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The Key to a 2014-15 Chicago Blackhawks Stanley Cup Victory

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By @seansarcu

Chicago Blackhawks Stanley Cup 2014-15

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The Chicago Blackhawks plainly have the most talented overall roster in the NHL, and this has been the case for several seasons running. There is no shortage of depth up front, with 20-goal scorers like Andrew Shaw and a rejuvenated Kris Versteeg pushed into third line duties. The foursome of Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, Niklas Hjalmarsson and Johnny Oduya is one of the best groups of top-4 defensemen that any team can offer. Corey Crawford, often labeled incorrectly as some sort of weak point, is consistently one of Chicago’s best players in the spring. Raw ability alone will be enough to vault the Blackhawks into the championship conversation, but the level of dedication to team defense will determine whether Chicago is the favorite or merely one of several contenders.

There is a reason, after all, that the 2012-13 team was so dominant and the largely identical 2013-14 squad was not. Chicago’s offense was tremendous in both seasons; indeed, it may have actually been slightly better in 2013-14. At the other end of the ice, however, the difference was stark. After being the league’s best defensive team by every available metric in ’12-13, the Blackhawks were decidedly average at keeping the puck out of their net in the subsequent season. Chicago had the second-most goals against among playoff-qualifying teams in the Western Conference last year.

The eye test coheres with the numbers, and a lot of the blame for 2013-14′s defensive problems lies with the forwards. Players weren’t back-checking anywhere near as hard as they did in 2012-13, with Patrick Sharp being perhaps the most blatant offender. Others were regularly caught out of position due to a general lack of ability (Michal Handzus) or focus (Shaw and Bryan Bickell). Jonathan Toews wasn’t quite as good in his own zone as he was during his Selke-winning ’12-13 campaign. Brilliant years from Keith, Seabrook and Hjalmarsson weren’t enough to make up for a forward core that was constantly making mistakes.

With Handzus’ departure, the most glaring personnel problem has been eliminated. The rest of the issue stems predominantly from decreased intensity, focus and attention to detail — inevitable realities following an incredibly dominant season that culminated in a Stanley Cup victory. If the Blackhawks can recommit to the excellent team defense that made 2012-13 possible, there’s no telling what this roster — which many believe to be the best in the organization’s history (on paper) — can accomplish. 

Sean Sarcu is a Chicago Blackhawks writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter or add him to your network on Google.

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