Is it time to pull the plug on the Chicago Blackhawks? Is it time to say the dynasty is very close to ending? Can you surround the main core with talent to get back to the playoffs? Is this main core taking up so much salary cap it’s hard to keep retooling on the fly? Something must give here. This season will be the first year in a long long time the Blackhawks will not make the playoffs. This coming after the early exit to the Nashville Predators in the first round of the playoffs last season. In which Nashville showed you a Hawks team very slow and filled with holes. Not enough depth. The young talent not able to catch up with the core. Some of the core crumbling in their old age.

The Blackhawks have been sliding before the first round against Nashville and it continued into this season. It hurts not having Marion Hossa on the ice. An aging super star with a skin condition had to hang up the skates for this season. His presence and his abilities on the ice were definitely missed. However he is getting older. Then usually Stan Bowman’s moves have all been golden. They thought trading for Brandon Sadd would help the captain, Jonathan Toews’, line get better like the glory days. In the process they interrupted Patrick Kane’s line trading away Artemi Panararin. Brandon Sadd has shown some flashes this year but mostly he had a down year. Then to see Brent Seabrook and Ducan Keith play on the decline. Maybe getting rid of Niklas Jalmarsson was the wrong defenseman to trade last off season. Then the biggest thing that happened to hawks is goalie Corey Crawford going down. With the salary cap they could not hold on to Scott Darling. You could see some of the band aids not sticking well as the team in whole has some glaring weaknesses. Back up goalies especially.

This is the first trade deadline Stan Bowman has been involved in with the Hawks trading away players. Not adding pieces for the playoff run, but instead collecting draft picks and younger unknown players. Last week they traded Michael Kempny to the Capitals. Before Monday’s deadline, they sent Tommy Wingles to the Bruins as everyone knew teams would want him as he is veteran and needed for a playoff run. Then they traded former 2013 first round pick Ryan Hartman to the Nashville Predators. Hartman, who is a local kid, seems to always be in Joe Quenneville’s dog house. He had a promising rookie campaign and scored 19 goals. He was known for dumb penalties in which he led the Blackhawks in that category this season. He only has 8 goals and 16 assists in 56 games this season. Is this a kid who will flourish with another coach?

Ryan Hartman… I wonder is it too early to give up on a young talent. This is the problem with the Blackhawks. I think the young talent that they do have don’t have enough time to develop. With this constant retooling and shuffling, you’re getting rid of young players and holding onto hopes of your old core still having enough gasoline in the tanks. Patrick Sharp was a waste of time bringing him back. Seabrook and Keith should be traded away. I would shut down Crawford for the rest of the season. Give the new guy they just called up most of the games for the rest of the season in front of the net. Jean Francois Berube played great against one top team in the conference, the San Jose Sharks, last week. Maybe you can get lightning in a bottle finding your back up for Crawford with him next year.  Your need for a solid back up for Crawford is one of your main concerns next season.

I would build the team around Crawford, Cane, and Toews.  Keep the young talent you have. Guys that have been very productive and growing with the team. Guys like Artem Anisimon, Alex DeBricat and a Nick Schmalz should not be traded. I think keeping Brandon Sadd, who is still young will rebound and get back to his old ways. Perhaps Sadd is your biggest trade chip without trading away Cane or Toews. Then continue building it with all young talent. Fast skaters and perhaps you can salvage one more cup with some of the main core. They need to get rid of some of these guys making big money and not doing much these days. This would also help your salary cap issues you have every single year. It’s frustrating seeing them lose young guys because you’re over paying guys who once were main staples and very productive now they can’t even get the biscuit in the basket. The retool on the fly is not working. Time to scrap that plan and come up with a new one for next season. However the top brass has to be patient and let the new guys develop with some of the older guys. By doing  this it would get the hawk head back to glory like it always should be.