Hawks’ slide has many reaching for panic button

The Blackhawks just finished what was supposed to be the easy part of their nine-game road trip.

Now their failure to win in either Edmonton, Calgary or Colorado against teams below them in the standings has set them up for a potentially disastrous finish.

The Hawks have dropped six in a row, their longest losing streak since 2007-08, and now must play their next four games at San Jose, Phoenix, Nashville and New York against the Rangers.

The last time the Hawks faced this kind of adversity Bill Wirtz was the owner, John McDonough was running the Cubs and Stan Bowman was in one of the back offices at the United Center crunching numbers.

Much of Blackhawks Nation is in panic mode, and there is a lot to be concerned about with only 28 games to play and this team getting closer to being out of the playoffs than in a position to catch Detroit in the Central Division.

Twitter and various chat forums are jumping with fans who want Joel Quenneville fired, Patrick Kane traded, Bryan Bickell sent to the minors and Bowman to make an impact trade today.

Let’s address some of these concerns.

Is Quenneville in trouble?No, but that doesn#146;t mean things couldn#146;t change in the off-season if the Hawks either fail to make the playoffs or have a second straight first-round exit.

President John McDonough likes Quenneville, but he also likes winning.

Has Quenneville lost the team?There is no evidence of this. The players respect Quenneville, who treats them like men, gives them plenty of time off and never, ever throws his guys under the bus.

Quenneville#146;s message and systems basically are the same as they were as recently as two years ago when the Hawks won their first Stanley Cup in 49 years on his watch. But this is a far less talented team up and down the lineup and has average goaltending. That#146;s where the problem lies, not with the head coach.

Should Bowman have done something before now to address the poor defensive play?The answer now, obviously, is yes considering what has happened since the all-star break.

Bowman claims there are no #147;sellers#148; ready to trade players, and there#146;s no reason to doubt him considering the lack of significant deals around the league.

Maybe the price is high for defensemen such as Montreal#146;s Hal Gill, Edmonton#146;s Andy Sutton and Carolina winger Tuomo Ruutu, but Bowman might need to overpay to shake up his roster.

Has Duncan Keith turned into a liability?Keith has become the fans#146; favorite whipping boy, but it#146;s hardly Keith#146;s fault the defensive mindset of this team is poor.

Keith#146;s mistakes are glaring because he plays more minutes than anyone and against all the best players. Does Keith make more mistakes now than during his Norris Trophy season? He does, but a lot of time it#146;s from trying too hard to help cover the mistakes of others on a team that is not as good as in 2009-10.

Has Bowman misjudged his core group?This is a question best saved for the off-season after we see how the dust settles.

Bowman has been loyal to his core, rewarded them with lucrative long-term contracts and stood behind them amid criticism.

Let#146;s remember the core carried this team up to the all-star break when it was right at the top of the league. They#146;re now the ones most responsible for getting things back on track starting Friday at San Jose.

Why not send Bickell and Michael Frolik to the minors?They both would need to clear waivers, and the Hawks are certain they would be claimed, especially Bickell #8212; a big-body winger with a great contract in terms of a low $600,000 cap hit.

Why was Jimmy Hayes sent down?That happened because he wasn#146;t required to clear waivers and the Hawks didn#146;t have a roster spot for him with Jonathan Toews and Patrick Sharp coming off injured reserve after the all-star break.

While Hayes was impressive, no rookie is going to make a difference getting the Hawks out of this mess. Look at how Andrew Shaw is now struggling.

Why is the power play so bad and who is to blame?The Hawks don#146;t have a defenseman to quarterback the power play from the point. They need a quarterback to make the proper decisions and to get shots through to the net. The forwards handle the puck way too much looking for pretty plays, but that#146;s because so little happens at the points.

Quenneville has the final voice on the power play, but assistants Mike Kitchen and Mike Haviland should share the blame on both special teams.

tsassone@dailyherald.com