Huge expectations await Hawks next season

There can be no denying the Blackhawks made huge strides on and off the ice this season, missing the playoffs by 3 points.

But next season everything changes. The focus won't be on attendance, home television, or whether Patrick Kane or Jonathan Toews should be rookie of the year.

The Hawks will come to camp with expectations larger than they've been in more than a decade -- to not only make the playoffs but to contend for a Stanley Cup.

"We have those expectations ourselves," Patrick Sharp said Tuesday at the United Center as the Hawks packed their bags and headed out into the summer.

"It's tough to say when you miss the playoffs, but we've started to build something here. The organization has done everything it can off the ice to bring hockey back, but now it's time to win some games on the ice."

The Hawks improved from 31 wins and 71 points last season to 40 victories and 88 points, and they were alive for a playoff spot with three games to play.

Now it's up to general manager Dale Tallon to fill a few holes so the Hawks can take that next step and join the Western Conference elite.

"We'd like to add a power-play guy, a real top-notch defenseman, a top-notch forward, and add a couple kids to the mix," Tallon said. "We're going to be aggressive and we're going to be committed to the guys we need to get. We're going to be a stronger, faster team."

It's the worst-kept secret in the NHL that the Hawks will go hard after defenseman Brian Campbell should he get to free agency and not re-sign with the San Jose Sharks. Campbell had 54 assists and 62 points with the Buffalo Sabres and the Sharks.

Tampering rules don't allow Tallon to talk about a player under contract with another club, but Kane can, and he admitted he made a recruiting pitch to Campbell.

"I was talking to Campbell there at the All-Star Game down in Atlanta and told him to come to Chicago," Kane said. "He said, 'Just tell them to make me the right offer.'

"It would be nice to see a guy like that come here."

Campbell, or a player like him, would help improve what was one of the worst power plays in the NHL.

"There were 40 games where we went without a goal on the power play, and we need to improve that number next year," Hawks coach Denis Savard said. "If we could cut that number down to 30, that would get us into the playoffs, no question."

Tallon said he expects to sign all of his restricted free agents, a list that includes Dustin Byfuglien, Andrew Ladd, Adam Burish, James Wisniewski, Jordan Hendry and Rene Bourque.

Tallon would like to retain unrestricted free agents Jason Williams and Kevyn Adams if the term and price is right. The Hawks don't want to go any longer than two years with Williams, who wants at least a three-year deal and is believed to be asking for $4 million a year, which makes it more likely he won't be back.

The Hawks will let Yanic Perreault and Andrei Zyuzin walk as unrestricted free agents.

Tallon will talk contract with goalie Patrick Lalime, an unrestricted free agent, but the plan now is to have Corey Crawford team with Nikolai Khabibulin.

"He has shown he can play, and it's time," Tallon said of Crawford. "But we're not going to give him the position. He has to earn it."

Along with Crawford, other Rockford players expected to challenge for jobs are defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson and forwards Jack Skille, Troy Brouwer, Mike Blunden, Kris Versteeg, Jake Dowell, Peiti Kontiola and Evan Brophey.

"I like some of those kids because they have size, and we need to continue to improve our size," Savard said.

"When you look at the big picture of our organization and our team, where we're at, we're sitting in a pretty good situation. We know now that we're on the right track. Last year, I couldn't have told you guys that. I would have been a liar."