Chicago Blackhawks: Good trade deadline doesn’t excuse Stan Bowman
Stan Bowman has gotten a lot of flack over the years because of the way that he has managed the Chicago Blackhawks. Since winning the Stanley Cup, they haven’t had the success that people were used to and a lot of it was due to poor decisions by Bowman. They preserved those Stanley Cup cores (for the most part) during 2016 and 2017 but things went downhill from there. Bowman having a job to this day is honestly mind-blowing but it is what it is.
The Chicago Blackhawks actually had a very good NHL Trade Deadline in 2021.
The good news for Blackhawks fans is that he was actually really good on Monday’s trade deadline. He made a lot of really good deals that should help the Blackhawks in the long term. They aren’t moves that are going to move the needle closer to winning the Stanley Cup in 2021 but they could be moves that add assets for the future.
Going into the trade deadline, he had already made two trades with the Florida Panthers. On the actual day of the deadline, he made one trade with each of the Colorado Avalanche and Vegas Golden Knights. He also made two trades with the Vancouver Canucks. The two with Vancouver came out of nowhere but the ones with the Avalanche and Golden Knights were moving players everyone expected to be traded.
Does this good stretch for Stan excuse him for how the last few years have gone? The answer is that it shouldn’t. Bowman has a long way to go before he gets back in the good graces of the fans. There were too many detrimental trades made from 2017-2020 that have caused this team to be where it is. If he can get them elevated back to where they once were, he will get his credit but for now, they are a much worse team than they should be.
Related Story. Grading every trade that the Blackhawks made at the deadline. light
Of course, we are rooting for Bowman to get this team back to where it needs to be as long as he is here. He shouldn’t have too much left on his leash if this team continues to fall with no direction. With that said, you still have to root for him while he is in charge. You have to give credit where it is due and he was good on Trade Deadline Day 2021. They upgraded some draft picks, added prospects, and even added a few young players who will help them right now. We can only hope that good management continues.