According to team president and CEO John McDonough, the Chicago Blackhawks expect to be contenders next season.
The Chicago Blackhawks are coming off of their most disappointing season in the Joel Quenneville era. They came into last season as Stanley Cup hopefuls, but an injury to goaltender Corey Crawford in December ensured their fate as a lottery team.
Don’t expect the Hawks to start selling the farm yet, though. According to team president and CEO John McDonough, their top priority is to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
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So far this offseason, the Blackhawks have added goaltender Cam Ward, defenseman Brandon Manning, forward Chris Kunitz, and center (and old friend) Marcus Kruger. They acquired the first three in free agency. Chicago got Kruger in the trade that sent Marian Hossa’s contract to the Arizona Coyotes.
The Blackhawks are hoping to add some more pieces to their roster before the season begins. Recently, they’ve been linked to both Justin Faulk and Jeff Skinner of the Carolina Hurricanes.
The Blackhawks have also expressed interest in Max Pacioretty of the Montreal Canadiens.
However, one has to imagine if they acquire Skinner or Pacioretty, they’d want a long-term extension with the player in question.
On paper, making the Stanley Cup Playoffs seems like a lofty goal for Chicago. After all, they weren’t even in the postseason when Corey Crawford went down on Dec. 23. At the time of his injury, he had a .929 save percentage in 28 appearances (27 starts).
The Blackhawks haven’t even made a significant acquisition to their roster yet. Ward was signed to be Crawford’s backup, but it’s been nearly a decade since he was an above-average goaltender. So if the worst happens and Ward has to be the starter, the Blackhawks aren’t in good shape.
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Chicago won three Stanley Cups with their current core. So it’s understandable they want to try to squeeze one last title run out of Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, and Duncan Keith. But the rest of the roster appears barren at this point.