1. Are the Chicago Blackhawks better built to win the Stanley Cup this season?
The Blackhawks were a favorable bounce away from reaching the Stanley Cup finals again last season, so it’s difficult to say last year’s team was poorly constructed. But it did have flaws. Michal Handzus couldn’t duplicate his 2013 playoff performances and held the Blackhawks back as their second-line center. The acquisition of Kris Versteeg never gave the Blackhawks the boost they hoped for because his knee just wasn’t strong enough to get him around the ice quick enough. Brandon Bollig and the fourth line became a liability when Marcus Kruger and Ben Smith were taken off the line. Nick Leddy and Michal Rozsival also had their share of mistakes at the back end. Chicago also lacked the center depth to match up with the Los Angeles Kings.
Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman addressed most of those issues in the offseason. Handzus is gone and Brad Richards is in. The Blackhawks feel more confident with Jonathan Toews, Andrew Shaw, Richards and Kruger down the middle. Teuvo Teravainen could also be in the mix at center at some point this season. Jeremy Morin was re-signed and actually will be provided a consistent opportunity to play. Bollig was traded. Signing Daniel Carcillo was unexpected, but Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville has said he likes a fourth line of Smith, Kruger and Morin. Versteeg looked faster in the preseason, but his recent injury, which will likely keep him out three weeks, is another bump in the road for him. If healthy, the Blackhawks have four lines capable of giving them more depth than they had a season ago. Defensively, they’re rolling the dice with some inexperience but still have four reliable defensemen. Corey Crawford still is good enough in net to win a Stanley Cup.
The Blackhawks are favored by many to win the Stanley Cup, but they certainly aren’t a sure thing. They are better on paper in some areas compared with last season, but the defense has to be a concern to start the season. Versteeg’s injury already has set the team back. With him healthy, the Blackhawks have four strong lines. Without him, the Blackhawks aren’t as deep. The Central Division is going to be a gauntlet. There certainly will be many challengers and a favorable bounce may be required somewhere down the line, but the Blackhawks do have the pieces to win another Stanley Cup.
2. What does Brad Richards’ addition mean to the Blackhawks?
Richards is undoubtedly an upgrade over Handzus. Richards isn’t a speed demon, but he can get up in the play, has vision and can create for himself and others. His power-play experience should also come in handy. The first question about him is where he fits in now. He was aligned to center Brandon Saad and Patrick Kane through five preseason games, but Quenneville caught another glimpse of Saad, Shaw and Kane together and everything changed. Richards was moved to center the third line. The second question is how Richards will hold up over the entire season. His play varied for the New York Rangers throughout last year's regular season and playoff run. Richards is out to prove he still has plenty left in the tank and is hungry for a Stanley Cup, so the motivation is in place.
3. How good does Corey Crawford need to be in net for the Blackhawks to win?
There have been two Corey Crawfords in recent seasons. There has been the one who is average during the regular season. He has some good games and some bad games, and he ends up somewhere in the middle of the pack among the league’s goaltenders. Then there’s the Crawford who is lights-out in the playoffs. The Blackhawks could have been eliminated by the St. Louis Blues in the first round last season if it wasn’t for Crawford. The Blackhawks are hopeful Crawford is more of the latter than the former this season. He doesn’t have to match Tuukka Rask’s numbers, but he has to give Chicago a consistent chance to win the game whenever he steps into the net.
4. Can Brandon Saad take the next step?
The Blackhawks saw glimpses of Saad’s potential during his first two seasons, but they hadn’t witnessed anything like his play against the Kings in the Western Conference finals. He was dominant. His skating, strength, work ethic, offensive skill set and patience were all at another level. And it was apparent that he and Kane were creating something special out there. Saad must now prove he can repeat that more often than not. While he has established himself as a top-six forward, he still has shown signs of being a young player, especially from a consistency standpoint. Aside from it being his third year in the NHL and him being a year older, Saad should benefit being alongside Kane again. The sample size is large enough now to see Saad and Kane produce when they’re together. On another note, the Blackhawks were at their best last season when Quenneville had Toews, Patrick Sharp and Marian Hossa together.
5. How much does Nick Leddy’s departure affect the Blackhawks?
The Blackhawks had to trade someone to get under the salary cap. That was the reality of their situation. But by making Leddy the one to go, the Blackhawks are taking a risk with some unproven defensemen. You know what you have in Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, Johnny Oduya and Niklas Hjalmarsson. You don’t exactly know what Kyle Cumiskey, David Rundblad and Trevor van Riemsdyk will provide. Even to an extent, it’s difficult to gauge what Rozsival still can give the Blackhawks. Chicago may be just fine without Leddy and may find the right combination of defensemen to make things work. But there will be a trial period before the Blackhawks can be confident in all six of their defensemen. If the Blackhawks can figure out their fifth and sixth defensemen, their chances of winning another Stanley Cup improve.
