How will the Hawks end up this season?

[UsernameWasTaken]

Back in less horrific offseasons, we'd while away the time with poll after poll. So, I thought I'd go ahead and make one (and figured this would be a happier topic than "Do you think Kane will get charged").

Well...how will we do this season (and no caveats about whether a certain someone will be playing!!!)

Click to read more...

 

[CallMeShaft]

Provided Kane can return and the young guns (Panarin, Teuvo, Dano) can step up like I know they can? I expect nothing less than a cup.

And I don't care how unlikely it is that they'll repeat. As Han would say, "Never tell me the odds".

 

[ndgt10]

If Kane is gone, miss the playoffs. With him, lose in first round. This D is going to get torched.

 

[1Gold Standard]

I'm not optimistic for the season...on my most optimistic day, I see a 1st.rd. exit.

 

[Bubba88]

#repeat

 

[Taze em]

How could the defense get torched? It's still Keith, Seabrook and Hjalmarsson will be taking 65% of the ice time.

People care too much about bit players.

 

[crazyhawk]

If Kane is gone, miss the playoffs. With him, lose in first round. This D is going to get torched.

We only lost Oduya!
If Panarin, Anisimov and Dano catch on I can see another deep run and then it's anybody's guess!

It is after all a Blackhawk Renaissance!

 

[DisgruntledHawkFan]

Cup or bust

 

[Your Reality Check]

WCF but I can see them winning the Cup again. It's going to be a very bumpy regular season though.

 

[No Fun Shogun]

Uhhhhh.... too early to tell. Kind of need to know how the dust settles with Kane.

That being said....

With Kane: Top-tier challenger gunning for a repeat. Not reaching at least the WCF would be a disappointment.
Without Kane: Playoff team that might do some damage, but reaching the WCF would be a surprise.

 

[Sarava]

The Hawks will win their 3rd Cup in 4 seasons, and 4th in 7!

 

[x Tame Impala]

Our roster still isn't finished yet so it's tough to say. I doubt Kane misses a single game for the record.

We lost Sharp, Saad, and Oduya. While not crucial pieces to our success they were still very important and they were replaced by either kids and/or guys who have no idea what it's like to play Blackhawks hockey.

As fans (most of us atleast) we were able to spend the last 6 years watching the Hawks play with confidence. We believed they'd get it done and you could tell they did too. That might not be the case right away with such roster turnover. I think chemistry might be a big problem this season. I think we make it no further than the 2nd round

 

[hockeydoug]

Our roster still isn't finished yet so it's tough to say. I doubt Kane misses a single game for the record.

We lost Sharp, Saad, and Oduya. While not crucial pieces to our success they were still very important and they were replaced by either kids and/or guys who have no idea what it's like to play Blackhawks hockey.

As fans (most of us atleast) we were able to spend the last 6 years watching the Hawks play with confidence. We believed they'd get it done and you could tell they did too. That might not be the case right away with such roster turnover. I think chemistry might be a big problem this season. I think we make it no further than the 2nd round

I'm with you here.

I think it will be an ugly year with some really nice hotstreaks.
Continuity is key for puck management in my opinion, and they're going to make as many mistakes or more than in the first 2/3rds of 11' imo.

While I think it will a tough ride to the postseason, I think getting out of the first two rounds is very likely. Q will be messing with tremendous depth up front all year and he'll find some winning formulas. I think everybody in the division has some massive vulnerabilities and the Hawks have solved them before. NAS won't surprise anyone, STL still needs top centers, MIN has too many players with questions or on the verge of a dropoff, and the others are a year or more away from really matching up well against Chicago.

I like what they have paper this year on Sep 1st better than last year when it comes to a 7 game series so I like their chances of a CF appearance or better even if they are fighting to secure a playoff spot the last week of the season.

If Kane is moved, I don't see them in the playoffs without a massive veteran return.

 

[theaub]

This is a re-tooling year. 2nd round imo

 

[ManChild20]

I went with 2nd round loss. Can't win the Cup every year and a ton of new pieces have been brought in.

 

[SAADfather]

Uhhhhh.... too early to tell. Kind of need to know how the dust settles with Kane.

That being said....

With Kane: Top-tier challenger gunning for a repeat. Not reaching at least the WCF would be a disappointment.
Without Kane: Playoff team that might do some damage, but reaching the WCF would be a surprise.

I'd agree with this.

 

[G0AT]

With Kane: 3rd in the West, 7th Overall -> WCF Loss
Without Kane: 8th in the West, 12th Overall -> 2nd Round Exit

 

[SotasicA]

Re-tooling year. Out of the playoffs.

 

[Bubba88]

Hawks still have Toews, Hossa, Keith, Seabrook, Hjalmarsson and Crawford for sure. That's still a great core.

 

[JaegerDice]

I think Kane plays, but I'll hedge my bets and say 2nd round exit.

I think offensively they're still fine, I think defensively they have some big question marks. By the time playoffs roll around, I may be totally convinced they can make another deep run.


That said, we're coming off a third cup in 6 six years. They could be a lottery team and I'd still be enjoying the afterglow.

 

[Zero Pucks Given]

With Kane: WCF, maybe the SCF
Without Kane: WCQF exit

Either way, just don't miss the playoffs like we did.

 

[zac]

I think this is the year Q's special teams idiocy costs the team. Hawks get bounced in the 2nd round due in large part to the ST discrepancy between them and their opponent.

 

[Bubba88]

he's such a bad coach

 

[Hawkaholic]

I think this is the year Q's special teams idiocy costs the team. Hawks get bounced in the 2nd round due in large part to the ST discrepancy between them and their opponent.

Of course, because it was such a huge problem in the 3 other years we won the Cup.

 

[No Fun Shogun]

I'd swear, you'd think our coach was just deadweight according to some...