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.