Chicago Blackhawks: Marcus Kruger Not Replacing Bolland, but Can Help the Cause

Marcus Kruger is now two games into his NHL career, having played in the Chicago Blackhawks 2-1 loss to Anaheim Saturday night. This 20-year-old rookie's arrival with the team has coincided with the potential loss of Dave Bolland in the latter stages of a fierce playoff fight.

Not exactly the best of circumstances for the new guy to get his feet wet.

Two games is way too early to cast judgement on Kruger, let alone the handful of games he will appear in this season. GM Stan Bowman took advantage of the early ending the center's season in the Swedish Elite League to bring him aboard for Chicago's final 10 games.

With Dave Bolland no closer to returning from his concussion, the 'Hawks found themselves down a center. Enter Kruger, who has centered the third line since donning the Indian sweater.

As the Blackhawks continue to scrap for playoff position, fans will do well to heed the following caution when evaluating Kruger in the games he plays this season.

Kruger was brought in to fill Bolland's roster spot. He is not, however, a replacement for Bolland.

That's not meant to be a swipe at Kruger, who has performed well in limited minutes. It's just a fact.

Bolland's presence was missed Saturday night. On an evening where you would have expected him to lead a shutdown of the Duck's top line, that line proved to be the difference in the contest. Two Corey Perry goals in the third period provided Anaheim's scoring and allowed then to come out of Chicago with two valuable points.

At Sunday's practice, Kruger was used on the second line and may see time between Bryan Bickell and Marian Hossa this week.  Kruger has played around 10 minutes in each of his first two games.  He has shown some of the potential that has him penciled into next year's lineup, but he's not skating around with a cape just yet.

I noticed that coach Joel Quenneville is doing his best to avoid Kruger taking draws in the defensive zone, though he was 6-12 in faceoffs overall against the Ducks.  I'm guessing that his minutes might increase as he gets acclimated to his teammates.

Despite being a bit undersized for an NHL center, he has shown good instincts and a willingness to battle in the corners. Kruger is on his way to being a solid piece of the Blackhawks' roster for the next few years. Let's not expect him to hop off the plane and carry this team into the postseason. 

The 'Hawks have been unable to offer much optimism of Bolland returning in time to make a difference this season. The job of stepping up in his absence does not fall solely in Kruger's lap, however.  Ryan Johnson and Jake Dowell have to join their new teammate in the effort.

Kruger is a talented and fortunate pickup late in the season and can make a difference in the final games of the regular season.  Just don't expect him to be THE difference.