Chicago Blackhawks: 5 Weaknesses to Address Before the Playoffs

Though the Hawks have found a new gear since the calendar turned to March, the team still has issues, and still seems to be stuck with the sixth seed in the Western Conference.

Staring at the real possibility of having to face a division champion, the Hawks have some issues to attend to before the 82nd game of the season comes to an end.

Will Toews Skate Again This Season?

Though the Hawks have rallied to the tune of a 10-4-1 record in the absence of captain Jonathan Toews, there's no doubt that Chicago is a better team with Toews on the ice than off it.

The usual top center has been dealing with a concussion and the unpredictable recovery that comes with it for about a month now—though he did participate in an optional morning skate with his injured teammates on Wednesday.

As any Penguins fans will tell you from this season, the road back from concussions can be long and winding for a team's star. Whether or not Toews takes the ice again this season needs to be determined soon so that Quenneville and his staff can commit to a battle plan the rest of the way.

The Top Two Centers

In Toews' absence, Patrick Kane has shifted back to center, and again is playing his best hockey of the season there. On the second line, rushed youngster Marcus Kruger has been filling in admirably.

When and if Toews returns either during the regular season or postseason, it will cause a line shuffle. He'll reclaim his spot as the first-line center, bumping Kane either back to wing or the second-line center job.

Should Kane return to wing, it will leave some weird combination of Kruger, Brendan Morrison, Patrick Sharp and maybe a surprise (Brandon Pirri?) to duke it out for the second-line center job. Any of the group is really the best of a bad situation.

Regardless of what happens, someone needs to have that commitment from the staff that they will be at center until the season ends. Without that, expect the winning ways of late to become nothing more than a memory.

A Goaltending Strategy

The last two postseasons, the Blackhawks have had a true starting goaltender for the postseason. In 2010 it was Antti Niemi, in 2011 it was Corey Crawford. Both grabbed the starting job by the horns in March and early April and were solid in net during the playoffs.

This season, it seems like neither Crawford nor Ray Emery are able to keep the starting job for more than a handful of games at a time. That said, this will cause Quenneville issues he hasn't faced since Khabibulin went down with an injury in the 2009 playoffs.

Coach Q will have to decide if he's going to pick one of his two goalies and stick with them—keep in mind that Niemi did get lit up once in 2010 and caused Huet to play a period—or if he's going to yank the goalies at the first sign of trouble

Defensive Prowess

Before Wednesday night's game against Vancouver, the Hawks defense seemed to be coming together, though there were still doubt. Now, with a looming suspension from a hit on Daniel Sedin, the defense comes into question even more.

With the chemistry that Johnny Oduya and Nick Leddy have formed, it seems unlikely that they should be broken up. Whether it's Sean O'Donnell or rookie Dylan Olsen lining up with Seabrook remains to be seen. It could be Leddy or Oduya, too, but it's likely best to keep them together.

Beyond those issues, the defense's abilities (2.8 goals against per game) have to come into question. With the goalies not being able to take over games, the shots against have to come down drastically to help the Hawks win.

Special Teams Play

The Blackhawks' power play and penalty kill both rank in the bottom 10 in the NHL. Though Barry Smith has seemed to have helped bring the special teams to moderate respectability, the team's season-long struggles can't be ignored.

For a team with so much skill, the power-play woes are simply inexcusable. No team that can send Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Patrick Sharp and Marian Hossa out on the PP should have any issues putting the puck in the back of the net with a man advantage.

On the opposite end, the Hawks defensive struggles have led to the team's penalty kill woes. The only true defensive-minded D-men on the team are Seabrook, Hjalmarsson and rookie Dylan Olsen. Beyond that, the Hawks are forced to try and play someone like Duncan Keith or Johnny Oduya away from their strengths.