No chance a Bowman team will ease up to improve draft position
When the Blackhawks were limping along at 9-18-5 in mid-December, the playoffs were a pipe dream.
The thinking among some was maybe the Hawks should tank to end up with the best odds of landing a top-three draft pick.
Imagine telling that to Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook and Corey Crawford. Or imagine decimating a roster to the point a team almost can't win.
It's a philosophy GM Stan Bowman will never embrace.
Hawks fans got the best of both worlds - a legitimate midseason surge that nearly led to a playoff berth and a top-three pick. The latter occurred when the Hawks leapt from No. 12 to No. 3 in June's draft when the spots were revealed Tuesday.
Afterward, a thrilled Bowman said he never considered losing games on purpose.
"Our guys want to win and we owe it to our fans to try and win as many games as we can," he said. "Athletes are competitive. We pushed our team all year (and told them) don't worry about the draft. Those things have a way of working themselves out.
"There's no question we're in a different category now. It's sort of poetic justice that it worked out that way."
Because the Hawks were near the bottom of the league early in the season, Bowman said his staff knows quite a bit about the top prospects.
Jack Hughes is expected to go No. 1 to New Jersey, and Kaapo Kakko should go No. 2 to the Rangers.
Many expect the Hawks to select Russian Vasili Podkolzin, an extremely gifted winger who combines soft hands and a lethal shot with plenty of grit and determination. In other words, the complete package.
Podkolzin is signed for two more years in the KHL.
The Hawks could trade down to acquire an NHL-ready player off another team's roster, but that doesn't seem very likely after listening to Bowman Tuesday.
"These are the kind of moments that really energize a franchise, energize a team." Bowman said. "Players get excited when they know they have a chance to play with these elite talents.
"It's great for everybody on our team, guys that are on their way to this team, members of our organization and, most importantly, our fans."
Help coming: When Stan Bowman spoke Sunday at the United Center, he expressed confidence Dominik Khubalik will contribute next season. The 6-foot-1, 185-pound Khubalik was acquired in January from Los Angeles for a fifth-round draft pick.
"A dynamic offensive player," Bowman said. "He's got size, speed ... can score."
Khubalik scored 25 goals in 50 games for Ambri-Piotta in the Swiss-A league this season. Blackhawks forward Dominik Kahun, who came from Germany's pro league and notched 13 goals and 24 assists as a rookie this season, is good friends with Khubalik.
"He's a great player and definitely can play in this league," he said.