Rozner: This time, Chicago Blackhawks youth must be served

Joel Quenneville can't be accused of refusing to play the kids this year.

Of course, he hasn't had much choice.

The future Hall of Famer was given a lineup with rookies all over the ice, the result of a hard-cap world and difficult summer choices.

Still, the Chicago Blackhawks' bench boss has taken plenty of heat in the past for his reluctance to play the kids, and it's a narrative GM Stan Bowman doesn't buy.

"I do think he's grown in that way, but I also think that criticism was probably overstated," Bowman said recently. "We had a lot more veteran players in the past, so it wasn't that he didn't like young players.

"It's just that we had veterans that had already been through the battles and been successful and accomplished a lot."

Credit the general manager with sticking up for his coach, who has frequently chosen ineffective veterans come playoff time over unproven youngsters.

"The young players sort of had to bide their time a little bit more," Bowman said. "We have a lot more openings this year than we've had in the past, but Joel's never told me that he doesn't feel comfortable with young guys. He's all for them.

"We've had a lot of young guys like (Andrew) Shaw and (Brandon) Saad that he never hesitated to play. (Marcus) Kruger's been playing since he was 21. There's enough guys who have come through here and played well, and he's leaned on those guys."

It speaks to the team-oriented nature of Bowman, and perhaps lack of ego, that he doesn't force players upon his coach.

When it became clear that Nick Leddy was simply not the coach's guy, Bowman moved on, even though the trade of Cam Barker for such a brilliant, young skater was one of Bowman's best.

And puck-moving defensemen don't grow on trees.

"This is a total team effort," Bowman said. "We have a lot of people working here, and we work together because we want to win. The goal is winning. That's all it is.

"It's not about one player or one person. No one gets hung up on any of that. Not everything you try is going to work out, so you have to be flexible and willing to adapt.

"We want championships, and there are different ways of going about it. You have to keep an open mind."

In fairness to Quenneville, one of the best coaches in NHL history, he has found some young players he wanted to play from the start.

He had an immediate affinity for Trevor van Riemsdyk on his first day as a rookie and has never lost patience or confidence despite some ugly stretches.

Michal Kempny and Gustav Forsling, on the other hand, have not experienced a comforting and long leash, and they don't seem destined for much playing time in the postseason.

Johnny Oduya will rejoin Niklas Hjalmarsson on the second pair - assuming the health of both - behind Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook. Brian Campbell and van Riemsdyk will get their share of ice as the third pair, even though they seem to walk a tightrope every time they play in their own end.

Regardless, it's Bowman's task to fill out a playoff-ready roster, and it's no easy task in a salary-cap world on a team where the stars eat up so much of the payroll.

"I like the challenge of redefining your team," Bowman said. "As long as you have the foundation - and you can say what you want about the guys filling in around them - it's still the core guys who make this team go.

"Starting with the goaltender and the defense and up through the forwards, those guys who have been here for a while, those are the guys who drive this team.

"The young guys bring some energy, find the right roles and contribute in their own way.

"I find it exciting to see it happen and exciting to find new players."

With a month to go in the regular season, the real excitement is about to start.

For the Hawks to make another deep run, those new players will have to contribute.

And it's an offer the head coach can't refuse.

brozner@dailyherald.com

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