May 2, 2019: Puck Check

I’ve been checking in on the NHL playoffs here and there.  Didn’t care who won Hurricanes vs Islanders, so was OK with Carolina advancing.  I do think about Teuvo though…  I was OK when the Hawks traded him; that may have not been the best move.  Good for him.  Definitely rooting for the Stars & Blue Jackets; find myself rooting for the Sharks too.  Seeing how they came back in that final game against Vegas… wow.  Haven’t been sitting on these games, but definitely have been keeping track.  Biggest thing that sucks is that the Hawks are not in there.  Miss playoff hockey for our boys.

I think, could the Hawks have hung with these teams?  Probably not.  Over 7 games, the better team usually wins, and that would not have been us.  That doesn’t mean we can’t be right back in there next year; that doesn’t mean we can’t be that better team then.  The whole Q thing hurt, but Colliton was solid.  With almost a full season under his belt, coupled with a full offseason, along with some additional talent (come on Stan), I do think the Hawks will be better next year.  Jeremy has already seen the lowest of lows… that stretch of games when he was first brought in.  Brutal.  Yes, he’s seen some highs too… the tear the Hawks were on there for a while to get back into contention.  He hasn’t experienced the playoffs yet.

The Hawks did start the offseason off right by getting that 3rd pick in the draft.  What will they do with it?  I haven’t really read much about it; I’ll have to check that out.  Wonder if there is any read one way or another; I’m sure they’re keeping it close to the vest.  Seeing Toews turn 31 recently makes me think.  In the big picture, that’s still very young.  For a hockey player, one that plays at a high level, one that has a lot of mileage on those skates, you realize that he will not be around forever; same goes with Kane.  We’ve already seen the decline in our core defensive pair; we did not see that last year with Kane and Toews.  One of the big questions is how long can they keep this up.  Whatever the answer the Blackhawks come up with, may help determine what to do with that pick.  I’m all for building for the future, but there has to be some urgency here, considering the age of our core guys.  How do you walk that line between long and short term goals?  It’s a question I ask a lot of myself looking at my life…

Just got done talking about some free agents in Chicago sports history… is it time to add somebody that could make that all-time list?  Adding a big name, on top of getting some more young talent either via our pick or trading that pick, would be huge.  Who should it be?  Who is the next Hossa for the Blackhawks?  Your guess is as good as mine. 

OK, next big thing for the Hawks is the draft, which will be held on June 21.  Until then, probably won’t do too much talking about them.  Maybe we’ll slide in for some draft analysis, talk about the Stanley Cup playoffs again before then; definitely talk about any moves if and when they happen.  Hopefully the boys are recharging their batteries in preparation for one of those long playoff runs.  Go Hawks!