Blackhawks mailbag: Tackling questions on Bickell, Crow and more
With the all-star break upon us, it's a good a time to let fans ask questions about their beloved Blackhawks.
So let's get right to it.
Q: Are the Hawks (as well as Capitals and Kings) too dependent on one goalie? Should Scott Darling be brought in more so he's not so rusty?
A: Having a solid backup goalie is akin to NFL teams having a solid backup quarterback. They're nice, but a luxury most teams don't have.
Look no further than the Montreal Canadiens for proof. Carey Price has been out much of the season with an injury and Montreal is fighting for a playoff berth.
The teams you mentioned all have goalies who have played an awful lot this season, and that includes the Hawks' Corey Crawford. He has been in 42 games, which is tied for the league lead and puts him on a 65-game pace.
My feeling is that Darling will get a bit more work down the stretch, especially with the Hawks in first place in the Central Division. Coach Joel Quenneville will want Crawford as fresh as possible heading into the postseason.
With 29 games left, look for Crawford to get about 20-21 of those starts.
Q: Will the Hawks make a trade by the deadline? If so, will they focus on defense or scoring?
A: I believe the Hawks will make at least one trade before the Feb. 29 deadline. GM Stan Bowman has pulled off what appear to be two minor trades already — sending Trevor Daley to Pittsburgh for Rob Scuderi, and Ryan Garbutt to Anaheim for Jiri Sekac.
Those deals didn't have massive salary-cap ramifications, but any maneuverability was greatly needed.
Bowman would love to upgrade his defense, which is anchored by Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook and Niklas Hjalmarsson. The issue is that Trevor van Riemsdyk and Erik Gustafsson don't have much playoff experience, and Michal Rozsival and Rob Scuderi aren't spring chickens anymore.
Bowman also would love to find a solid third-line center, like he did last season with Antoine Vermette, but don't forget that Marcus Kruger (hand) should be back once the playoffs begin.
The question is what will Bowman need to give up for a defensive upgrade? Teuvo Teravainen? Marko Dano? Another up-and-coming player in Rockford?
It will be interesting to see what the GM is willing to part with as the team makes a run at yet another Stanley Cup.
Q: What's going to happen with Bryan Bickell?
A: This is such a tough one.
Joel Quenneville would love nothing more than to see Bickell be the player he was two or three years ago. Physical. Hard shot. Net-front presence.
He's doing well enough in Rockford, but he has become a shell of his former self at the NHL level. Barring an injury or two, I believe he'll stay in Rockford this season.
Q: What's going to happen with Marko Dano?
A: As most Hawks fans know, Dano was the “other” player in the Brandon Saad trade last off-season. He's just 21 years old, and the coaching staff obviously believes he needs more seasoning in the AHL before becoming a full-time NHL player.
Nothing wrong with that. Sometimes guys need to play 15-18 minutes a night, and play in all situations to fine-tune their game. Young players aren't going to drastically improve by playing 6-8 minutes in the NHL.
I wouldn't close the book on Dano for this season, but if he's not back by mid-February he'll probably finish the year in Rockford.
When next season dawns, it will then be up to him to earn Quenneville's trust by playing the two-way game that the coach demands.
• Follow John on Twitter @johndietzdh