Chicago Blackhawks: 5 Things That Don't Seem Right

If the Chicago Blackhawks felt great wrapping up their road trip with two wins, the feeling was short-lived. Tuesday night's lackluster effort against the Phoenix Coyotes certainly felt like a spear in the gut.

The game was as uninspired as they come and saw the Hawks drop their fourth game in the last six contests.

The Hawks' record is not terrible.

They will be in the playoff mix, and they will have a shot at being a top seed, but something doesn't feel right about this team.

Chicago has become inconsistent, relying on its big guns to get things done. All of a sudden, come game time, we're not sure which team is going to show up.

It is time for a shake-up. A trade perhaps or some changes to the lines.

Either way, it is tough to be confident about this team right now, and here are some reasons why.  

Dan Carcillo Is Still on the Second Line

Let's be honest and not beat around the bush. What is he doing there?

Is this why Stan Bowman acquired Dan Carcillo? Did anyone see his epic fail, attempting to dangle instead of shooting the puck from the top of the rings in the second period?

Sure, he sat a game.

Then he came back on Tuesday and was awful.

When the Hawks signed Carcillo, we thought we were getting an agitator, a fourth-line miscreant that was going to be in the heads of opponents. Hawks fans also expected suspensions, and he has delivered there.

Other than that, this is not what we signed up for.

In fairness to "Car-Bomb," if you put a monkey with Marian Hossa and Patrick Kane, it would try to play finesse hockey as well.

The only reason it makes any sense at all is if he is being showcased for a trade. Other than that, it is time to unsubscribe to this plan.

It was good to see Quenneville shaking it up in the third period of Tuesday's game, but currently, Carcillo is showing little to no value add in a Hawks uniform.

C'mon. Does anyone win a Stanley Cup with Dan Carcillo on their second line?

The Dismal Penalty Kill

How can a team with Niklas Hjalmarsson, Brent Seabrook, Duncan Keith and Steve Montador as its top four defenseman have the league's worst (74 percent) penalty kill?

Well, Hjalmarsson has been average at best, Seabrook and Keith have been dinged up and inconsistent and Montador has been a threat on the powerplay but not on the flip-side.

Two things may need to happen.

Since Mike Kitchen took over the Blackhawks special teams last season, it has gone straight down the toilet. Rumblings suggest that a lot of players are not particularly fond of their assistant coach, either.

Maybe it is time to buy him a new suitcase and a one-way ticket out of Chicago.

The other is adding another defenseman with penalty killing experience. Hal Gill, Bryan Allen and Tim Gleason are all names that have been passed around.

Bowman should start dialing.

Have We Seen the Best of Duncan Keith?

He was the best defenseman in the NHL in 2010. Many thought with a full offseason, he would bounce back to form this year.

It hasn't happened.

Granted, Duncan Keith has had to deal with a broken hand, but in his last six games, he has a minus-eight rating.

Will Dunc ever be able to return to the player he was in 2010?

To date, he has been a mere shadow of the player he was during the Hawks' championship run.

Dave Bolland's Disappearing Act

Dave Bolland's torrent start to this season had me predicting he would be a Selke Trophy finalist.

It's safe to say that prediction is out the window.

Bolland did sustain a lower body injury, which may still be nagging. When he has played recently, he has been a non-factor and a problem in the defensive zone. I never thought I would write those things about this player.

He has to be better.

In 20 games, he has 10 points and is minus-six. You cannot be minus-six as a third-line center on a Cup-contending team.

In the end, that will not get it done.

His main responsibility is not to get scored on, and teams are doing exactly that when No. 36 is on the ice.

Lack of Physical Play

It was a problem last year, and we are seeing it again.

The ultimate refrain about the Hawks? They are not physical enough.

Stan Bowman took the risk of trading Troy Brouwer and signing Jamal Mayers, Dan Carcillo and others. So far, things are status quo.

The team is not tough enough.

Those of you Hawks fans that thought Bryan Bickell was going to bring it this year, please don't feel bad.

Other than some movie villains, the kid who stole my lunch money in the second grade and my obnoxious dentist, there are few people I dislike more than Bryan Bickell right now.

He will be removed from the equation in due time, but the Hawks will need some inspired hockey players to step to the forefront and play the game the way it is supposed to be played. 

Giving a kid from Rockford a shot is not a bad idea, but in a market where the Hawks have cash and bargaining chips, let's reconfigure.

Something is not working here, and a new look would help immensely.