What's next for the Chicago Blackhawks?

davetherave wrote:Clutch, SF71, we'll talk sometime after the Draft & UFA season.

The Blackhawks Brain Trust (AKA Tallon and Company) are pretty good at what they do.

:##:

you saying we are going to eat our words? that could be true, will be one interesting off season for sure.

I was just saying that a final four finish does not mean anything. I won't change my oppinion regardless of how the Hawks perform next season.

Cap'n Clutch wrote:

davetherave wrote:
Considering how quickly the Hawks went from missing the playoffs to being one of the NHL's Final Four, it's fair to say these guys are pretty good at what they do.

Don't hang your hat on that dave. There are plenty of examples of teams getting to the final four and even the Finals that didn't belong there or did very poorly for a few seasons after that. I'm not saying that it means the Hawks are one of those teams it's just not a very good indicator.

Tampa, Edmonton, Calgary, Carolina, Ottawa (Year after final 4 in 2003 and then after the finals in 2007), Anaheim (The year after both finals appearances in 2003 and 2007)

All those teams struggled.

Gee, Clutch, nothing like taking my statement out of context, eh...which was:

Once the situation with the pending UFAs is resolved, Chicago's executive team will turn their attention to what's needed to take the team from one that went to the Conference Finals to one that can win the Stanley Cup.

Considering how quickly the Hawks went from missing the playoffs to being one of the NHL's Final Four, it's fair to say these guys are pretty good at what they do.

Anyway, as far as 'hanging my hat', the only place I hang my hat--a very cool black baseball cap with an embroidered Blackhawks Indian head on the front, and the crossed tomahawks on the back--is on my head.

And as you know, I don't put much stock in predictions...they're fun, but that's all.
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I would not compare those teams with Chicago either. Chicago is still deep in the prospect pool and has thier young core and more importantly young D core set for years.

Toews and Kane are important, Seabrook and Kieth will be that teams saving grace for years to come. Toews and Kane will benifit from having those 2 guys keeping the puck out of their own end and getting it up to the two snippers.

Chicago is deep everywhere, you have guys like Skille and Beech who might be able to step in next year and if they cant, they will be in the AHL playing the pro game getting ready to take that leap.

The only question mark in Chicago is Huet.

The Hawks have nowhere to go but up. When two of your major cogs at forward are 20 or 21, you're probably gonna be just fine. Add in Keith who's blossomed into a premiere D-man at 26 and Seabrook who just finally started to put everything together, who's 24 and still getting better and the nucleus is there for a powerful team that will keep getting better - and will undoubtedly get hungrier.

Very impressed with Hjalmarsson, he should slide into a top 4 role for the Hawks, very impressed with Boland, Sharp is a beast - even though he had the snot beaten out of him during the playoffs, he was still awesome.

I don't love Huet, but he'll do. Barker I would imagine might be gone soon. Havlat probably can't fit in monetarily, but if the Hawks want to start looking at options, trade Campbell before the cap starts to lower and teams start to get scared. There's ample puck moving from Chi's back end, Campbell feels like a luxury right now - and one that could hurt very badly when it comes time to re-up Toews, Kane and Keith.

There's also Byfuglien and his 3 million that can probably be jettisoned if they get desperate, but for the most part, this team is exactly how we wanted Ottawa to be. Young, gaining experience, killer back end, nice forwards, above average goalie (I realize Huet's numbers are good regular season, but until he wins a playoff series, the jury's still out).

It's also scary thinking how many assets the Hawks have to deal with and other teams would likely be willing to deal for.

Campbell and Barker both have value and can be a top 4 on most teams in the league. If the Hawks keep drafting like they have been with added picks, on top of having Bowman in the organization, they could very well turn into the new Red Wings very quickly.

The Hawks have EVERYTHING needed to be a force for the next decade or two.

Neely4Life wrote:The only question mark in Chicago is Huet.

I remember a time when the only question mark for the Sens was goaltending...

Even when it was the only question mark, they still didnt have the studs up front like Chicago does. Different times too.

Huet might be good enough, but I wouldnt put all the eggs in his basket.

shabbs wrote:

Neely4Life wrote:The only question mark in Chicago is Huet.

I remember a time when the only question mark for the Sens was goaltending...

Yeah, now it's up to two questions:

1. How many games due to injury will Leclaire miss this year?
2. When Leclaire get injured, is Elliott a #1 NHL goalie? (disputed by The Name Dropper)

Well, Ladies and Gents, like I said...we'll talk after the Draft and the UFA season.

The Blackhawks also have a pretty good pipeline of prospects right now, and as Neely says, plenty of very tradeable assets.

RFA-wise, should a team tender an offer sheet, there's more draft picks to be had.

As far as goaltending is concerned, having a team that is strong defensively overall, is the key. In that department, the Blackhawks were 3rd in the West and 6th in the NHL last year. The objective is to at least maintain that ranking. The management team is looking at a variety of ways in which that can be accomplished.

Offensively, the Hawks' balanced scoring put them at #2 in the West, and #4 overall.

The mindset in Chicago is that while the 2008-09 season was gratifying in terms of results, the Stanley Cup is the goal. Right now the development of the team is ahead of schedule.

Nothing is being taken for granted.

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As for Clutch's claims of Final Four teams 'struggling', there's no empirical evidence to suggest a trend one way or the other. Some teams continue to do well, others do not, others experience a 'dip' and 'rebound'. Part of the normal cycle of hockey.

In response to his tenuous conclusions, here are the Final Four teams from 2005-06 through 2008-09:
2005-06--Carolina, Buffalo, Edmonton, Anaheim
2006-07--Anaheim, Detroit, Ottawa, Buffalo
2007-08--Detroit, Dallas, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia
2008-09--Detroit, Chicago, Pittsburgh, Carolina

Not sure how one discerns a trend there, especially if one considers how grueling the SCPs are.

But that may the basis for more lively discussion on the subject on another thread.

Asst. GM Dudley Resigns From Blackhawks
Chicago Blackhawks Press Release/Blackhawks.NHL.com, June 17, 2009

The Chicago Blackhawks announced today that Rick Dudley has resigned as assistant general manager, effective immediately.

“Rick has informed me that he has resigned from his position with the Blackhawks to pursue other opportunities,” General Manager Dale Tallon said. “I would like to extend my gratitude to him for his work with our organization and certainly wish him well in the future.”

Dudley served four years in the Blackhawks hockey operations, which includes each of the last three as the club’s assistant general manager.

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Thrashers bolster front office with Dudley hire
Craig Custance, The Sporting News, June 17, 2009

The Atlanta Thrashers have raided the Chicago Blackhawks to bolster their front office. According to an NHL source, the Thrashers have hired Chicago assistant general manager Rick Dudley to be an associate general manager under executive vice president and current GM Don Waddell.

The source told SportingNews.com that Dudley wasn't brought in to replace the longtime Thrashers GM and that it was a Waddell hire. Dudley has been with the Blackhawks since 2004 when he was hired as a hockey ops consultant and was named an assistant GM in July of 2006.

He brings a wealth of experience to the Thrashers front office. He was the general manager of the Florida Panthers for two years (2002-04) and before that was the GM and senior vice president in Tampa Bay. He spent one season as the GM of the Senators.

In Tampa, he acquired players like Nikolai Khabibulin and Martin St. Louis who were key members of the Lightning's Stanley Cup winning team. Dudley was also in the running for the Jack Adams Trophy as head coach of the Buffalo Sabres following the 1989-90 season.

Neely4Life wrote:Even when it was the only question mark, they still didnt have the studs up front like Chicago does. Different times too.

Huet might be good enough, but I wouldnt put all the eggs in his basket.

Wait, are you saying Ottawa never had the offensive fire-power of the 'Hawks?

Where were you in 2005-2006?

The Blackhawks have focused this year on widening their marketing base to include the African-American constituency. Having Michael Jordan appear with Bobby Hull at the United Center has been one example of their successful outreach.

davetherave wrote:The Blackhawks have focused this year on widening their marketing base to include the African-American constituency. Having Michael Jordan appear with Bobby Hull at the United Center has been one example of their successful outreach.

Do you think there specifically was an African-American angle on that? You don't think it was just because they are both huge Chicago sports icons and an aim to improve visibility in general?

Oh that's Michael Jordan??/ that makes so much more sense than who i thought it was. I was convinced that was Delroy Lindo, and really proud of my obscure snipe.

In general terms what's next for the Hawks is that the people that built the current team will be gone. The team they built will do well. Bowman will get the credit, for some reason.

BLACKHAWKS TEAM REPORT
Inside Shots/YahooSports.com, June 12, 2009

The Blackhawks completed postseason organizational meetings on June 4 and now have to decide who will be re-signed for next season and who they will target in the NHL entry draft.

Martin Havlat is clearly the first target when it comes to player signings. General manager Dale Tallon said he wants Havlat back, and the star winger made it clear that he wants to return to the Hawks.

Tallon and Allan Walsh, Havlat’s agent, had preliminary talks during the season and resumed negotiations the day after the Detroit Red Wings eliminated the Hawks from the Stanley Cup playoffs. Still, there has been no signing.

The Hawks might be simply waiting to make an announcement when it would have the most impact—after the Detroit-Pittsburgh championship series is over, for instance (note: this report compiled before the series ended--Ed.)—but the free agent signing period is coming on July 1. Other teams can make offers to Havlat at that time.

Havlat signed a three-year, $18 million contract when he joined the Hawks. His first two seasons were disappointing as injuries severely curtailed his playing time. This season, though, Havlat played in all but one regular-season game and missed only the last game of the playoffs. He led the team in scoring in both the regular season and postseason.

Reportedly, Havlat and the Hawks have been discussing a long-term deal in the range of 8-10 years, but salary cap considerations could be a stumbling block.

Season Highlight: There were lots of them, but two stand out—the franchise-record nine-game winning streak in the regular season and the clinching game over Vancouver in the Western Conference semifinals in the postseason, a home win that featured Patrick Kane’s first career hat trick. In sharp contrast to seasons of the recent past, all was upbeat with this season’s Hawks.

Turning Point: It definitely was the month of April. The Hawks were starting to waver in March, but they went 6-0-1 in the last weeks of the regular season and earned their first two wins of the season over Detroit in the last two games.

Notes, Quotes

• The Hawks averaged 22,616 in attendance through eight home dates during the playoffs and established an NHL club record by attracting an average of 21,783 for 40 home games at the United Center. The other home game, at Wrigley Field in the Winter Classic, drew 40,818. All the home games were televised as well, a change in policies of the past. It all added up to the Hawks becoming relevant in Chicago sports again and prominent within the NHL.

• Adding Scotty Bowman to the front office mix as senior consultant suggested that general manager Dale Tallon’s authority might be in question. There was no sign of turmoil following the unexpected firing of coach Denis Savard four games into the season, however. New coach Joel Quenneville directed the Hawks to new heights, and Tallon showed no signs of personal concern after the season. “I have one more year on my contract. I’ve been a Blackhawk for 32 years, and I look forward to being here a lot longer,” said Tallon. “I want to continue to do what I’m doing and build the best possible team we can.”

Quote To Note: “We came seven wins short of our goal, but it was a very good year. Our improvement was dramatic from the year before. We’re not satisfied, but we’re pleased with the way things progressed. The passion and commitment of our young players … I’m so proud of the way they handled everything.”—Hawks general manager Dale Tallon.

Roster Report

Most Valuable Player: A tough call, but the nod goes to defenseman Duncan Keith. He was a steady workhorse throughout, and his value was underscored when the Hawks struggled for four games while he was recovering from a concussion.

Most Disappointing Player: During the regular season it was winger Dustin Byfuglien. Quenneville called his play “ordinary,” and it was at best inconsistent. In the playoffs, though, Byfuglien had a breakthrough and turned into the aggressive player the Hawks had always envisioned he’d become.

Free Agent Focus: The Hawks have four unrestricted free agents and hope to keep Martin Havlat, Sammy Pahlsson and Matt Walker. Salary-cap issues will likely lead to the departure of Nikolai Khabibulin. Unlike recent seasons, the Hawks don’t figure to be big players in free agency. They’ll see who’s available and might be able to get a big, stay-at-home defenseman or perhaps a player who has the skills to be the designated enforcer.

Player News:

• D Brent Sopel is in limbo. Sopel appeared fully recovered from elbow surgery in December when he participated in full workouts throughout the playoffs. He has another season left on his contract, but the Hawks have no room for him now that young defensemen Cam Barker and Niklas Hjalmarsson have proved that they can do the job.

• General manager Dale Tallon could hardly miss getting a good player in recent NHL drafts. Because of the Hawks’ poor play they had high first-round picks the last six years. In 2003, defenseman Brent Seabrook was the 14th overall pick, and Hawks had first picks no worse than that in the following seasons. That’s not the case now. Barring a trade, the Hawks will pick 28th—their latest pick since Remi Royer was the 31st player chosen in 1996.

Quote To Note: “The whole league has been trying to close the gap on Detroit, and we made significant inroads. We pushed them a little bit in the regular season, and in the playoffs three games went to overtime and both games in their building were close. But they’re still an elite team.”—Hawks coach Joel Quenneville on challenging Detroit in the Central Division, the Western Conference and the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Medical Watch:

• D Brent Sopel ended the season on injured reserve after undergoing elbow surgery, but he skated with the team throughout the playoffs.