The Chicago Blackhawks made some big moves in the offseason to get their team competitive again. Here are three key players for this upcoming season.
After nine straight playoff appearances and three Stanley Cup victories, the Chicago Blackhawks caught themselves reeling after a first-round sweep in the 2016-17 season. They’ve missed the playoffs ever since and are trying to get back to their winning ways.
This offseason was full of big trades for the Blackhawks as they addressed some glaring weaknesses. They acquired two defencemen in Olli Maatta and Calvin de Haan to shore up their defense and signed Robin Lehner to a one-year contract to bolster their goaltending.
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The Central Division is currently the toughest one in the NHL and if the Blackhawks want to keep up, they’re going to need these three players to step up for them:
3. Olli Maatta
Maatta was acquired from a trade with the Pittsburgh Penguins and he is counted on to bolster Chicago’s poor defence. He has won the Stanley Cup twice with the Penguins and has three years left on his contract at 25 years of age.
While Maatta isn’t a fast skater, he’s a smart defenseman who can read plays quickly and is intentional with his movements. His addition will help shore up the Blackhawks’ defence as they finished last season with the league’s second-worst goals-against average (3.33).
2. Dylan Strome
The Chicago Blackhawks bet on Dylan Strome when they traded for him last season and it is paying off. Strome spent three seasons with the Arizona Coyotes and his play never took off. After getting a change of scenery and being surrounded by proven veterans like Patrick Kane and Duncan Keith, he started to play like the third-overall pick he was touted to be.
His arrival improved the Blackhawks’ god-awful powerplay and he is slowly starting to establish himself as Chicago’s second-line center. Chicago needs him to continue to grow and improve to give them more scoring depth which is key in the modern-day NHL.
1. Robin Lehner
Corey Crawford had one of the worst seasons of his career last year so the Blackhawks went out and got Robin Lehner as an insurance policy. Lehner’s stellar play last year propelled the New York Islanders to their first postseason in two years and the Islanders had the best save percentage in the league.
One of the biggest problems the Blackhawks faced last season was their shaky goaltending. Cam Ward played the most games and the team’s save percentage was 25th in the league at .897. You can’t win games with that kind of goaltending but if Lehner can play close to his performance last season, Chicago is in good hands.
Lehner signed a one-year five million dollar contract to bet on himself. He wants to prove that last season wasn’t a fluke so he will be playing at the top of his game to finally earn the big contract he deserves.
The team has a talented veteran core that isn’t done winning yet. As long as their core stays intact, they have a shot for the playoffs every year. If these three players step up and have big seasons, it will make the Central Division an even tougher division to play in.