The General Managers of every NHL team met for the past three days in Boca Raton, FL to discuss the state of the game. Central to their annual discussions was the recent run of shots to the head, most notably the shot that Pittsburgh’s Matt Cooke put on Boston’s Marc Savard that likely ended Savard’s season. After three days of deliberations, the group has agreed to present a motion to the NHLPA’s Competition Committee for their review.
The following language was agreed to unanimously by the group:
“A lateral, back pressure or blindside hit to an opponent where the head is targeted and or the principal point of contact is not permitted. A violation of the above will result in a minor or major penalty and shall be reviewed for possible supplemental discipline.”
Cooke’s cheap shot, seen below, is a clear-cut example of the type of play this rule change recommendation would make a penalty-drawing offense, if not worse.
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Earlier this year, the Blackhawks had a scare when Willie Mitchell of the Vancouver Canucks left the penalty box and caught Captain Jonathan Toews with a high hit. Clearly, the game is concerned that their younger players are at risk when unnecessary violence takes place on the ice, and is taking steps to avoid these horrific injuries.
What made the presentation of this recommendation strange was the news that came later from the league office. NHL senior vice president of hockey operations Colin Campbell informed the Pittsburgh Penguins that Cooke would not face any league penalty, including any suspension, for his hit on Savard. While the recommended rule change won’t take effect until next season, Campbell noted that suspending Cooke would not be consistent with other, similar issues the league has dealt with this year.
New Year’s Eve marks the 40th game on the schedule for the Blackhawks, and makes for a nice point to break the schedule in half and look for some players that deserve recognition.
The Hawks have been far from a one-man show this year, as five players already have at least 10 goals and four have eclipsed 20 assists. Many of the players on the 2009-10 roster have gone through stretches where they have been the most valuable to the team, but who has been the Most Valuable Blackhawk in the first half of the season? Let’s look at some options.
Troy Brouwer
Brouwer has certainly been the biggest surprise on the roster to date, earning his salary ($1 million) more than anyone else on the roster. He has already posted nine goals and eight assists, and is tied for the team lead with five power play goals. At the beginning of the season, Brouwer was seen as a complimentary forward that could pick up a few minutes as a third or fourth line player, but he’s spent the better parts of the last month playing on one of the Hawks’ top two lines.
Another surprising part of Brouwer’s game this year has been how physical he has been. He ranks third on the team in hits with 99, and has only taken 32 penalty minutes despite his physical play. He has also been one of the more clutch scorers on the roster, ranking second in game-winning goals with four. As the second half of the season begins, Brouwer could see increased ice time and will be looked to for more positive play. The 24-year old’s minutes have increased in each of his four seasons with the Hawks, and he’s now averaging almost 17 minutes per game.
Dustin Byfuglien
Personally, I’m not riding shotgun on the Buff Bandwagon. Despite his 16 points he’s still minus-two for the season and is the team leader in penalty minutes with 52 already this year. Despite these flaws, there is no denying Byfuglien’s value so far this season. He leads the team with 115 hits entering Thursday night, and is tied for third on the team with 11 goals.
He has been a versatile member of the power play unit this year as well, spending more time recently playing the point. He already has seven points on the power play, which is also among the team leaders. We’ll find out if he’ll be a member of Team USA at the Vancouver Olympics on Friday, but there’s a strong chance he’ll make the roster because of his versatility and size.
What will be interesting in the second half of the season, and in the coming summer, is to see if his abilities and $3 million price tag make him a popular piece on the trade market for the cost-conscious Blackhawks.
Brian Campbell
I know, I know… everyone loves to hate Campbell because of his enormous salary. And that salary might make him a player that management will try to move this coming summer in an effort to keep the younger nucleus of the team together. But just as is the case with Byfuglien, for all the flaws we can find in Campbell’s game (and contract), he has been an important part of the roster this year and has performed well.
Campbell is one of the four Blackhawks with at least 20 assists already (20), and he is currently tied for second on the team with a plus-13 rating on the season. He has skated very well (with the exception of the shot he took from Craig Adams in Pittsburgh), and hasn’t committed as many timely mistakes as he did late last year. Campbell has also successfully kept himself out of the penalty box, serving only 12 minutes in the box despite ranking third on the team in average ice time per night (23;16).
Whether or not Campbell is a member of the team in October of 2010 has no bearing on the quality of play he’s put on the ice thus far in this critical season.
Antti Niemi
I’m not sure pants have covered Cristobal Huet’s butt as well as Niemi has on occasion this year. In his first season in the NHL, Niemi has already posted four shut outs in only 12 games (10 starts), and has nine wins to show for his great start. His save percentage of .927 would rank among the elite in the league if he had played in enough games to qualify, and his clutch relief work against Calgary in October and Dallas on Tuesday night kept the Hawks in two games they could have easily lost.
Niemi has seen his share of rookie struggles, and has let a few goals go that weren’t necessarily highlight-reel caliber shots, but he’s still allowing only 1.80 goals per game. A common theme with many of these candidates is how they’ll play moving forward, both on the ice and towards the salary cap. Because of Huet’s struggles and Niemi’s strong play, there has already been a bit of a goalie controversy for the Hawks this season. Whether or not the Hawks will find someone to pick up Huet’s $5.6 million salary might determine Niemi’s future with the organization, but indications are that the coaching staff and front office like what they’ve seen from the youngster.
Jonathan Toews
The captain has been worth every penny of his new contract this year, despite missing six games and a couple weeks with a concussion. He still ranks third on the team in points (31), is tied with Byfuglien for third in goals (11) and is also tied with Campbell for third in assists (20). His plus-17 rating is the best on the team and ranks fourth in the NHL; it is also the top among all NHL centers so far this year.
Toews also ranks second among all players in the NHL that have taken at least 500 faceoffs, having won 59.8 percent of his draws, and ranks second in the NHL with four goals in shootouts already this year (in six attempts). Beyond his exceptional numbers on the ice, Toews has been a solid leader and will be for at least five more years thanks to his new contract. His abilities, both on the ice and as a leader, led to him being one of three Blackhawks named to the Canadian Olympic team on Dec. 30.
He recently received overwhelming praise from the man who’s number he wears, Steve Yzerman, who said Toews was a better player than he was at this age. It’s scary to consider that Toews is still only 21-years old.
Duncan Keith
Keith, with Toews and his partner on the blue line, Brent Seabrook, will represent Canada in the Olympics in February. It might have taken a 13-year contract extension for many people outside of Chicago to notice him, but Keith has been bringing quality to the United Center ice for most of this decade, and should be at least in the conversation for the Norris Trophy this year.
Keith leads the Hawks in two major categories: assists (29) and average ice time (26:50). In fact, Keith leads the entire NHL in average ice time, and ranks in the top 10 in assists; only Tomas Kaberle of Toronto (32) has more assists among defensemen so far this year. He has also blocked 77 shots this season, which leads the Blackhawks, and has stepped up his scoring with six goals. The 26-year old should easily eclipse his previous career high in points, 44, with 35 already. He is having his best season in the NHL, and has finally been recognized as an elite blue line player.
The refreshing reality for Blackhawks fans is that, unlike Doug Wilson and Chris Chelios and other stud defensemen of the past 30 years, Keith will spend his entire prime, indeed perhaps his entire career, wearing the Indian Head sweater. Keith has a good chance to be the first Hawks player since Chelios in 1996 to win the Norris.
It is the humble opinion of CommittedIndians, though, that none of these great players have been the most valuable to the Blackhawks first half success. Each has contributed in a number of ways, and without all of these players and the other 22 that dress every night, the team MVP wouldn’t have made as much of a difference. But it has been clear, especially of late, who the Most Valuable Blackhawks Player has been in the season’s first half.
The winner is…
Patrick Kane
Talk about a hot streak! Kane’s smoking December has vaulted him onto the leader board for the NHL in a number of categories. His 44 points are now tied for seventh in the league, his 27 assists are tied for 14th, and his 17 goals rank 17th to date. He trails only Keith on the Hawks in assists, and leads the team in goals and points by a wide margin in each. He is also tied for third in the NHL in game-winning goals, with five already this year.
Despite not turning 21 until mid-November, Kane has shown a physical maturity this year and his evolution from phenom into NHL star has been fun to watch. Even though he was voted a starter on the Western Conference All Star team last year, he has earned a spot on the United States Olympic team this season with improved confidence to go into corners and win/keep the puck, superior puck handling and passing, and a scary shot.
No Blackhawks player has had over 90 points in a season since Jeremy Roenick had 107 in 1993-94; in fact, only Tony Amonte in 1999-2000 (84) has broken 80 points since that incredible season by JR. Already sitting at 44 and just getting warmed up, there’s a good chance Kane could have a season that ranks among the all-time greats in the history of the Blackhawks franchise. As is the case with Toews, it’s scary to consider the numbers Kane is putting up at such a young age. It will be fun to watch him continue to grow into his game over the next five years (at least).
The debate over who is truly the most valuable player on the roster could change three or four times between now and the end of the season, especially when you consider that Marian Hossa didn’t play until the end of November and already has 13 points. There are still 43 games to play, and the Olympics in the middle, but Kane isn’t alone chasing history at the United Center this year. There is a special feel to the 2009-10 Blackhawks team, and a lot of it has to do with there being so many valuable players on the team.
Antti Niemi was spectacular on Sunday night, stopping all 30 shots he faced in the Hawks 1-0 win.
After not playing for almost a month, it would be understandable if Antti Niemi was a little rusty. Despite getting off to a solid start in the wake of Cristobal Huet’s early season struggles, Niemi has had to watch as the Hawks have buoyed their more expensive veteran’s confidence over the past few weeks.
Huet, to his credit has responded by playing magnificent hockey over the past couple weeks, making Niemi a lost man on the back of the bench. But in the middle of a long road trip, in the second half of back-to-back nights with games against tough opponents, Niemi was the man on Sunday night.
The Canucks had a great addition to their offense with Daniel Sedin returning after a long absence due to injury, and were hoping to get a big home win against a key conference opponent. Especially the team that knocked them out of the playoffs a year ago.
On October 21, the Canucks came into the United Center and not only beat the Hawks on the scoreboard, but left them wounded as well. That was the night that Willie Mitchell knocked Jonathan Toews out of the lineup for a couple weeks with a concussion, and Brent Seabrook also suffered a concussion that night that would cost him a few games.
These two teams have a physical history, and Sunday night would be a great test for the young Hawks to see how strong the Hawks were on the road.
The Hawks, and Niemi, responded with a great, clutch performance.
Just as they did in Chicago back in October, the Canucks took the Hawks offense out of the game early and never let the Hawks find their groove. They held the Hawks to just 17 shots on goal, with only four coming in the third period. Many of those shots weren’t very good looks, and Roberto Luongo didn’t give up many rebound attempts.
Meanwhile, Vancouver did as good a job as any team this year of getting the puck on the Hawks net. The Blackhawks only allow an average of roughly 22 shots per game, but the Canucks got 30 shots on Niemi, with 12 coming in the first period alone. Niemi was up to the task, though, matching Luongo round for round.
Ben Eager mixed it up twice Sunday.
It was obvious from the get-go that this would be a physical game. Nearly every time the whistle blew there was an exchange of words, and on a couple occasions there were offsetting penalties called; Ben Eager took two such penalties on the night. Eager got himself into two fights on the night, and came out looking like the victor both times. His fight with Rick Rypien in the first period saw Eager land a couple solid left handed shots to Rypien’s head.
As the game progressed it became clear that it was going to come down to which team found an opportunity and capitalized. Thankfully for the Blackhawks, Bryan Bickell’s headache from Saturday night was gone.
Bickell put back one of the few rebounds Luongo allowed all night just 72 seconds into the third period to give the Blackhawks the lead, and the defense handled the rest. Niemi notched his second career shutout in only six NHL starts, and the Hawks extended their winning streak to seven.
The Hawks have now swept the first half of their Circus Trip, and will have a couple days off before a big test in San Jose on Wednesday night. It hasn’t been made official yet, but Marian Hossa should make his first appearance for the Hawks against the Sharks.
Are the Hawks interested in Canes' center Matt Cullen?
This past summer, especially after Marian Hossa signed with the Blackhawks, the team became a favorite in everyother trade rumor. A young team with lots of good players, both in Chicago and not yet in the NHL, that also happens to be suffocating on the salary cap is prime for speculation, and the Hawks have certainly had their share.
As the issues in goal and injuries started to hit the Hawks in October, the whispers again began. On November 3, we reported that there were a number of trade rumors swirling around with the Blackhawks involved. The next day, a response from a Blackhawks’ beat writer, ironically one that had printed rumor mill material back in August, brought further speculation to whether or not Stan Bowman would make a move before Christmas.
Over the last couple weeks, the Hawks have settled their goalie situation and the full return of Jonathan Toews, Brent Seabrook and Ben Eager have brought the mojo back to the Blackhawks.
Their mounting concern over the power play has subsided, their PK has stayed among the best in the league, and the Hawks rank third in the league in their ability to win faceoffs. So why would the Hawks start popping up in trade rumors again?
When Dave Bolland had surgery on a herniated disc in his back, it presented the very real possibility that he won’t be back at 100 percent this season. The doctors have estimated a three to four month recovery, which (counting on my fingers) puts him back on the ice in the middle of March.
Looking back at the summer, and the early parts of this season, Bowman did a nice job of presenting coach Joel Quenneville with options to fill in for faceoffs. Toews currently ranks third in the NHL in faceoff win percentage, and John Madden is also in the top ten. After that, the Hawks have added Tomas Kopecky (as a free agent with Hossa) and Andrew Ebbett (off waivers from Anaheim early in the regular season).
Kopecky, Ebbett, Kris Versteeg and Colin Fraser have all spent time in the circle in the past couple weeks, each with varied levels of success.
Versteeg has not only the best ability on the ice, but the biggest price tag among the group. He figures to best serve the team from his natural wing position.
Fraser has had some stretches recently where he’s been incredible in the circle. On November 6 in Denver, Fraser won nine of his 10 faceoffs.
The problem with Kopecky, Fraser and Ebbett is that none of the three has established a firm niche with the offense yet this year. Fraser, for all of his success in the circle and quality work on the PK, has taken some stupid penalties and is seen sprinting for the bench after many even-strength faceoffs. Kopecky has started to find a role in front of the net, but hasn’t been effective yet anywhere else on the ice.
Which makes the great question mark Ebbett. On a number of occassions in the last couple weeks, Ebbett has centered between Patrick Kane and Versteeg. That line is as fast on their skates as many of the fastest lines in hockey, but none of them is taller than 5′10; the obvious concern is that they can be pushed around the ice because of their size.
Ebbett’s ice time has drawn some speculation that the Hawks might make a move to bolster the center position via trade. And, circling back to the rumors from early November, the Carolina Huricanes are coming up again.
The ironic thing, again, is that the columnist that called out the rumors as being pure fancy on November 4 is now the one claiming there’s some validity, and potential, to a Hawks deal with the Canes.
In Sunday’s edition of the Daily Herald, Tim Sassone writes that the Hawks might have interest in Canes center Matt Cullen. A couple weeks ago, Hockey Buzzreported that the Hawks and Canes had spoken about trade options; Sassone quickly called these rumors false and dismissed the reports within hours of their publication. Yet now, just ten days later, it’s Sassone apparently confirming such a conversation between Chicago and Carolina.
Whether or not the Hawks make a move likely won’t happen until after Hossa returns to the ice, and Quenneville is able to feel comfortable with his bounty of forwards. Hossa, for what it’s worth, has spent some time at center in practice since he started skating with the team last week, but seems to be a distant option to play the position at length in games.
If Cullen were considered, there would need to be some salary concessions made to fit his $2.875 million salary onto the roster. Rumors out of Carolina have been that the Canes are looking for a defenseman to quarterback their power play. A logical fit with a similar salary would be Cam Barker, who has a cap number of $3 million; Barker’s name has been mentioned in previous rumors with Carolina.
It seems like just yesterday that many Blackhawks fans, including yours truly, were calling for the Hawks to make a permanent change at the top of their goalie depth chart.
Cristobal Huet went through a terrible stretch in the middle of October, and many of the issues that lost him the starting goalie job to Nikolai Khabibulin became glaring holes teams were taking advantage of regularly. Huet did not play very well in the Hawks loss in Detroit, and then infamously was pulled early in the first period of the Calgary game in which the Hawks climbed out of a 5-0 first period deficit to win 6-5 in overtime.
When the Calgary game felt like the bottom for Huet, the Dallas game five days later was perhaps his low point as a professional. After Antti Niemi started winning the fans’ favor, and played well enough for wins the Calgary and Edmonton games, Huet allowed four goals, at least two of which were embarassing, to the Stars in a tough home loss.
The fans were booing, and the rumor mill was swirling with questions about the Hawks willingness to continue giving the $5 million Frenchman chances when he had disappointed out of the gates for a team that was supposed to contend for the conference championship.
Names like Jaroslav Halak, Carey Price and Jean-Sebastian Giguere floated around the Blackhawks all over the web, and it was generally at the expense of Huet.
Then, on October 21, the Blackhawks collectively came out flat. They took the banged up Vancouver Canucks for granted, lost a game, and lost both Brent Seabrook and Jonathan Toews to concussions.
It was on that night, after suffering a 3-2 loss, that something clicked for Huet.
Perhaps it was the lost leadership of Seabrook and Toews forcing Huet to step up his game, or maybe it was the reality that he was on such thin ice, but Huet became every bit the goalie the Hawks paid the king’s ransom last summer.
Since that Vancouver game, Huet has started seven of eight games and has stopped 166 of 177 shots (93.7%). He has allowed more than two goals in a game only once in that stretch, and has lowered his goals against average to 2.21 for the season.
Once a goalie nobody wanted to see in the United Center, Huet just a couple weeks later ranks sixth in goals against average in the entire NHL and can be held personally responsible for the Hawks staying in a couple games when the offense didn’t show up for 40 minutes.
The two home games to begin this week-long four-game homestand have been great tests of Huet and the defense in front of him, and both have responded with exceptional performances.
Monday, the Los Angeles Kings came to town among the top five scoring offenses in the league, averaging over 3.30 goals per game. They were also averaging nearly 30 shots on goal per night.
The Blackhawks and Huet dominated the Kings, though. Huet stopped 17 of only 18 shots he faced in the game, and the offense responded to Toews’ return from injury to blow out the first place Kings 4-1 at the United Center. Even though there weren’t a lot of shots, there were tough chances from the Kings and Anze Kopitar, the league’s leading scorer, that Huet shut down well.
Wednesday, the Colorado Avalanche played the Hawks for the third time already this year and all three have been tight contests. The first two saw 17 shooters from each team give their best in the shootout before the two games were settled, with the two teams splitting the games.
Whenever a competitor faces another athlete performing at a high level, it’s interesting to see how he steps up his
game. For Colorado, Craig Anderson has been among the best goalies in all of hockey this season and was nothing short of spectacular on Wednesday night. Anderson allowed only two goals in regulation and the overtime period despite facing 39 shots. Huet needed to answer.
And he did.
Huet faced 24 shots through only two periods, more shots than the league-leading Hawks allow on average for an entire game (22.6). But to Huet’s credit, despite a number of hot rushes at the Hawks net and a number of opportunities in traffic for a shot to understandably slip past him, he didn’t fold.
Only two slid past him in the first two periods, and he shut out the Avalanche in the third and overtime. He was also superb in the shootout for a third time against Colorado, allowing only one of the three shooters to score.
Huet is now being cheered, not jeered, at the United Center. He has been as good over the last couple weeks as he was bad in the early part of the season, and has gained the favor of his coaches and the Blackhawks fans back.
After practice Tuesday, Blackhawks’ coach Joel Quenneville informed the media that center Dave Bolland minimally invasive surgery to repair a herniated disc in his back. While a timetable for his return has not been determined, a spokesman for the team’s medical staff estimated between 12 and 16 weeks.
This news comes the day after a triumphant return from Jonathan Toews on Monday night in the Hawks’ 4-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings. Toews had been out since October 21 with a concussion. Ben Eager also returned after missing most of the season, also with a concussion.
Bolland’s back has been an issue for him for some time. It reportedly bothered him during the playoffs last year, and continued to be an issue all summer. He did not skate at all during the preseason, and his minutes have been limited at times because of the injury. He has missed the last two games already.
In Bolland’s absence, Kris Versteeg has been spending some time in the circle. Andrew Ebbett was primarily a center in his time with the Anaheim Ducks, and could fill the role as well. Colin Fraser and John Madden have done a good job in faceoffs so far this year, and Madden scored the Hawks first goal Monday.
Marian Hossa is expected to return in late November.
Jonathan Toews' impact on Monday's 4-1 win over LA was obvious.
There shouldn’t be any question about Jonathan Toews’ value to the Chicago Blackhawks after Monday night.
It appeared all of the Blackhawks’ ills were cured by the return of their captain, even without Dave Bolland in the lineup, as the Hawks played perhaps their most complete game of the season.
The Los Angeles Kings came in with one of the best offenses in the NHL, and the Hawks had struggled to put points on the board. Specifically, the Blackhawks’ power play had been a sore spot; the Hawks had scored three goals on their last 33 power plays entering Monday’s action.
But Toews returned in a way that felt like a JRR Tolkein script, leading the Hawks to a dominating defensive performance and a steady scoring offense.
Almost everything that could have been considered wrong with the Blackhawks appeared to be fixed on Monday night. The power play, that didn’t exist for a couple weeks, scored on two of three opportunities. The third period, in which the Hawks were the lightest scoring team in the league, saw them score three goals to blow open a 1-1 tie. And Cristobal Huet was spectacular when called upon, stopping 17 of the 18 shots the high-powered Kings offense threw at him.
Troy Brouwer had his best performance of the season, scoring his fourth goal, adding two assists and being credited with six hits in the win. Brouwer and Toews both scored power play goals in the third period as the Hawks extended their lead, and Andrew Ebbett capped the scoring with his first goal with the Blackhawks, redirecting a Brian Campbell shot with what appeared to be his face.
The Blackhawks defense backed up claims that they’re the best in the NHL by holding the prolific Kings to their lowest shot total of the season so far (18). Huet was great in net, handling shots in traffic and after a few sloppy turnovers right in front of him by Duncan Keith and Campbell in the second period.
Chicago had 18 takeaways to the Kings’ seven, and were credited with 25 hits to LA’s 22. Overall the performance from the Blackhawks was nearly complete.
But it all comes back to Toews. In his first action since October 21, he led Chicago forwards in ice time (19:09), won 13 of 20 faceoffs, scored the power play goal and also drew a key penalty late in the third period to help the Hawks put the game away. Despite his absence being caused by a concussions, he didn’t shy away from contact; Toews was also credited with two hit on Monday night.
Ben Eager returns from a lengthy absence on Monday night.
On Monday, Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said that captain Jonathan Toews and wing Ben Eager would both return to the ice on Monday night with “no limitations.” However, center Dave Bolland will miss his second consecutive game with a bad back.
Toews and Eager returning couldn’t come at a better time. The Blackhawks just lost both games on a brief trip west, in regulation to Phoenix and in a shootout in Denver. On Monday night, one of the best offenses in the NHL visits the United Center in the Los Angeles Kings. Anze Kopitar leads the NHL in scoring, and will test the strong Blackhawks defense.
Punishing hits like this have made the Blackhawks defense the best in the league.
We’re now a quarter of the way through the 2009-10 season, and the Blackhawks are establishing themselves as the best defensive team in the entire NHL. It might be a historically football-based cliche, but if “defense wins championships” then this could be another special year on Chicago’s west side.
Even with Brent Seabrook missing four games with a concussion, and Cristobal Huet struggling for the first few weeks of the season, the Blackhawks defense has helped compensate for their offensive issues. While the team’s power play has disappeared, their power play killing unit has remained at an elite level. The rest of the team’s defensive statistics bear witness to the Hawks supremacy in the league.
The Hawks tandem of Huet and Antti Niemi ranks seventh in the NHL in goals against average at 2.40 goals allowed per game. The save percentage for the two hasn’t been exceptional, but they haven’t been asked to be too busy between the pipes.
The Blackhawks are allowing only 22.7 shots on goal per game, the fewest in the NHL by more than three shots per game. When you take into consideration how well the Hawks defenders accelerate the puck into the offensive end, the Hawks are getting plenty of offensive opportunities. The team’s shot differential is ridiculous (10.5) and almost double that of the Pittsburgh Penguins (5.4), who rank second.
Duncan Keith spends over 26 minutes a night disrupting opponents.
Duncan Keith leads the team in blocked shots with 33, which is tied for 20th in the NHL. Keith also ranks fourth in the NHL in average time on the ice (26:52). He has been superb in Seabrook’s absence and should be considered a contender for the Norris Trophy this year.
Through 15 games, the Blackhawks are also a consistent hitting team. Three Hawks have been credited with more than 30 hits already, with Troy Brouwer leading the way. Brouwer has been a stellar two-way forward so far this season, quietly accumulating 43 hits already. Dustin Byfuglien has 38, and Seabrook has 33 in only 13 games.
The Blackhawks also have a group of defensemenblocking a lot of shots. WithKeith leading the way, five Hawks have blocked more than 20 shots already. Seabrook has been credited with 29, Niklas Hjalmarsson 24, Brent Sopel 23 and Brian Campbell 20 so far. From just those five defensemen, the Blackhawks are blocking an average of nine goals per game.
Now place all of these numbers into the context of scoring. The only Hawks defenseman who is not statistically strong in traditionally blue line stats (hits, blocked shots) is Cam Barker, who spends a lot of his time as a trigger man on offensive power plays. And yet Barker and Sopel are the only two regular defensemen for the Hawks who have a negative plus/minus.
Sopel is primarily a PK specialist, so being -4 on the season isn’t a glaring indictment of his total game. Barker spending as much time as he does on the struggling offensive power play has played a big role in his plus/minus sliding to -3 already this season.
Seabrook is tied with captain Jonathan Toews at +7, followed by Hjalmarsson at +5, Keith is +3 and Campbell is +1. When you think about the number of minutes Hjalmarsson has been asked to play short handed this year, especially stepping up in Seabrook’s absence, his plus/minus rating is superb.
Niklas Hjalmarsson has been outstanding so far this year.
Hjalmarsson has really developed into an outstanding young defenseman. At only 22 years old, Blackhawks’ brass (Scotty Bowman) has used the name Niklas Lindstom in the same sentence with Hjalmsson, arguably the highest praise a defenseman can receive from the former Detroit coach.
The Blackhawks have a strong defensive group of forwards as well. Kris Versteeg has 14 takeaways already, and John Madden has 12. Both rank in the top-20 in the NHL, and aren’t alone in their puck pilfering. Andrew Ladd has nine thefts already, while Dave Bolland and Patrick Kane both have seven.
Management made a strong effort on the free agent market this past summer to address their overall team defense by specifically adding players that were quality two-way players. Marian Hossa is among the best defensive forwards in the game, while Tomas Kopecky led the Red Wings in hits last year.
Madden, of course, is known as one of the best defensive forwards in the game over the last decade. He won the Frank J. Selke Trophy in 2001 and was runner-up three times (2003, ‘04 and ‘08).
This group of forwards and defensemen have led the Blackhawks be one of the top PK teams in the NHL to start the year, currently ranking third in the league at 85.7 percent. The Hawks have two short handed goals, while only allowing eight power play goals.
Overall, the Blackhawks defense has been the best in the NHL so far this young season, and they have a growing track record that indicates they should continue playing exceptional defense. Once they get their power play back on track, this team should instill fear in opponents heading in to April and May.
This story was picked up on the front page of NHL.com and CBSSports’ NHL page on Monday, November 9! The screen shot is on a new page, highlighting CommittedIndians.com’s appearences elsewhere!
Dave Bolland will likely miss Monday night's game against Los Angeles.
After a practice skate over the weekend, it appears the Blackhawks will get one center back on the ice but could be without another for some times.
Captain Jonathan Toews was a full participant in practice and should return for Monday night’s game against the Los Angeles Kings. He has been out since being hit on October 21 against Vancouver.
Dave Bolland, however, missed practice and was limited in his playing time in Phoenix. He did not play in Denver, and has struggled with a bad back for some time now, and it appears the injury could cost him games moving forward. Bolland missed the entire preseason because of the back issues, and it has become a big enough problem that the Hawks are now considering him missing time.
Ben Eager should also be back on the ice for the four-game homestand this week before the circus comes to town.
ESPN’s Jesse Rogers has reported that Bolland’s injury could be more serious than the Blackhawks are letting on, and he might miss significant time. For now, though, the Hawks are plsying it close to the vest and are only looking at Bolland missing Monday’s game.
If Bolland misses significant time, he’ll join a growing list of Blackhawks to miss action this year because of injury. Toews, Eager, Marian Hossa and now Bolland were all viewed as key contributors for the 2009-10 season, but all have dealt with injuries already in the first quarter of the season.
Hossa just recently started practicing with the team in the last couple weeks after summer shoulder surgery.
Reports are that the Hawks were again playing roulette with their lines in practice this weekend, trying to fins healthy combinations that will be offensively effective.
Toews reportedly skated between Dustin Byfuglien and Patrick Sharp, while Kris Versteeg continues spending time at center between Andrew Ladd and Patrick Kane. John Madden slid back to their line, where he was playing with Troy Brouwer and Tomas Kopecky, while Colin Fraser was between Eager and Andrew Ebbett.
Fraser was especially spectacular on Friday night, winning nine of his ten faceoffs. Versteeg and Madden were also good in the circle. Ebbett has also played center for the Hawks after being acquired from Anaheim, and Kopecky has played center a little this year as well.
