When looking at the current roster that the Chicago Blackhawks will most likely boast at the start of the 2014-15 NHL season, it is very difficult to find a part of their game that needs a readjustment. The Blackhawks have won two of the last five Stanley Cup championships, and they managed to make it to the Western Conference finals in 2014, only to lose to the eventual winners, the Los Angeles Kings. Led by arguably the NHL’s best overall player, Jonathan Toews, the Blackhawks will surely be a force to be reckoned with over the next few seasons and beyond. Here is a look at why the Blackhawks don’t have too much to worry about when it comes down to the roster that they currently have in place, and if they were to improve at some aspect of their game, where exactly that may be.
The Blackhawks front office has managed to construct a lineup that is so well balanced, that they often finish among the league’s best in almost every team statistical category. They are very solid up front with the likes of Toews, Patrick Kane and Patrick Sharp leading the way offensively. Their defensive core is second to none with Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook holding it down on the back end. They have a championship caliber goaltender in Corey Crawford that is tough to beat on any given night. All of these players lead by example and create a foundation for a team that can be declared as nothing but star-studded, thus continuously propelling their team towards the top of many statistical categories and deep into the playoffs.
After the NHL’s 2013-14 regular season the Blackhawks found themselves among the league’s elite at both the offensive and defensive ends of the ice. They were second to only the Anaheim Ducks in goals per game, scoring an average of 3.18 goals per night. Their defense and goaltending came together to only let in an average of 2.58 goals per game, good enough for twelfth best in the NHL. The team as a whole raised havoc for goaltenders, as they managed to put up a third best 33.1 shots per game against the opposition on a nightly basis. Their defense proved to once again be stingy with what they let by them, as they only gave up a fourth best average of 27.2 shots against per game. All of these numbers helped prime them to go deep into the playoffs, where they ultimately fell short of their goal of winning back-to-back Stanley Cups. Although they are one of the league’s best overall hockey clubs, there is one part of their game that struggled in 2013-14: Their penalty kill.
Even though they have arguably the best defense in the NHL, the Blackhawks struggled when shorthanded, only killing 81.4% of the penalties they faced. In a high-powered conference that the West has proved to be over the past few seasons, this is definitely a part of their game that the Blackhawks will want to clean up. In order to do this, they should most definitely target a few of the league’s top penalty killers. There is an abundance of top-notch talent around the league that would welcome a change of scenery if they were traded or signed by the Blackhawks, a team that is almost guaranteed to be a contender, year after year. Maxime Talbot of the Colorado Avalanche would serve as a great addition up front on the Blackhawk’s lackluster penalty kill should they be able to strike a deal for the gritty forward. Being one of the best overall teams in the league, the Blackhawks shouldn’t have any trouble attracting the league’s best in certain situations. Talbot would be the perfect fit in regards to whatever penalty kill system that the Blackhawks have in place for next season.