Thanks For Playing: Chicago Blackhawks

Each spring 16 NHL teams play for Lord Stanley's Cup. At the end one team is left holding the cup while the other 15 teams can only think of what might have been. 

This is about one of the 15 teams who wasn't so lucky. 

How They Finished: 

45-26-11   101 points  4th in Central Division, 6th in Western Conference. 

What Went Wrong: 

Quite simply Chicago couldn't find a way to finish.

The first five games of the series went to overtime with the Coyotes winning games one, three and four with the latter of the two being in Chicago. The Blackhawks meanwhile were able to win games two and five in Phoenix.

This series was so close that it could have easily been won by Chicago if a couple of bounces had gone their way in overtime.

Instead they found themselves down 3-2 in the series and facing elimination going into game six.

And in game six the worst fear by Blackhawk fans were realized, they couldn't beat Mike Smith.

Smith had played brilliantly down the stretch solidifying the position in goal and leading the Coyotes to their first division title. Last night he faced 39 shots and turned them all away.

How good was Smith in game six? Phoenix was getting out shot 28-8 after two periods and yet because of Smith's play in net the Coyotes had a 1-0 lead.

While Smith played good we must acknowledge the fact that the best players for Chicago failed to make an impact.

Jonathan Toews tied for the team lead in playoff goals with two. Patrick Sharp only had one goal in the series while Patrick Kane was not able to find the back of the net.

It's hard to win a series when three of your top four goal scorers during the regular season combine for only three goals during the series.

One thing that I think was a factor for the Blackhawks was the loss of Marian Hossa after the hit he suffered at the hands of Raffi Torres.

Hossa had no points in the series going into game three. I can't help but think that with a healthy Hossa Chicago gains at least a split at the United Center and probably ends up winning this series.

Instead with Hossa out of the lineup the Blackhawks were unable to fill his void in the lineup and are done in six games. 

Where Do They Go From Here: 

Last year Chicago clinched the final playoff berth on the last day of the season after turning over much of their roster due to salary cap issues.

This summer they go into free agency with nearly $7 million in projected cap space.

One thing I think the Blackhawks will do is try to add some depth at center.

Jonathan Toews missed the final 23 games of the season due to a concussion which left Chicago very thin at center. They have some young players in their system at center but I'm thinking the Blackhawks would like to add a veteran so they won't have to rely on Marcus Kruger or Andrew Shaw to carry the load should anything happen to Toews or Dave Bolland.

If Chicago does add a center I don't think any of their remaining free agents will return. The only one I can see them bringing back is defenseman Johhny Oduya and that is if only the price is right.

One more thing the Blackhawks need is consistent goaltending. Corey Crawford was shaky in net at times finishing with a GAA of 2.72 and a save percentage of .903. Ray Emery wasn't any better finishing with a GAA of 2.81 and a save percentage of .900.

Both goaltenders are signed through next season and Chicago is hoping one of them (Crawford) can bounce back from this past year.

This is a talented Blackhawks team that has been knocked out in the first round two years in a row. Last year they were beat by a Vancouver team that was better than them despite taking the series to a seventh game.

This year they were outworked by a Phoenix team that doesn't have as much talent as Chicago. If a first round exit happens again next year there will be massive changes in the Windy City.