10 teams that can win it all: Blackhawks

Every Tuesday for 10 weeks Ryan Porth gets you set for a fresh NHL season (fingers crossed) with in-depth looks at the top 10 teams that will compete for Lord Stanley’s Cup in the 2012-13 season.

The Chicago Blackhawks have been ousted early in each of the last two postseasons, which is a shock to their system after experiencing a third-round appearance and Stanley Cup title in the seasons prior. This past spring’s first-round exit exposed weaknesses on a flawed Blackhawks club. Not having consistent goaltending or quality special teams is a recipe for playoff failure, and it cost the Blackhawks against Phoenix.

The team that was eliminated in six games by the Coyotes won’t look much different from the one that will take the ice on opening night – whenever that may be. GM Stan Bowman, who made depth additions to the blue line and kept controversial star Patrick Kane, is banking on healthy, bounce-back seasons from the team’s nucleus. If that happens, the rest of the Western Conference better be ready.

Here are three reasons why the Blackhawks are and aren’t prepared to bring home another Stanley Cup:

Before (a) Jonathan Toews suffered a concussion and (b) Evgeni Malkin ran away with the Hart Trophy, the Blackhawks captain was in the thick of the MVP race. With 57 points in 59 games, Toews was on pace for a career season. Now that he is fully recovered, Toews can set his sights on returning to MVP form.

If NHL general managers were to start their teams from scratch, I would venture to guess some would take Toews first. Why? He can do it all and he’s a winner. At 22 years of age, he captained the Blackhawks to a Stanley Cup and claimed the Conn Smythe for playoff MVP. Impressive.

Chicago has other weapons at its disposal. Kane, 23, already has four 70-point seasons under his belt. Patrick Sharp is coming off back-to-back 30-goal campaigns. Marian Hossa, also recovering from a concussion, is streaky but very talented. Duncan Keith has a Norris Trophy on his resume.

The Blackhawks come at you from an array of angles, which makes them hard to contain when firing on all cylinders.

Yes, Chicago’s goaltending is a reason why they can’t win the Cup. But a bounce-back campaign from Crawford could go a long way in helping the Blackhawks succeed in the playoffs.

Though his 2011-12 record was identical to the one he posted in 2010-11, his rookie season, Crawford’s peripheral numbers took a hit. His GAA rose from 2.30 to 2.72 and his save percentage dipped from .917 to .903. The optimist would attribute his rocky season to a simple sophomore slump and a putrid penalty kill in front of him. The contrarian would say he just isn’t Chicago’s goalie of the future.

Nevertheless: Crawford is much better than what he showed last season, and the Blackhawks know that (despite their pursuit of Martin Brodeur on July 1). If Red Wing Jimmy Howard’s bad second NHL season can be sandwiched between two great campaigns, there’s no reason why Crawford can’t follow the same path.

A common theme in the Central Division is that each team will have a different type of youth infusion. For Chicago, multiple prospects, some who debuted last year, are now ready for the NHL.

It starts with 2011 second-rounder Brandon Saad, who a year ago played two NHL games before returning to junior. Saad raised eyebrows with his 76-point output in 44 games for Saginaw (OHL) last year, which came after an impressive training camp and before a postseason cup of coffee. He will get a chance to crack the Blackhawks’ top-six up front. Rookies Andrew Shaw, Jimmy Hayes and Jeremy Morin also figure to get an opportunity for more playing time with solid training camps.

The Blackhawks’ future is bright, and some of these youngsters could help rejuvenate the depth that was gutted by the necessary post-Cup salary dump in 2010.

While the aforementioned youngsters could help the Blackhawks’ depth, that doesn’t mean there aren’t concerns beyond the likes of Toews, Kane and the rest of the core. As Crawford struggled a year ago, the team’s lack of a reliable backup was costly. Ray Emery was inconsistent and is still in the fold behind Crawford.

At forward there is a big drop in production from Toews, Kane, Sharp and Hossa. Viktor Stalberg did score 22 goals in 2011-12, and Dave Bolland is a quality third-line centre, but the ’Hawks need more from their secondary scorers. Having Saad and Shaw rise to the occasion isn’t a bad place to start.

Defensively, Bowman did add Michal Rozsival and Sheldon Brookbank. Are they enough to help a defence that finished 22nd in goals allowed? The back end did need improvement, but it’s hard to know what you’re getting beyond Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook.

Five-on-five success is becoming more important, but special teams can still be a decisive factor for teams. The Blackhawks’ power play and penalty kill were both suspiciously porous in 2011-12. How can a power play featuring Toews, Kane, Sharp and Hossa finish 26th in efficiency? The 27th-ranked penalty kill was less of a head-scratcher but still underachieved. Neither unit showed up against Phoenix.

A change was made behind the bench, as former Kings assistant coach Jamie Kompon takes over for Mike Haviland. Will the switch to Kompon spark either special teams unit? That remains to be seen. Personnel-wise, not much changed in an effort to boost either the power play or penalty kill – so a lot of the responsibility could fall on the staff to improve the leaky special teams.

It’s simple: if the Blackhawks’ special teams are as bad in 2012-13 as they were last year, they’ll once again be unhappy with the results come April.

Speaking of the Blackhawks’ staff – after last season, head coach Joel Quenneville said there was some “dysfunction” on the coaching staff.

Director of player development Barry Smith was summoned in February to help the special teams’ woes. It was a decision that came from the top, which didn’t please Quenneville. The longtime coach then decided to fire Haviland and hire Kompon, who was on Quenneville’s staff in St. Louis (along with current assistant Mike Kitchen). Kompon and Kitchen were handpicked by Quenneville, which puts more pressure on him to win now.

Quenneville has more responsibility, yet his job security could be in question if there is friction between he and Bowman, or if things go south at any point this season. That Coach Q hasn’t seen eye-to-eye in the past with the front office doesn’t bode well for him, either.

Prediction: Chicago flirts all year with Central Division supremacy and will be the first to pounce if St. Louis caves under pressure. However, there are too many wrongs that need to be made right for the Blackhawks to be considered serious Cup contenders.

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