Hawks GM Bowman praises Colliton, Seabrook
Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman talked to reporters for 20 minutes Tuesday prior to the game against Calgary.
Bowman said he's quite pleased with how the team has played despite missing five veterans. Besides talking about the team improving and a playoff run, Bowman touched on other topics:
Jeremy Colliton
Just as it's been for the team, it's also been a bumpy ride at times for the coach. Bowman lauded Colliton for sticking with his approach even as the losses piled up early.
"Positive demeanor, communicates really well with the players," Bowman said. "When you have a young team you need to have a lot of information flow back and forth (with) the coaching staff."
Bowman also likes how a more-experienced Colliton has improved on game days.
"He knows the league better. You can study it from afar but until you're coaching against someone, you don't really know their tendencies and adjustments in-game. Jeremy's done a very good job of making little changes to help our team win."
Brent Seabrook
Bowman praised Seabrook for playing through shoulder and hip injuries the last several years, calling the 34-year-old defenseman "a warrior." Seabrook decided to have surgery to repair the ailments and is out for the season.
"He deserves a lot of credit or admiration for the way he's handled it," Bowman said. "He's a real character player."
Did the decision on surgery have anything to do with the fact he was a healthy scratch three times this season?
"He can only answer that," Bowman said. "I can't speak for him. These injuries have been there a long time. I don't know what the tipping point is when it's time to finally get evaluated, but this is where we're at now."
Alex Nylander
Nylander was expected to play Tuesday against Calgary after being a healthy scratch the last three games. The forward has 5 goals and 9 assists and a team-worst minus-9 rating after 39 games.
Bowman acquired Nylander from Buffalo in exchange for defenseman Henri Jokiharju in the off-season and said the 22-year-old has had "a mixed" campaign thus far.
"Alex had flashes were he was really effective and sometimes he needs to just (be more reliable) both ways," Bowman said. "Still encouraged by what he's shown. If we can get his best game, he can really impact us in a positive way. So if we can bring that out (of him) on a regular basis that will help the team."
Odds and ends
Bowman would not comment on possible contract extensions to unrestricted free agents Robin Lehner, Corey Crawford or Erik Gustafsson or restricted free agent Dylan Strome. ... Bowman said it's up to the doctors whether Andrew Shaw (concussion) would be shut down for the season. He gave no other update on how the forward is feeling. "It's not really fair to speculate because nobody really knows," Bowman said. ... Of the Hawks prospects who took part in the recently-completed World Juniors tournament, Bowman said he likes the progression of forward Michal Teply the most. The 6-foot-3 Teply, a fourth-round pick last June, has 13 goals and 17 assists in 29 games for the WHL's Winnipeg Ice.