Throughout the regular season in the NHL, there are always turning points to a team’s season. The Blackhawks’ may have happened on December 17, when Marcus Kruger dislocated his wrist against the Oilers and is out for the season.
Chicago won’t be hurt offensively as Kruger has yet to score a goal this season. The Western Conference’s third best defensive team will miss the center’s penalty kill ability and shutdown even strength role the most.
The Swede is often called upon by Joel Quenneville to log his over 13 minutes-per-game against offensively gifted players from the opposition and is always on the first penalty kill unit. He also will be missed at the faceoff circle as he wins nearly half his draws.
Filling his spot when a man down looks to be a job with an open for business sign on it. Chicago has used a handful of players the past two weeks on the unit. In the meantime, Johnathan Toews and Marian Hossa could be asked to log more than their usual penalty kill minutes during the regular season.
When playing full strength, the Hawks need many players to step up. Kruger’s single point of offense this season has been well-documented. Chicago has needed more scoring from their bottom six forwards all season.
Recently, Dennis Rasmussen has provided a surprise with four points in his first nine games in the NHL. He’s hoping his former Rockford linemate Bryan Bickell will start to find the back of the net to make the third line an offensive threat.
The defensive group was shaken up with the recent Trevor Daley for Rob Scuderi trade. Daley never settled into the Hawks style of play and Scuderi brings with him the veteran presence Quenneville loves in the postseason.
If Corey Crawford continues to shine this season-already a league leading five shutouts-the blue line will be far less a concern. All eyes will return to the forwards not named Patrick Kane.
The margin of error in the second half of the season will be small for the defending champions. They are in arguably the toughest division and already face a double digit points deficit behind leader Dallas. Luckily, the Pacific Division has been putrid and the top five teams from the Central Division should find a spot in the playoffs.
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