Chicago Blackhawks Insider: Health Is Always an Issue

Have you noticed something about the Blackhawks lately? I am sure that anyone that calls him or herself a Blackhawks fan has.

Chicago has played several games without some of its top talent in the lineup, including forwards Marian Hossa, Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews. The problems that they have had while these three have been out are very well known.

Just like any team, the Blackhawks have lacked continuity on the offensive side of the puck due to these injuries and need to have these guys in the lineup in order to have the kind of success that they seek.

I have written in the past about how continuity is important in hockey, almost much more than it is in other sports (football is the other sport that requires that there be a lot of continuity), and we have seen the Blackhawks struggle without their top guns (or that important continuity) in the lineup.

All three of those guys (keep in mind that Toews hasn’t been injured that much this season) are important players in the Blackhawks lineup, and of course the team is not as good as it could be without those guys in the lineup.

This is true of most teams, but the Blackhawks seem to have a particular need to have those three guys in the lineup on a regular basis. Remember that all three players were very important pieces in their drive to the Stanley Cup Championship last season, and without them the Blackhawks haven’t looked like the team that they looked like last year as they headed into the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

There are some that would argue that the Blackhawks were not that great of a team during the regular season but tightened things up and looked very good as they made their way into the playoffs. Some felt that Chicago was the hot team at the time, and their ability to win those playoff games was a result of their being the hot team at that time. Perhaps it had a little less to do with skill than it had to do with luck, many thought.

But if you look at this team when they are without their playmakers, you can see that they do not have the “punch” that they normally have on offense. Toews is definitely a guy that they can’t afford to have miss too much time not only because of his value on offense, but also because of the leadership that he brings to the ice. His leadership is important, and when he’s out there, the Hawks play much better.

The same can be said for Hossa. Hossa came to the Blackhawks with some experience playing on teams that had tried to win the Stanley Cup, but he had never been on a team that had won it. He had the desire to want to win the Stanley Cup, and it was infectious. Through his play and the inspiration that he gave his teammates, the Blackhawks were able to go all the way and win hockey’s greatest award.

Taking Kane off the ice is also a great detriment to this team. Kane is one of the best scoring threats that the Blackhawks have, and he’s been vital on offense for them since coming to Chicago back in the 2007 NHL Draft. So far this season, in the games that he has played in, Kane has managed to get 11 goals and 16 assists (for a total of 27 points), and the Hawks miss his production.

Both Kane and Hossa should be back and playing with the Blackhawks after Christmas, and you can bet that they will be very welcome when they come back.

After they return, expect the Hawks to “turn it up” and play better with their full squad back in action.

All in all, you can’t stress enough just how important having those guys back will mean to the Blackhawks. It might be the difference between getting back to the playoffs and missing them altogether.