Chicago looking for bigger, better things to come

CHICAGO, ILL. – Who would’ve thought that the Chicago Blackhawks would go deep into the playoffs? They made it all the way to the Western Conference Finals against the defending Stanley Cup Champion Detroit Red Wings. Most fans would’ve been happy that they made it into the post-season but the team exceeded the expectations of many. Trouble started right off the bat when Head Coach Denis Savard was giving his walking papers six games into the season which paved the way for Joel Quinneville to go behind the Hawks bench. The Winter Classic held at historic Wrigley Field against the Red Wings brought a spark to the die-hard Chicago fans. It was a taste of things to come for the Hawks even though they lost the game. Things quickly started to meld and the wins kept coming. In the playoffs, we saw the skills that coach Quinneville has in adapting his lines to give an extra boost or a change to shake things up. He has a great sense of the abilities of his players and utilizes them to the maximum to get the best efficiency out of the lines. His ability to do this gave the Blackhawks some much needed depth in the lineup and created plenty of scoring opportunities up and down the lines. He had no problem in moving the likes of first line winger in Martin Havlat to the third line and the payoffs where huge in terms of goals scored. With this, good coaching will greatly affect your needs in the draft and how the staff is able to fit all the players in your organization. Those who weren’t expected to make waves on the team came in and made a difference. A good example of this was Calder Trophy Candidate Kris Versteeg who had 53 points in his rookie season. At goaltending, the team is pretty secure at the position. Nikolai Khabibulin, who was not expected to be on the team to begin the season, was made expendable with the signing of Cristobal Huet, had a career year and started almost every playoff game until a lower body injury forced him out. Huet is under contract so look for the team to allow Khabibulin to sign elsewhere. In the wings, Corey Crawford is ready to be a solid NHL backup as is Antti Niemi. Defensively, the team has a good mix of veterans and young talent that will stay with the team for a few more years. Brian Campbell was a huge off-season free agent signing last summer. His play was good, but was not up to par with what the team signed him for. Look for Campbell to shake off the new team/first season cobwebs and play better next season. Two huge standouts along the blueline was the play of defensive tandem Brent Seabrook and Duncan Keith, where both averaged close to 25 minutes of ice time. The play on the ice between the two contributed to the success of the team. Matt Walker and Cam Barker round out the rest of the defensive group, both are free agents that should be re-signed. Walker can be considered a difference maker. Whenever he played, the team that seldom lost when he was in the lineup. At the wings, the Blackhawks are pretty deep. Left wing is very strong with Patrick Sharp, Andrew Ladd and Versteeg. The only thing that has kept them from being consistently in the lineup has been nagging injuries. At right wing, Patrick Kane is already a proven first liner in his young career. Havlat had the season of a lifetime and played without any major injuries that has plagued him in his career. It showed on the plus side of the scoresheet by leading the team in scoring. Dustin Byfuglin was a terror in the crease during the playoffs. The converted defenseman created so much traffic around the crease that it allowed his team to just take shots on net. A good percentage of them went in on their own or was deflected in by his stick. Jonathon Toews leads the center corps but will definitely need some size and help. If the team does not resign Samuel Pahlsson, they will become pretty weak in this position. Dave Bolland has stepped up this season and has become a force at the position but after that the team is pretty week. So with that in mind, a high priority of the team at this weeks draft will be to select a player that can make the plays happen with and without the puck. It has been a long time that the team has selected this far down and one of the best players that might be available is Zach Budish.

Budish is a big presence on the ice at 6’ 3″, 230 pounds. His size also allowed him to play football at Edina High School in Minnesota where he incurred an ACL injury that kept him from the rink this past season. He did make an appearance at the NHL Draft Combine and proved that he has returned from the injury. In his junior year, Budish scored 63 points in 30 games (26 goals) and was on track to being named Minnesota’s Mr. Hockey this past season. He has committed to play for the University of Minnesota in the fall. He’s a good fit for the Blackhawks and can make a difference starting as a power forward on the third line but can quickly move up to the second line and he can give the team the scoring punch in front of the net based on his size and strength. The only thing that he will need to work on is improving his speed After making center the team’s priority in the draft, look for the Blackhawks to start adding defensemen in order to shore up their farm system. Goaltending should be secure for the next 5 years and don’t expect the Hawks to draft a goaltender in the first two rounds. Anyway, the Chicago Blackhawks will continue next season as one of the youngest teams in the league, but one big difference will be the experience that the team has gained in the playoffs having gone so far with few expectations to get into the playoffs. This drives the hunger in a team to want more after just missing the chance to play for Lord Stanley’s Cup. In fact, doesn’t this path sound similar to what happened to the Pittsburgh Penguins this year? Who knows, maybe a player like Budish will help the Hawks get over the hump in the upcoming seasons. “With the 28^th pick in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, the Chicago Blackhawks select, from Minnesota’s Edina High School, right winger Zach Budish.” Contact the author at matt.chin@prohockeynews.com