TOP-LINE TALENT OVERSHADOWS LACK OF DEPTH
Hawks proving they’re difficult to figure out
So this is what the Blackhawks are: an occasionally great, occasionally mediocre, occasionally inspired, occasionally disinterested, consistently inconsistent team that well might be fighting for a playoff spot in April and well might be hoisting the Stanley Cup again in June.
In other words, who knows?
The circus trip tends to be a defining stretch for the Hawks, typically acting as a springboard to bigger and better things. And their 3-1-2 record this season on a trip in which they were outplayed in at least four of the six games suggested the Hawks are what we thought they were: top-heavy, with some significant question marks, but still talented enough and mentally tough enough to be a legitimate threat to make another deep postseason run.
Here are a few things we learned or, perhaps more accurately, a few things that were reinforced on the longest trip of the season:
1. Out of balance
There are signs of life from the latest incarnation of the top line (Jonathan Toews, Andrew Shaw and Ryan Garbutt), but the Hawks still are largely a one-line team, with Artemi Panarin, Artem Anisimov and Patrick Kane doing the heavy lifting. That trio has scored 31 of the Hawks’ 67 goals to date.
The Hawks got a big lift from the back end during the trip, with Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook and Niklas Hjalmarsson combining for five goals, but it’s unrealistic to expect consistent scoring from defensemen.
The Hawks’ third and fourth lines, which have separated them from most teams every season, have been largely nondescript this season, with a rotating cast of call-ups trying to find their niche.
It might be time to give Bryan Bickell another look, provided the Hawks can make the math work in terms of the salary cap. Bickell has cooled off a bit after his torrid start, but he has five goals and four assists in 10 games with Rockford in the American Hockey League. He has taken his demotion seriously and has earned another chance.
When Bickell is playing inspired hockey, crashing the net and throwing his body around, that third line becomes a force. That’s what the Hawks need right now, more than anything. It’s worth a shot.
2. Gotta have Hart
Kane might have won the Hart Trophy as the NHL’s most valuable player last season had he not broken his clavicle in February. He’s the clear front-runner so far this season, and his one goal and eight assists on the circus trip only solidified his standing as the NHL’s premier player to date.
The Stars’ Jamie Benn, the reigning scoring champion, has a league-high 18 goals and is only two points behind Kane, but he has Tyler Seguin (just one point behind Benn) on his line. Kane basically is carrying the Hawks by himself. His 19-game (and counting) point streak set a record for U.S.born players, and he’s showing no signs of slowing down.
‘‘That line, offensively, has been the backbone of our team,’’ coach Joel Quenneville said. ‘‘Can’t say enough positive things about him or his play.’’
3. Wither Teuvo?
Teuvo Teravainen needs to find a permanent spot in the lineup. All the bouncing around he has been doing — he has played on all four lines and in all three positions — appears to be stunting his development.
It was unfair to expect Teravainen, 21, to become a 30-goal scorer this season after his breakout performance in the playoffs, but it was reasonable to expect a little more than the four goals and five assists he has through 20 games.
Teravainen put the onus on himself, but Quenneville could help him out by giving him an extended look at one spot. Another chance at being Toews’ left wing couldn’t hurt.
‘‘I know it’s a process, and I have to be patient,’’ Teravainen said. ‘‘But I can do a lot better.’’
More than a quarter of the way through the season, the same could be said for the Hawks as a whole.