Puck Prose
Fansided

NHL Power Rankings: St. Louis Blues start 2019-20 season on top

By Dave Stevenson

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - JUNE 12: The St. Louis Blues celebrate after defeating the Boston Bruins in Game Seven to win the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Final at TD Garden on June 12, 2019 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - JUNE 12: The St. Louis Blues celebrate after defeating the Boston Bruins in Game Seven to win the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Final at TD Garden on June 12, 2019 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
13 of 31
Next
nhl power rankings
Photo by Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images /

19. Chicago Blackhawks

The Chicago Blackhawks were historically bad defensively last season. Yet thanks to an impressive offense led by Patrick Kane and Alex DeBrincat, they nearly made the postseason. This summer, the Blackhawks made it their goal to improve their defense. I believe they did, but it’s fair to ask just how much they improved it.

Trading for Calvin de Haan was a nice move. He has a significant history of injuries, but when he’s healthy, he’s quietly a pretty solid defenseman. I’m not exaggerating when I say that Olli Maatta (acquired for Dominik Kahun) is likely the slowest skater in the NHL. But Maatta is positionally sound and can kill penalties.

The Blackhawks lost Henri Jokiharju, which is a fairly big blow. He wasn’t awful last year despite being thrown to the wolves as far as his deployment. The Blackhawks still have very impressive depth on their blueline, but I don’t get why they traded Jokiharju for just Nylander. They easily could have gotten more.

Vezina Trophy finalist Robin Lehner has his work cut out for him. He’s going from arguably the best defense in the NHL to one of the worst, even with the Blackhawks improvements. Chicago has enough talent up front to make a strong push for the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but I think they’ll fall just short.

Home/All-Time Lists