There's nothing like leaving everything 'til the last minute, right? I envisioned knocking out a post-season wrap up, oh...maybe when the playoffs ended, but I was still grumpy about The Hawks and put it off. Anyway, after a few false starts here it is, the fourth and final 2017-18 Report Cards/ 2018-19 Team Preview You're welcome.
The forward corps was no less frustrating and underacheivey than the D and G but there are, at least, some bright sunshiny rays here. Oh, and Ryan Hartman, too!
Artem Anisimov
Large Arthur backslid mightily stats-wise last season, presumably due to the absence of Panarin, in which he lost a productive linemate, but also because he was shuffled endlessly between 2C and 3C, lacking the consistent comfort of the same two wingers that he'd enjoyed for two seasons. Still, he was a beast on the PP and a fixture on the PK. He seems poised to suffer the same fate this year, likely beginning the season at 3C but, if the second line falters he'll be the first to slot up, putting him in a weird "good enough to have around even if we don't know exactly what to do with him" place. Hopefully still useful but he'll have to work his tail off for even-strength ice time if the first two lines happen to gel. B- for last season.
Alex DeBrincat
Despite a slow start DBC was the star of this woeful show last season, posting the best numbers among Hawks rookies and placing second in team scoring, tops in goals. And this was with a group that, almost to a man, punched below their weight or were deadweight to begin with. Consider, also, that he skated in the bottom six for some time before Desperate Measures were undertaken. When he was drafted I scoffed at the idea of a 5'7" forward on an already pretty small squad but, as it turned out, his size had little bearing on what he managed to accomplish. He was also one of only a few forwards to finish with a plus rating, though I'll temper that with the caveat that he enjoyed rather cushy zone starts a lot of the time. Had the guys he played alongside had a better time of it last season he'd have been in the conversation for Rookie Of The Year. A, far exceeding expectations while everything around him turned to mud.
Ryan Hartman
Power forward or meathead? Who knew which Ryan Hartman would show up from one night to the next? That first game, the one that turned out to be a cruel lie, promised so much and Hartman was the most intriguing aspect of that fantasy. Hell, he was The NHL's leading scorer for several days, yet finished the year in Nashville with a paltry 31 points. It's hard to say how and why he could be a world beater one night and an embarrassment the next but my guess would be that he too easily lost sight of what he needed to do to succeed. Or maybe his idea of success is more aligned to cheap shots than slap shots. I'm not going to dwell on it as he's down the road, but I think there's something there with Hartman and it's just a matter of whether he's willing and able to rise above his tendency to....well, be stupid. B-, as little was expected and we got slightly more than that.
Patrick Kane
Well,
he tried, mostly.
It
had to be frustrating to have his linemates shuffled around half the
time, particularly after playing almost exclusively with the same two
guys for two years. That was not a luxury we had last season
and it seemed that the coaching staff were constantly searching for a
magic bullet, some combination that would bring more out of Kane.
Sometimes it worked, sometimes not and a lot of the time he just
seemed tired, or maybe just tired of having to be THE GUY even when The Hawks were clearly out of the running. Kane posted his lowest points-per-game in six
seasons yet still led the team in scoring. A few more options
exist for this season, perhaps, but The Staff look to be starting
Kane off with familiar linemates that yielded mixed results last
year. B, not because he was necessarily bad but
circumstances prevailed against him.
Chris Kunitz
Kunitz has been a winner even more often than The Hawks' Core, which is great resumé stuff but one could well argue that his greatest successes, four Stanley Cups and an Olympic Gold Medal, are inextricably linked to his proximity to Sidney Crosby. By no means do I wish to be unflattering and Crosby certainly benefited from his connection with Kunitz but, at age 39 and with little chance of playing alongside anyone Crosby-like, I question his utility. If Kunitz DOES end up playing regularly with Kane or DeBrincat, for example, that likely means that The Hawks are in serious trouble so I'm in no hurry to slot Kunitz up just to what that looks like. Based on his preseason outings his wheels are still there and he appears to be in shape, but the hand skills have largely gone to hell.
Marcus Kruger
Krugs is no saviour but he's a known, reliable quantity. He takes his tasks, as unglamourous as they may be, very seriously and appears to exist quite happily in that role player spot, with no pretenses of playing in the top six. An outstanding checker, puck retriever and penalty killer, Kruger will take a lot of pressure off Toews, who essentially worked two full time jobs last season. He's still just okay at the dot so I expect he'll usually pair up with Kampf or Johnson and faceoffs will be by committee. The beautiful thing with Kruger, though, is that even if he loses a faceoff, there's an even chance he'll get that puck back, soon enough. Played well in the preseason, especially with Martinsen, the blunt instrument to Krug's precision tool. Very glad to have him back.
Richard Panik
It was back to earth for Panik after his breakout season in 2016-17. Even so, he was rarely bad, but simply failed to repeat the otherworldly shooting percentage he enjoyed the year prior. The harder it became for Panik to score, the tighter he gripped that stick, to the point where he was gacking tap-ins and wide open cages. His reaction after scoring vs. Ottawa last January, after having not scored in nearly three months was a mix of elation and resignation, as even he knew it was too little, too late. He never stopped trying and I liked the guy, even if Phoenix-area restaurateurs aren't crazy about him. An honest if reluctant C.
Brandon Saad
The prodigal had returned, and just in time assume his rightful place as a Hossa-in-training. Well, it did not go as well as hoped nor planned. Saad looked fine, skating well, good positionally and working hard, but he always seemed to be on the wrong side of the inch, just missing a post, getting a puck flat on his stick blade....stuff like that. Like Panik, though, the longer that went on the worse it seemed to get and, by mid-February one wondered if he would ever score again. As it was, he posted his lowest offensive stats in any of his five full campaigns yet, had he converted half of the near-misses he flubbed over the season, he could well have been in the 45-50 point range. His preseason was inconclusive, as he looked out of sync on the third line but a lot more in-step with Kane & Schmaltz.
B-, no matter what caused his funk.
Nick Schmaltz
Almost every time I saw Schmaltz during his rookie season, 2016-17, he looked bewildered, only snapping out of that deer-in-headlights trancelike appearance in the latter half of the season, when he put together a series of great games. In 2017-18 he again had a stronger second half and went long stretches without denting the twine, but he was far less hesitant and much more willing to hang onto the puck a little longer than he'd been doing. Hell, it was mid-season before I realized just how fast he is, 'cos he'd never really bothered to show off that feature. As his confidence and his willingness to put himself out there a bit more increases so will his contributions. I'm eager to see what surprises he pulls out his hat this season, and I hope he doesn't wait until January to do it. Third in team scoring is worth at least a B and it coulda maybe been an A if he'd found his feet a little earlier amirite?
Patrick Sharp
It was a sad year for Patrick Sharp fans, less for his retirement at the end of the season but more for having to witness his "homecoming" season be such a mess. Age and injuries/surgeries have taken a hard toll on Sharpie and it was clear early on that neither his legs nor his hands were up to the task any longer. As tough as it was to watch an old favourite slog through such an awful season, both for himself and the team, it was still good to see him back in red & black and to be sent off in style by The Blackhawks. A for effort and let's not judge the man for the last thing he's done, but for his body of work OK?
Jonathan Toews
Only by sheer force of will did Tazer manage to pull even on points with Schmaltz and DeBrincat. This past season was probably toughest on Toews, as he shoulders a heavy load, especially when things are not going to plan. As mentioned earlier, he was tasked with centering The Hawks ostensive "first line", the implication there being goal production, but he also faced their opposition's best center, night in, night out. The long spring & summer, as disappointing as it surely was at the time, will do him a world of good and, if preseason is anything to go by, he's got a lot of jump in his step this fall. He's connecting well with DeBrincat and Kahun and, even if Kahun falters, there are at least some other options to explore that are a far cry from some of the "solutions" that Q came up last year. He never quit and persevered through some pretty ridiculous coaching decisions: A-
Tommy Wingels
I was as disappointed as I was surprised that The Hawks didn't offer Wingels a contract once his trade deadline gig with BOS ended. Wingels is no star, has little guile and even less in the way of hand skills, but he remains far greater than the sum of his parts. He's smart, disciplined and understands fully what is expected of him. And he mostly succeeds in carrying out his tasks....as long those tasks are in line with his ability, which is checking, mucking, killing penalties and other myriad dirty work. However, when thrust upon the team's top line for reasons still unknown....well, there's no guarantee attached. I like the guy, I like his game for what it is and The Hawks got all that they paid for and more. B for Best guy in the Bottom six last year.
IT'S ALL TO PLAY FOR - TONIGHT - 7:30 ET/ 6:30 CT, TSN5 and WGN. Go Hawks.
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