Chicago Blackhawks: Both Andrew Shaw and Jimmy Hayes Have Room for Growth

The Chicago Blackhawks roster just took on a different look with a move the team made yesterday. Not by a trade, just a shuffling of two young players.

Jimmy Hayes returns to the 'Hawks after almost a month down in Rockford. Before that, he had four goals and three assists with Chicago in 13 games. Taking his place on the Ice Hogs is forward/center/Internet sensation Andrew Shaw, who went from unsigned draft pick to the face on Chuck Norris' pajamas.

Shaw tallied five goals and four assists in his 19 games up with the Blackhawks, including goals in five of his first eight games back in early January. Shaw got a chance to show the tenacity that could have him battling for a spot on Chicago's fourth line next season. For now, however, he has some lessons that will be better learned in an Ice Hogs sweater.

What has to be remembered about both Hayes and Shaw is that neither is a finished product. Hayes came to the 'Hawks in a trade during the 2010 draft that netted the 'Hawks his brother Kevin. He had a pair of goals and three assists in five games in Rockford since being sent down before the All-Star break.

Hayes is a big guy with good hands, the polar opposite of Shaw, who was committing turnovers on a regular basis as his tenure in Chicago wore on. Shaw's game is exactly what fans saw in his first days in town. He is energy incarnate, gets to the net, and looks for put-backs. That's the game you could have seen in Rockford back in December.

Shaw is at his best when he's finding pucks at the doorstep. He works hard to get to that position to clean up rebounds and loose pucks. What's lacking right now in his game is an ability to defend and an NHL shot. Shaw was able to out-hustle those deficiencies early, but the longer he was up, the more those holes were evident.

Hayes is expected to provide a similar physical presence in lieu of Shaw, but that's not really his game. He made some hits in his first tour of duty with the 'Hawks, but the Hayes I saw in Rockford was much like the one that I have seen over the first three months with the Ice Hogs.

That would be a 6'5" forward with soft hands and a lack of zip in his skates. By December, he was improving his skating and adjusting to the physical pro game. He is not one to shy away from contact, but he didn't go out of his way to seek it out in Rockford.

I was pleasantly surprised to see Hayes playing a more rugged game when he came up to Chicago. That didn't really continue in his short stint back in Rockford. Hayes will be expected to bang a bit and get to the net on a regular basis. Like Shaw, Hayes has some defensive issues that were a factor in his reassignment to Rockford last month.

Right now, Hayes is going to get the chance to show his more rugged side with a second look in Chicago. It will be up to him to build upon the success he had in his first go-round with the team.