Chicago Blackhawks: Spitting out Stan Bowman's Kruger Kool-Aid

Chicago Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman has experienced his ups and downs in his short tenure as the head man in the area of hockey operations.  On two occasions he has taken stances that have invited unnecessary criticism upon his decisions.

The first was when he insisted that he was not worried about offer sheets.

The second was when he insisted that Marcus Kruger was the plan all along.

Kruger, the 'Hawks fifth-round selection in 2009, came aboard for the final 10 games of the regular season.  The circumstances surrounding the move set up the young Swede for scrutiny that was unrealistic as well as completely unnecessary.

The head scratcher is that Bowman brought this all down on Kruger and the organization himself.

Kruger made an impression on the club in Chicago's prospects camp and had a shot at making the team last fall.  The 'Hawks signed Kruger to an entry-level deal, after which Kruger chose to return to the Swedish Elite League for another season.

Seems like Bowman misjudged that situation as well, but it's what happened in the spring with which I take issue.

With the Blackhawks scuffling for a spot in the playoffs and Dave Bolland out with concussion symptoms,  Bowman approached Kruger's agents.  Kruger's SEL squad was facing an early exit from their playoffs and would be available to join the 'Hawks organization.

Djurgardens IF lost their first-round series in seven games (prophetic?), and Kruger was whisked across the Atlantic mere days after Patrick Sharp went down.

Now, here's where Bowman made things more difficult for himself.

Instead of saying something like this:

"Developments in Kruger's Swedish Elite League schedule have left him available to join the Blackhawks organization.  We're short a few players via some recent injuries, so he may be a player we call up to help combat our roster shortage."

Then he could have brought up Kruger or let him get his feet wet in Rockford.

Instead, he insisted that the injuries to Sharp and Bolland had nothing to do with Kruger's recall to the Blackhawks.  Bringing up Kruger was what had been planned all season.

Bowman's statements were tough to swallow when he said them.  How could it be the plan when he had no idea how long Kruger would be committed to the SEL playoffs?

How could Bowman have thought that bringing up a 20-year-old European prospect and tossing him into the tail end of a frantic playoff push was a sound plan?

Kruger played in seven regular season games, then took a seat the second Sharp returned to the lineup.  Kruger played in five playoff games, largely as a replacement for Tomas Kopecky.

Actions speak louder than words in this case.

Words told us that Kruger would have been in the lineup regardless.  Actions told us that he was only playing because of injuries.

Kruger didn't play terribly in his short stint with the club.  However, it was clear that he wasn't quite ready for the NHL game.  He certainly wasn't ready to make the impact that was needed at that point of the season or what had been implied by Bowman.

Of course, some drank the Kool-Aid and steadfastly maintained that Kruger was here because he was ready to contribute big minutes at center at the NHL level.   Kruger, who in fact spent time on the wing in the playoffs, may have benefited more by skating in Rockford the last two weeks.

Ben Smith's call up and subsequent success with the 'Hawks brings up another question.

Was it sound thinking on management's part to think a player with limited experience with an NHL rink and Kruger's numbers in the SEL (six G, 29 A, plus-12) was so much more impressive than Ben Smith's AHL totals (19 G, 12 A, minus-three) that we immediately needed him in the Chicago lineup?  To say nothing of a guy like Jeff Taffe who had NHL experience at center and lit it up in Rockford?

Smith came up with little fanfare and became the darling of the playoffs.  He didn't skate circles around Kruger, but Bowman heaped far greater expectations on the Swede.

I recognize that Kruger is a promising prospect (he had three points on the way to earning a silver medal for Sweden in the World Championships) and may someday be able to showcase his skills in NHL rinks on a nightly basis.  A full training camp and some time in Rockford is necessary to let him adjust to the smaller rink and better competition.

Bowman should let Kruger develop away from the Chicago spotlight and without expectations of grandeur.  I hope to see this young center play his way into the 'Hawks lineup.

I just hope Bowman puts the trumpet away and gives Kruger that chance.