With Dave Bolland Out, Others Will Need To Step Up For The Blackhawks

The Chicago Blackhawks were hit with another bit of bad news as their second line center Dave Bolland will require back surgery and will be out for an undetermined amount of time.

It has been reported for a considerable amount of time that Bolland has been battling a back injury since last season but it was considered to be something he could play with.

With Bolland likely out for a while, several Blackhawks forwards will need to step up to fill the void.

We expect players like Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, Kris Versteeg, and Patrick Sharp to produce offensively but it is players like Troy Brouwer, Andrew Ebbett, and Tomas Kopecky that will really need to step up their game in Bolland's absence.

Brouwer is coming off of a strong game Monday where he had three points including a goal on the power play goal and a power play assist.

Coming off of that game against the Los Angeles Kings, we see why the Blackhawks have been so patient in his development, he hits well and has good hands for a guy of his size.

Moving forward without Bolland, coach Quenneville will be leaning on Brouwer more and more on the power play and hopes he can make more plays like he did on Monday.

In my mind the heir apparent for Dave Bolland on the second line was Andrew Ebbett and last night against the Kings, Ebbett got some opportunities on the second line with Kris Versteeg and Patrick Kane.

Although I like the idea of Ebbett centering a second line flanked by either Kane or Versteeg, I do not like the idea of replicating the Montreal Canadiens "smurf line" with three players under six feet tall making up one line.

Ebbett has struggled to find chemistry with any linemates since being acquired by the Anaheim Ducks but did score his first goal last night on a lucky bounce and really has done nothing to detract from his ice time with the Blackhawks.

Hopefully, the goal off of Ebbett's arm will open the flood gates for him as he will need to play like he did last season with the Ducks to justify him getting top nine minutes with the Blackhawks and staying with the team when Bolland returns.

The final player who must continue his strong play, if not take it to another level, is utility forward Tomas Kopecky.

Kopecky has played everywhere in the Blackhawks from the second line center to the fourth line right wing to power play screen specialist and has played admirably.

Although Kopecky is not a strong scoring threat on the ice but his defensive awareness and ability to be a agitator makes him valuable in the absence of Bolland who is a good two way centerman.

If the likes of Brouwer and Ebbett can step up on the offensive side of the ice and Kopecky can step up on the defensive side of the ice, the Blackhawks can likely hedge the loss of Bolland.

But a player like Bolland is hard to come by and maybe the only way to replace him is to possibly bring in another center.

Who knows, but I hope Bolland has a speedy recovery and can return to the Blackhawks healthy later in the season.

Andrew Ebbett on the Hot Seat with Injured Players Returning

Great news after the Chicago Blackhawks practice on Wednesday as Jonathan Toews, Marian Hossa and Ben Eager all practiced.

Coach Joel Quenneville stated after practice that Eager and Toews are close to returning, if not days away from returning to the Blackhawks lineup and that we will know more after the morning skate tomorrow.

Hossa on the other hand is not poised for a return to the lineup soon but many have hinted that he has been targeting November 25th’s game against the San Jose Sharks, still a few weeks away.

But one player who was probably not as enthusiastic about the eminate return of Eager and Toews is recently acquired forward Andrew Ebbett.

Ebbett has played decently in his first seven games with the ‘Hawks and have been good if not great in the faceoff dot with a 56.7 faceoff percentage, second on the team behind the injured Toews.

But the problem for Ebbett is that he has not recorded a point in his time with the Blackhawks and is a player that thrives playing amongst the top nine forwards.

What could really save Ebbett is his versatility and ability to fill in on the top scoring lines which players like Tomas Kopecky and Colin Fraser cannot provide.

Fraser is less effective in the faceoff circle than Ebbett and does not possess the playmaking/passing ability that Ebbett can bring but Fraser does have the ability to play on the penalty kill effectively, something Ebbett does not do as we.

Kopecky on the other hand has struggled since returning Helsinki and has a team low plus/minus at -5 but might have found a new role as the screen player on the power play.

One interesting scenario for Ebbett could be that he might figure into next seasons Blackhawk lineup, even though he is an unrestricted free agent. Even with his unrestricted free agency one would expect Ebbett would not demand a major pay raise and could fit onto the ‘Hawks third line nicely.

But Ebbett will need to prove his worth in the next few games, if he can put up a good showing against the likes of the Phoenix Coyotes and the Colorado Avalanche he might be able to salvage some ice time and not be placed back on waivers.

I know I like many ‘Hawks fans are excited for the return of captain Jonathan Toews, tough guy Ben Eager and Marian Hossa but I think that if I was Andrew Ebbett I would be feeling a little uneasy in the desert.

Lineup For the Chicago Blackhawks Preseason Opener

Here are tonight's lineup for the Chicago Blackhawks in their preseason opener against the Washington Capitals

Forwards

Kris Versteeg-Jonathan Toews-Patrick Kane
Patrick Sharp-Tomas Kopecky-Dustin Byfuglien
Ben Eager-John Madden-Jack Skille
Bryan Bickell-Jacob Dowell-Danny Bois

Defense

Duncan Keith-Brent Seabrook
Cam Barker-Brian Campbell
Brent Sopel-Richard Petiot

Goal-tenders

Cristobal Huet
Corey Crawford

Check back with the West Madison Times for post-game coverage of tonight's Chicago Blackhawks preseason debut.

Chicago Blackhawks Open Training Camp: Let The Battles Begin

The Chicago Blackhawks made huge moves this off-season with the acquisitions of Marian Hossa, Tomas Kopecky, and John Madden but entering camp their are still plenty of questions that need to be answered.

One of the most immediate questions that needs to be answered is who will replace the point production lost while Marian Hossa recovers from shoulder surgery.

There are several players who figure to attempt to replace Hossa's lost production, including Kris Versteeg, Andrew Ladd, and Dustin Byfuglien.

Of the three players being asked to step up the one who must provide the most is Kris Versteeg. Versteeg had a strong rookie season in which he scored 53 points and was nominated for the Calder Trophy.

However this season Versteeg will be leaned on heavily because of the loss of Hossa but if he struggles in the preseason look for Joel Quenneville to give Andrew Ladd and Dustin Byfuglien more ice time and look for Versteeg's to fall.

Although you might not consider this a position battle, it is a battle of ice time on the top two lines, something far more significant that a battle on the third or fourth line.

Now let's move on to the most significant battle of the preseason.

The biggest question entering the 2009-2010 season will be the goal tender behind starter Cristobal Huet.

The two competitors for the back up goal tending position are 25 year old Corey Crawford and 26 year old Antti Niemi.

Crawford was drafted by the Blackhawks in 2003, 52nd overall. He has been playing for the Blackhawks AHL affiliates since 2005 starting 203 games and compiling a record of 111-80-12.

Crawford has paid his dues within the Blackhawks organization and many believe that it is time for him to get some semi-regular time at the NHL level.

On the other side of the competition is Antti Niemi, a Finnish net minder who was signed as a free agent last season. In Niemi's only season with the Blackhawks he spent most of his season in the AHL spliting time with Corey Crawford.

Niemi was fairly impressive in his first season in North America with a record of 18-14-3 with a save percentage of 91% and a goals allowed average of 2.43. Niemi's first season with the Blackhawks included a three game stint at the NHL level.

In those three games Niemi had a record of 1-1-1 with a save percentage of 86% and a goals allowed average of 3.40, not overly impressive numbers but they were his first three games at the NHL level.

As of right now it is anyone's game but with Crawford's experience in the AHL and familiarity with North American style hockey you have to believe his has the inside track

These are just a couple of examples of the difficult decisions that coach Quenneville and GM Stan Bowman face entering the 2009-2010 season. In just a few weeks the season will begin and we should have a better understand of where the Blackhawks stand in these very exciting position battles.

Dany Heatley and The Windy City: A Match Not Made In Heaven

As the Dany Heatley saga continues his list of suitors is ever fluctuating from the Edmonton Oilers to the New York Rangers and now the Chicago Blackhawks.

Multiple sources including the Daily Herald's Tim Sassone have reported that the Chicago Blackhawks have interest in the Ottawa Senators disgruntled sniper.

The two teams have found "common ground" but there is little less than that coming out of either camp.

But why would the Blackhawks be interested in bringing Dany Heatley into the fold?

Well Heatley is a world class hockey player that has the ability to put up 100 point seasons and can make the Blackhawks an even more potent offense but could a marriage of Heatley and the 'Hawks work?

It's doubtful.

Now if the Blackhawks had not signed Marian Hossa to a 12 year deal I could see them having an interest in Heatley but that is not the case.

The biggest reason the Blackhawks likely have no interest in Heatley is because of the money. Heatley has a cap hit of 7.5 million and the Blackhawks currently have 2.9 million in cap room (according to NHL Numbers).

With the money the Blackhawks have remaining they would much rather add a good depth defenseman than another star sniper.

For a Heatley to be traded to the Blackhawks from the Senators the 'Hawks would need to move a couple salaries along with high level prospects or picks.

Another possible sticking point of a Heatley to the 'Hawks deal would be the possible clash in the locker room. The 'Hawks currently have the likes of Hossa, Patrick Kane, Patrick Sharp, Jonathan Toews and Kris Versteeg.

Now add Heatley to that line up and you add another player who needs the puck to be effective. So can Heatley, who has had a problem with his diminished role in Ottawa deal with not being the number one scoring option in Chicago?

I'm not sure but from his action is Ottawa I would image he still might not be happy.

Only time will tell if Dany Heatley will get his way and leave Ottawa but in my opinion a trade to Chicago might not be his or the Chicago Blackhawks best option.

Chicago Blackhawks Training Camp to Start on September 13th

Today the Chicago Blackhawks announced that their training camp will begin Sunday, September 13th, leading up to their preseason debut against the Washington Capitals on Saturday, September 19th.

For a list of the training camp roster check out the Chicago Blackhawks website

The Blackhawks also announced a list of their non-roster invitees:

Defenseman Daryl Boyle (Norfolk-AHL)
Forward Bryan Ewing (Wheeling-ECHL)
Center Justin Hodgman (Erie-OHL)
Center Bracken Kearns (Norfolk-AHL)
Right Wing Matt Keith (Ingolstadt-ERC)*
Right Wing Derek Nesbitt (San Antonio/Manitoba-AHL)
Defenseman David Phillips (Belfast-EIHL)
Center Maxime Tanguay (Victoriaville-QMJHL)*

* Former Chicago Blackhawks property

Check back with The West Madison Times for more training camp coverage.

Chicago Blackhawks Interested In Defenseman Francis Bouillon

Just over a week ago it was reported that Francis Bouillon was in talks with several NHL teams and one of those teams might be the Chicago Blackhawks.

Last season Bouillon played 54 games with the Montreal Canadiens recording 9 points, minus-7 rating and 53 penalty minutes.

Bouillon is a small defenseman, by NHL standards, standing at a meager 5 foot 9 inches but despite his small stature he is known for his physical and gritty play.

For the Chicago Blackhawks, Bouillon would be a good option for the Blackhawks as a 6th or 7th defenseman and would give them grit at the back end that they desperately need.

Stay tuned to The West Madison Times for more Chicago Blackhawks rumors and season previews!