Hawks Post-Mortem

After bowing out in the first round, Chicago Blackhawks General Manager Todd Semonick indicated changes would be on the way in the offseason.While many speculated the coach would be among the casualties, Semonick was quick to rule this out throwing his full support behind longtime coach Andy Murray. "Stability behind the bench and in management is one of the things that have made our franchise one of the most respected in the league. Andy is among the best coaches in hockey, and one early playoff exit is no reason to toss aside a coach who has led us to two championships."

Semonick did however indicate the roster would likely see a drastic overhaul. He stated very clearly that the team would bring back free agent star Eric Staal. "Eric will be back next season, wearing the C" said Semonick. That comment clearly tipped the teams hand as to what would happen with fellow pending free agent Jarome Iginla. It is believed his rights will be traded in the coming weeks, the same is true of Brendan Morrow. It is rumoured the team already has a deal in place to send Martin Erat to an eastern conference team ahead of free agency. With the departures of these veterans it appears there will be three holes amongst the teams top 9 forwards. Fortunately the team has a number of high end young players ready to step in. Jordan Eberle and Cody Eakin will most certainly claim two of the spots, while the 3rd will likely be filled by a player acquired via trade or free agency. The other question mark is whether veteran Daniel Alfredsson will retire. Should he do so there would be another hole up front.

On the back end the team looks to return the entire group of defenceman it finished this season with, barring a trade. Speculation is that the team plans to deal one of their blueliners to fill the hole up front, however as it stands Kris Letang, Ryan Suter, Duncan Keith, Braydon Coburn, Kevin Shattenkirk and Tyler Myers will all be back. The club also has Victor Hedman, Jared Cowen and several other young defenceman knocking on the door.

In goal it seems change may also be on the horizon. It appears the team is ready to give the net to young Tuukka Rask. With all-star goalie Mike Smith under contract it will be interesting to see how this develops over the summer. It appears unlikely that Smith will be back next season. The club will likely seek a veteran backup as it prefers to allow its three high end goal prospects to develop in the minors.