Chicago Blackhawks: Stan Bowman Hasn't Done Enough

The Hawks look bad.  They are banged up, riddled by injuries, horribly inconsistent, have no identity and no production from special teams play. They may, shockingly enough, be on the outside looking in come playoff time.

The recently acquired Johnny Oduya will ultimately help, but he will not make the difference. He will be in the top four and should help the Hawks stay in the hunt, but he will not help the power play or get them to the holy grail.

What we also know is that in the last calendar year, Stan Bowman has not been an effective general manager. Fans and Chicagoans have been foaming at the mouth for two months, desperately seeking help at center, at the goaltender position and at the blue line. While Oduya is welcome, we may see Jonathan Toews headed to the injured reserved and there is nobody playing in the middle to help out. Oh wait, I forgot about how much of an impact Brendan Morrison has been. Sorry.  

For reasons we do not know, Stan Bowman has elected to mail-in the rest of this season. He claims he is fine with what he has, but now, without a significant upgrade on offense as well as on the blue line, the Hawks will have a difficult time making the postseason. Without Toews in the last four games, the Hawks have only scored four goals. So now it's not only just letting in goals in bunches, but also that they aren't scoring any.

Nothing has been more irritating as a fan than watching other Western Conference teams get better for the postseason while Stan sits on his hands. Nashville is clearly going for it, adding Hal Gill, Andrei Kostitsyn and Paul Gaustad.  Vancouver made necessary moves and others have also made deals. The writing was on the wall weeks ago and needs were identified. Still, Bowman has done little.

So this raises the question, does "Stan-Still" Bowman know what he is doing?  Is he the real problem? While some folks are calling for the head of Joel Quenneville, ragging on Mike Kitchen and others, the Hawks' problems seem to be coming from the top.

Let's take an honest look at the moves Bowman has made since this time last season. Have any been of significant value?  Adding Chris Campoli didn't work.  He got rid of Brian Campbell's salary and added Sean O'Donnell, Jamal Mayers, Sami Lepisto and Daniel Carcillo.

Other than Mayers, the rest have been disappointments.  Even when Steve Montador was healthy, he was not making the impact the Hawks were hoping for. He is still on the payroll for three more seasons at $2.75 million a year. Bowman traded the well liked Troy Brouwer to prioritize Michael Frolik (Frolik is rubbish). Corey Crawford was re-signed for three more years, but now that has come into question.

Hawks fans were excited when Stan still had cap room left for the deadline after trading Campbell and waiving Rostislav Olesz, yet he did not significantly improve the club.

There was the opportunity to sell high on Viktor Stalberg weeks ago and that did not happen.  Now we are stuck with his dismal output and lack of passion for the sport. 

Can the Hawks still go on a run? I suppose it is possible, but the center position was called into question before Toews was injured.  No. 19 is currently not skating, the Hawks are slipping and nobody is on the way to help out up front.

So Stan, can you at least notify Chicago fans ahead of time that you are planning on punting on this year and focusing on future seasons?  Why are you so gun-shy when it comes to making deals? Yes, it will cost to make a team better, but it is a shame that we have a team with this amount of talent and they are not supported by the front office.

When this season ends badly and we are well on our way, there will be a fall-guy. There shouldn't be. Look no further than an inexperienced general manager that has ridden his father's coat-tails to a great gig with a great organization. Prior to this job, his experience in hockey has been significantly limited. He has taken credit for the winner Dale Tallon built and has added little of his own.

The fall-guy? The man leading the charge. Look no further than the Hawks' current GM. 

Thanks for reading.