrashers were finally able to score on the power play, their third goal of the period and fourth of the game. When the second period ended, the Hawks were trailing 4-3 and were clearly frustrated.
In the third period, unfortunately, it took a huge hit that cost Hossa the rest of the night just a little more than three minutes into the period for the Hawks to wake up. Colby Armstrong caught Hossa looking down, something he rarely does in traffic, and lit him up. From the scrum that followed, both Armstrong and Kris Versteeg were hit with minor penalties. During the four-on-four, Dave Bolland put a gorgeous move on Ondrej Pavelec to tie the game.
Hossa’s status for Sunday’s game has not yet been determined.
From there, the game was skated through the overtime with very little offense from the Thrashers. Atlanta was only credited with four shots in the third period and just three more in overtime. Pavelec was outstanding throughout the third period and the overtime, killing a number of great opportunities for the Blackhawks and fighting off good traffic in front of him to keep the game tied. But when Jonathan Toews put the puck past him in the shootout, it was all the Hawks needed to give Antti Niemi a third win in as many starts.
Niemi, starting a third consecutive game for the first time in the NHL, was great in the first period but wasn’t nearly as sharp in the second. In all, Niemi allowed four goals on 27 shots, but came up big when needed and shut out the Thrashers three shots in the shootout to get the win.
Brent Seabrook, just two days before beginning his quest to help teammates Duncan Keith and Toews lead Canada to a gold medal in men’s hockey at the Olympics, filled the stat sheet as he always does. Seabrook 26:49, of which 7:19 was shorthanded, and was credited with six hits and six blocked shots. Keith again played more than half the game (30:35), despite newly-added Johnsson playing more minutes that Barker averaged for the Hawks. With Brent Sopel out on Saturday night, Jordan Hendry only played 10:10, though.
On Sunday afternoon the Blackhawks finish the first “half” of their season in Columbus only three points behind the San Jose Sharks for the top spot in the Western Conference; San Jose lost 3-1 at Buffalo on Saturday night.
Before the game, the Blackhawks honored their six Olympians before the game. Marian Hossa and Tomas Kopecky will play for Slovakia, Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook and Jonathan Toews will represent host nation Canada, while Patrick Kane will play for the United States.
Quick pop quiz!
Question one: Patrick Kane leads the Blackhawks in goals this year, and Jonathan Toews is second. Who’s third?
Question two: Who is tied with Toews for the team lead in power play goals with seven already this year?
Question three: Who has the highest percentage of his shots going into the net at 20.2 percent, dwarfing the teams second-best number, Toews’ 13.4 percent?
Question four: Who is tied with Kane for the team lead with five game-winning goals?
Question five: Three Blackhawks have more than 145 hits. Dustin Byfuglien (160) and Brent Seabrook (151) are two of them. Who is the third (with 148)?
Question six: John Madden leads Blackhawks forwards with 44 blocked shots. Who ranks second among forwards with 33?
The answer to all six questions is Troy Brouwer.
Brouwer, 24, is having his best season with the Blackhawks already in just 59 games. He’s already established career highs in goals (18, his previous high was ten) and points (31, his previous best was 26), and is well on his way to breaking his career high of 16 assists (he has 13 already).
If you look at his numbers in the minors, though, seeing Brouwer contribute offensively shouldn’t be a surprise. In his final three seasons in the minors, split between the Norfolk Admirals and the Rockford IceHogs, Brouwer filled the stat sheet. Over those three seasons, Brouwer scored 125 goals and had 110 assists; his 235 points in 213 games is a fantastic 1.103 point/game average. But in his first few seasons with the Hawks, he wasn’t nearly as productive.
This year, Brouwer got his break when coach Joel Quenneville mixed up the lines and elevated him to the top line with Kane and Toews. His physical play and ability to get in front of the net and use his big body (6′2, 215) to screen opposing netminders have made him a key player in the Hawks offense. He’s also played smart hockey; he’s served only 36 penalty minutes this year while racking up 148 hits, a striking difference from Byfuglien’s 69 PIM on 160 hits.
Quietly, while then-GM Dale Tallon was throwing huge money at Hossa and getting blasted in the media for missing the cutoff to tender an offer to Kris Versteeg and Cam Barker, Brouwer signed a two-year deal worth $2.050 million total. That $1.025 million cap number makes Brouwer, by far, the best value on the roster.
Byfuglien has a cap number of $3 million and has fewer goals, more penalty minutes and a -3 rating this year (compared to Brouwer’s +7). Versteeg has a cap number of $3.083, has fewer goals, hits, game-winning goals, and is playing almost a full minute less per game than Brouwer.
Once the season passes the Olympic Break, keep an eye on Brouwer as he continues to produce and establish himself as a key member in the future of the Blackhawks. As the Blackhawks look toward next year and consider where they will cut payroll, the consolation of knowing that Brouwer’s bargain-basement salary and solid play will be back makes potential losses like Andrew Ladd, Byfuglien and Versteeg easier to stomach.
