Chicago Blackhawks: Addressing the defensive issues
The Chicago Blackhawks were very bad in their own end last season, and it is extremely important to their season that they be better.
The Chicago Blackhawks are in weird spot going into the 2019-20 season. They are a team that will be able to run four forward lines that can be really effective and score lots of goals. They were fourth in the entire Western Conference in goals for so you know they were amongst the elite as far as putting the puck in the net.
The problem occurred in their own zone. They were dead last in the entire Western Conference in goals against. They gave up a million goals and it was a tough go for most of the season. It was a problem and it was likely the reason that they missed the postseason for the second year in a row.
The key to making it back to the playoffs in 2019-20 is cleaning things up in their own zone. If they don’t play better in their own end they will not have a good year. You know what you are going to get from guys like Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, and Alex DeBrincat offensively, but the defense is something that needs to be addressed.
The Blackhawks have added some help on the blue line this summer that suggests that they are going to be better. The likes of Calvin de Haan and Olli Maatta are going to be upgrades compared to 2018-19. Those guys aren’t superstars by any means but they are going to be able to help out in their own end. They will also be able to make some passes that allow them to break out a little better than they were able to last year.
Then there is Erik Gustafsson. He was a fantastic offensive weapon for Chicago last year but his defensive game was a mess at certain points. He had 17 goals and 43 assists for 60 points in 79 games. That is a fantastic production from the blue line. He is a guy that can help you offensively both on the power play and at even strength. If his defensive game can improve even slightly, that could be a major boost for the Hawks.
There are also the two guys who have been there for the Blackhawks through the good days and the bad. Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook are both guys who are considered franchise legends, but their elite days are behind them. Keith is still a top-four defenseman on most NHL teams so he will be there for the Hawks, but they need to make sure they put Seabrook in a spot where he can succeed and not be put in a tough spot.
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In all likelihood, if they fix these issues from the previous season, they will be in the playoffs once again and with the firepower they have, they could be one of those teams who surprise once they get to the postseason. It is on the forwards to recreate what they did last year and the new defenseman to help the old ones come together to be better.