Backyard Hockey
Dealing With It
- Feb 13, 2015
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I don’t think the D was better.I cannot be either a pessimist really - or an optimist at this point. I will need to see the roster first. Next year, I surmise that the roster we open with will be fairly changed from where we are now. This season - before the season started - I predicted 80 points for the team. This season was pretty much exactly what I and many others predicted it would be. Without a knowing who is in (and who is out) one cannot tell for next year. That said...
I am encouraged by some of the guys: Cat, Strome, Cagguila, Kahun, and Gus (and, of course, Kane). All likely will be better next year than this year (except Kane - in that how does one improve from where he is - though he should be comparable, one would think). Toews did surprise me this year and that makes me hopeful for him for next year. But... unless the Hawks get a goalie and a #1 and a #2/3 D-man in, no matter what else happens, next season will be -at best - an early exit from the playoffs. The Hawks are three major players away from being something - and that is a long way! Once more, until a legit 1st pairing tandem of D-men come in, this team is going nowhere. That does not mean pessimist - but it is the truth. The Hawks really need some roster changes --- till that plays out, it is too early to predict anything.
It can be argued that the Hawks were better defensively the second half of the season. True. But going from 30th or so in the league to perhaps - in the second half - 20th - 22nd or so in the league, while better --- is really way, way, way too little. This roster of D-men are very unlikely to be much better than that next year (20th or so). And that will be way too poor a D to have the team do much next season. We need D-men badly. It will likely cost us forwards to get such guys. We will see how it plays out roster wise and predict from there.
The goaltending was better because Crow was back and played great.
The D - most notably as expressed in goals against - was horrendous all season.