It is an odd time for the Blackhawks. After a strong start to the season, the Hawks have lost five of their last six games with their only victory in that timespan coming against the 0-10-1 Coyotes. Not exactly the stuff of champions. Here are some possible answers about what is plaguing the team through October.
What do the Hawks need to do to fix the dumpster fire of a power play? — @BeachandBHawks
To me, this is issue No. 1 facing this team right now. If the power play is even a modicum better, the Hawks might have a few more points in the standings. As such, they ranked 28th in the league in the power play at 12.7 percent after Saturday’s 6-3 loss to the Avalanche.
You look at the amount of skill the Hawks have on their lines and it’s mystifying why they don’t have more power-play goals. If they did, some of these close losses could have turned into wins. To me, there are a few problems. The first is that the Hawks don’t move the puck quickly enough on the power play to make the defense work. Too often, the puck stops while one of the Hawks tries to look for the perfect pass or the perfect shot, which usually never appears. At the same time, they are allowing the defense to relax on the kill. If there was swifter puck movement, perhaps the Hawks would tire out the penalty killers and find that opening for a good shot or a good pass.
The other issue, which is related to the first, is that the Hawks don’t throw pucks on the net. Again, they have been content looking for the perfect play, which has usually never come. The Hawks need to move the puck more on the power play and start making the defense work, and they need to make the defense work in part by putting pucks on the net with greater frequency. There’s too much standing around holding the puck right now.
What can be done with/about (Brent) Seabrook? — @Kiki0947
This is among the most popular questions I get from people on Twitter and the short answer is nothing. The Hawks are in it for the long haul with Seabrook, for better or for worse. I get why fans are concerned about his big contract, which carries a $6.875 million salary-cap hit and will expire after seven more seasons when Seabrook is 39. It seems like almost every game somebody is skating by Seabrook and creating high-danger or breakaway opportunities in the Hawks zone. And I see the comments from frustrated Hawks fans. But the team isn’t about to do anything. Seabrook means too much to the Hawks. They’re not going to scratch him, they’re not going to try to trade him (he has a no-movement clause anyway). And when asked, coach Joel Quenneville has always said Seabrook’s play has been fine. Seabrook is one of the leaders of the Hawks and he’s the emotional heartbeat of the locker room.
Here’s what general manager Stan Bowman said recently when asked if he was concerned about Seabrook’s contract: “He brings a lot to the table. He’s a very important player on our team. I think if you were to talk to some of the guys on the team and ask them, his contributions go beyond just how many goals and assists he gets. He’s a leader, he’s a warrior, and he’s a very effective player for us. So I’m not concerned about his contract.”
So nothing drastic is about to happen with Seabrook, despite the uproar from fans on social media.
More offense starts with defense. Isn’t (Michal) Kempny the best offensive defenseman after (Duncan) Keith? — @cmoore_9
I don’t know if that’s true, but he is very good offensively, there’s no doubt about it. Kempny had the best possession numbers in terms of shot attempts last season during 5-on-5 play. But he was also on the ice for the most goals against per 60 minutes of any Hawks defensemen. That cuts to the heart of what the Hawks are facing with Kempny – offensive upside but shaky defense. Kempny has improved that rate so far this season, but his possession numbers aren’t as strong as they were a season ago. His Corsi For percentage, which measures how many shots a team generates with a player on the ice relative to its opponent, is 49 percent. Last season it was 56.7 percent. The Hawks had a bad night in Denver against the Avalanche, but he did have two assists, showing you the offensive prowess is still there. And he should be playing more than last season, so maybe he can work out some of the defensive issues from a season ago.
Should (Alex) DeBrincat be used the same way (Artemi) Panarin was? — @bradkauf
It’s an intriguing thought to put DeBrincat on the same line with Patrick Kane and the Hawks toyed with that idea in training camp. But Quenneville shied away from going with that line because with Nick Schmaltz at center there was no physical presence on the line. That’s why you saw Ryan Hartman there for most of the season. I wonder if Quenneville tries it at some point this season, even if it means bringing Artem Anisimov up to be a physical presence on that line, like Anisimov was with Kane and Panarin.
So out of the bottom four (defensemen) who is the best? … New names. I don’t know much about them. — @ChrisKJell
Jan Rutta, who the Hawks signed this season out of the Czech League, has stood out so far. He has played so well for the Hawks that Quenneville bumped him up from the bottom four to play with Keith the last few games. Bowman said recently it’s as if Rutta has been an NHL defenseman for three or four seasons instead of this being his first. Rutta has shown good defensive awareness and he has also fit well with the Hawks from an offensive standpoint. He has put himself ahead of Connor Murphy and Cody Franson in the pecking order of Hawks defensemen and he looks like a keeper so far. He is only signed for one season, but if he keeps playing like he is, the Hawks will try to find a way to keep him for a few years more.
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