Chicago Blackhawks October Review: Defense
That the Chicago Blackhawks would be among the NHL‘s elite in 2014-15 was never in doubt. There were still some fairly pressing questions leading into the season, however; in particular, the question of whether or not Chicago would be able to return to the defensive dominance that won it a Stanley Cup in 2012-13 and then promptly went on sabbatical in 2013-14.
Early signs have been positive. Chicago is giving up the fifth-least goals per game in the league despite Corey Crawford — the team’s best goaltender by a long shot — playing in just four of the Blackhawks’ 10 games thus far. Duncan Keith and Niklas Hjalmarsson have been typically excellent. Rookie Trevor van Riemsdyk has been an incredible find, essentially supplanting Michal Rozsival as the team’s No. 5 defenseman.
Not everything is rosy (pun most definitely intended); the number six and seven spots on the back end are an absolute eyesore. Joel Quenneville‘s affinity for veteran players has become problematic in the past, but it is all too obvious even to him that Rozsival is no longer an NHL-level contributor. His proclivity for horrific turnovers that popped up in 2013-14 has only gotten worse this season. David Rundblad has been unimpressive as well.
With that said, if the most concerning problem with a defense is its sixth and seventh guys, that’s probably a team in pretty good shape. Sans a recent rough game against the Ottawa Senators, the Blackhawks have strongly resembled the 2012-13 version of themselves in the defensive zone.
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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