Chicago Blackhawks: The Case for Retaining Jake Dowell

Chicago Blackhawks coaching staff, the Honorable Stan Bowman and ladies and gentlemen of the jury, consider this my defense of Jake Dowell.

In reality, I have no financial interest vested in your decision to retain the services of this blue-collar center.  I'm not here to make Dowell's case as Messier or even Dave Bolland incarnate.

I'm saying that in the rush to sweep away the ills of the past season, it may be a bit rash to dismiss what Dowell brought to the Hawks.  I'm saying that having Dowell back at fourth-line center would not only be acceptable but a good move on Your Honor's part.

And so, with my feet firmly planted on my soapbox, here's my case for Jake Dowell.

Dowell played in 79 games this season for Chicago, mostly on the third and fourth line.  His final regular season numbers amounted to six goals and 15 assists for a total of 21 points.  He was a plus-five for the year.

Those numbers compare favorably with two of the centers that left the Hawks from the season before, John Madden (10 G, 13 A, 23 points, minus-2) and Colin Fraser (7 G, 12 A, 19 points, plus-6).  He played nearly 12 minutes a game, including 90 seconds a game on the penalty kill.

In games in which Dowell tallied a point this season, the Blackhawks went 14-4-3.  He led Chicago centers in hits (107) and blocked shots (43).  Who led the team in fights in 2010-11?  Wrong.  Dowell found himself in nine scraps this season, one more than the Murdersaurus.

As opposed to John Scott, whose sole job was to throw hands, Dowell skated regular shifts and showed the type of grit Hawks fans insist the team is lacking heading into the summer.

The big knock on his season seems to be the way his play dropped way off in the season's last two and a half months.  I know a lot of folks are down on Dowell for the way he ended his season, and that bothered me a lot as well.

Through the All-Star break, Dowell was one of the bright spots in the lineup.  The guy did all you could ask of a fourth-liner, especially one who saw regular time with Scott as his wing.  Through Feb. 1st, Dowell had great numbers for a rookie grinder (5 G, 12 A, 19 points, plus-11).  I think most fans were ecstatic about Dowell's play up to that point.

In the remaining games, Dowell had one goal, three assists, and was minus-six (though the Hawks won all four games in which he had a point).

Had Dowell hit a mental wall?  Did he lose his grit?  Those of us who have followed him through his years at Wisconsin and in the AHL were left a bit aghast.  This didn't look like the Jake Dowell I knew.

Turns out the problem may not have been a mental burnout.

In that Feb. 1st game with Columbus, Dowell took a slap shot to the ankle and missed practice the following day.  He returned to practice February 4th and did not miss time due to the injury, but the speculation is that Dowell was not anywhere close to 100 percent the rest of the season.

Did Dowell skate over two months with a broken bone in his ankle?  I can't say for sure, but if that were the case it would explain the drop off in his performance.

Late in the season, The Hockey News aired an interview with Dowell chronicling his family's history with Huntington's Disease.  There has been speculation that the deteriorating health of his father, as well as the possibility that he will also develop Huntington's symptoms, was a factor in Dowell's diminished performance.

I tend not to completely buy into that theory, as he has dealt with these issues for a good many years before the interview aired.  If there's a smoking gun, it is likely the ankle.

The team came out last week following Troy Brouwer's shoulder surgery and suggested that he had been been hampered with nagging shoulder problems throughout the season.  Will there be a similar revelation concerning Dowell's ankle?

That remains to be seen.  However, I am more inclined to believe that Dowell was slowed by an injury as opposed to a lack of effort.

Most of us agree that it's important for Chicago to have the right type of role players on the fourth line.  Dowell is the girl-next-door in that regard.  Healthy, he is capable of doing a lot of dirty work.  Even as an RFA, he won't command big bucks to do it.

Hopefully the Hawks realize that the type of fourth-line grinder they are looking for is already here.

I respectfully rest my case.  The next move belongs to the Blackhawks and the good people of the court of public opinion.