Chicago Blackhawks reader Q&A: Is McDonough on a short leash? Can the Hawks afford Lehner long term? And more ...

Impressive. Most impressive.

That pretty much sums up how the Blackhawks looked during a five-game run against Central Division opponents over the last week.

If it weren't for a brutal third-period meltdown against St. Louis, the Hawks would have gone 4-1-0.

The last two games - a 4-1 victory at Winnipeg and an amazing 5-3 comeback win at Colorado - featured the hard-hitting, physical play that Duncan Keith all but begged for after a disappointing 4-1 loss to the Avs at the United Center on Wednesday.

There were some solid performances from rookies Kirby Dach (goal at Colorado), Dennis Gilbert (another impressive fight), Adam Boqvist (who looks awfully comfortable with Keith) and Dominik Kubalik (goals in both games).

That said, coach Jeremy Colliton's team is still at the bottom of the Central Division standings at 15-16-6 and dealing with injuries to forwards Andrew Shaw, Drake Caggiula and Brandon Saad, and defensemen Calvin de Haan and Brent Seabrook.

With Saad out at least two weeks, I'd love to see the Hawks give The IceHogs' Alexandre Fortin a 4-5 game trial run.

The speed-demon forward has been out three weeks due to injury, but is about ready to return. The Hawks have not done a great job tracking down pucks or winning races, so why not give him another shot?

Hey - just a thought.

(The Hawks did call up John Quenneville from Rockford on Sunday. He has 8 goals and 5 assists in 19 games).

Now let's see what has been on your mind since we did our last reader Q&A in early November:

Q: Do you expect if the Hawks don't make the playoffs - a high probability - that there will be a full house cleaning? Jeremy Colliton and Stan Bowman (both gone)? Odds that (John) McDonough is still the President this summer?

@GeneDanceMach

A: Let's quickly start with Part II of this query: I am 99 percent sure McDonough isn't going anywhere. He doesn't want to leave while the organization is in this position, and I believe Rocky Wirtz will give him plenty of rope to oversee a possible resurgence.

As for Colliton and Bowman, it's very difficult to say. If the Hawks finish with 65-70 points, there's no growth with the young players and the veterans are in revolt behind the scenes, then yes, I believe McDonough would start over.

Otherwise, I think both stay to at least begin the 2020-21 campaign. Just like a few of players, Colliton probably could have used another season or two honing his skills in the minors.

But the Hawks are where they are. If you're going to allow players to stub their toes during this phase, then you should allow your head coach to do the same.

Franchises with heavy turnover behind the bench have awfully difficult times succeeding long term.

Q: Could the Blackhawks afford to sign (Robin) Lehner for a significant amount of time after this season? Who would they have to let go or risk losing in order to make that happen?

@HawksFanAZ

A: An excellent question. The Hawks have about $63 million committed to nine forwards and six defensemen next season. If you figure the salary cap should increase to about $83 million to $84 million, it seems like they have plenty of room to sign Lehner.

Two big concerns are how much will the Hawks have to pay restricted free agents Dominik Kubalik (who is looking like a 20-goal scorer) and Dylan Strome (a 60-point guy)? And are they going to ink Brandon Saad to an costly extension after next season?

As for Lehner, my thinking is the Hawks could afford to give him a five-year, $37.5 million deal. Maybe six years and $42 million. But the way he's playing, why wouldn't a team like Colorado throw out a seven-year, $70 million offer? If the Avs can unload Philipp Grubauer, who is signed for one more year at $3.33M, then Lehner could help pave the way to an incredible run in the Mile High state.

Other teams (like Montreal, who could lose Carey Price) may come calling as well. It will certainly be fascinating to see how it all plays out.

Q: Given how bad the defense is, if a deadline trade of either goalie is made, then the Blackhawks better get a 1 or 2 defenseman. Right?

@drhoffman21

A: Wrong. Playoff-bound teams aren't going to give up a top-pairing defenseman. Or a second-pairing guy for that matter.

Trade deadline deals don't work that way. Now, that doesn't mean a team won't overpay for Corey Crawford and/or Robin Lehner. It just means the Hawks are likely to get a high-end prospect or two and/or multiple draft picks (one of which figures to be a first-rounder).

Q: I think we've all loved the Cat-Strome bff dynamic on and off the ice. Who else among the newer/younger guys are becoming best friends?

@anamariacmk

A: Corey Crawford and Robin Lehner. When I asked Crawford what it's like to have Lehner as a teammate, Lehner came over and started rubbing Crawford's back.

"(Heck), yeah," Crawford said.

To which Lehner replied: "I love you too."

Crawford continued by saying: "He's a great guy to sit next to. I mean I feel like I can talk to him about anything. It's been a really good relationship so far."

Q: Are there any updates on Drake Caggiula? Did his symptoms return?

Gail Kauchak on Twitter

A: While Caggiula (concussion) has been cleared to practice, he's feeling some dull pain in the back of his head at times. He won't return until that's gone for good.

Q: When will Andrew Shaw return to the lineup? Rumor has it he will be out for the rest of the year. What is the update on his progress?

@ JennyP7214

A: There is no update, but I am also hearing he may be out for the season. Shaw, who is on long-term injured reserve, has suffered multiple concussions and will not rush back from this one.

Q: What teams do the Blackhawks have the best record against and worst record against all time?

@rockybabula

A: This was fun to look up.

Against the current NHL teams, the Hawks' best points percentage is against Ottawa (24 wins, 9 losses, 2 ties and 1 OT or shootout loss for a .708 points percentage).

Their next best records are against Florida (24-10-3-2, .679) and Columbus (50-27-2-7, .634).

The Hawks fare worst against Vegas (1-6-2, .222); Montreal (159-301-103-4, .375) and Philadelphia (47-64-30-1, .440).

Their all-time points percentages against division teams are: Winnipeg .583, Nashville .570, Dallas .564, St. Louis .552, Minnesota .507 and Colorado .503.