Chicago Blackhawks: Rise of Andrew Shaw and Jimmy Hayes Also Signal Team Needs

At the beginning of the 2011-12 hockey season, Andrew Shaw was trying to find a spot on the fourth line of the Rockford Ice Hogs. Friday night, Shaw centered two NHL All-Stars.

A year ago at this time, Jimmy Hayes was attending Boston College. On Friday, Hayes played power play minutes in Chicago's 4-0 loss to Colorado at the United Center.

The ascension of Shaw and Hayes has been stunning. How long the two remain with the club remains to be seen, but I'd say both players have made the most of their opportunities.

Shaw moved up the ladder in Rockford early in the season, taking a spot on Brandon Pirri's line when Rob Klinkhammer—who has since been traded to Ottawa—struggled to click offensively. Shaw ignited Pirri and parlayed a red-hot December into an NHL contract and subsequent recall by Chicago.

The fifth-round pick from the 2011 draft scored his first NHL goal Thursday in Philadelphia and also had his first scrap to boot. Shaw doesn't seem fazed so far with the jump in competition and is playing the same chippy game he was so successful with in Rockford.

Hayes has a pair of goals in four games and played almost 15 minutes Friday. Unlike Ben Smith and Jeremy Morin, who struggled in fourth line minutes when they were up in Chicago, Hayes is carving out a niche as a solid energy player.

Both young players have made waves in their NHL debuts and show potential to be valuable members of the Blackhawks. Before we begin work on sculpting their Hall of Fame busts, however, let's recognize why both Shaw and Hayes are skating in the Indian head sweater.

After beating Detroit in Hayes first game with the club, Chicago has dropped consecutive games to the Oilers, Flyers and Avalanche in the first week of January.

Daniel Carcillo, love him or hate him, leaves a void at forward with his knee injury. Marcus Kruger is out indefinitely with a concussion. The defense has taken a step back this week.

The 'Hawks are zero for 2012. To say that the team has looked out of sorts is an understatement.

The fact that a player like Shaw, who was toiling under an AHL contract until a few days ago, can be instantly handed top-six minutes for a team that claims to have Cup aspirations suggests that there is a need to be filled.

Shaw could prove to be a fixture somewhere on the roster, but I don't believe his role on this team is that of a second line center. Hayes getting so much time on the ice also means that there are forwards in the lineup who haven't been as effective as they need to be.

Dylan Olson, another Rockford call up, playing 15:02 while Joel Quenneville sends out a sixth defenseman for less than four minutes is also reason for concern. The defense has had trouble with six players skating regular shifts, let alone going out a man short.

I think the kids have definitely shown promise. At the same time, management should not fall into the trap of thinking that upgrades are not needed. The needs are still there. The Blackhawks just can't depend on recent additions to fill the roles alone.