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The Chicago Blackhawks will continue to be one of the better teams in the National Hockey League in 2011-12 and going forward. While their cap situation and the current roster composition is not perfect, there are still a number of exceptional players on this team that have already won a Stanley Cup. Most of these players are still in their early to mid twenties and should continue to improve. Couple that with some young prospects who have shown the potential to supplement the core, and the future looks very bright for Chicago.
There is still work to be done however, and this offseason is a critical one for Stan Bowman’s future as Hawks GM. Last year it was hard to judge Bowman because there was only one thing he could do, and that was have a firesale to clean up the mess left by Dale Tallon. But this offseason will be different. There are needs the Hawks have to address, and Bowman will have options on how to address them. It will still be important for Bowman to save $100-200K here and there if he can as it will allow for more flexibility in filling out the roster. Hopefully the braintrust sees what needs to be addressed for the Hawks to continue to improve and make another run at the Stanley Cup.
While I'm sure most Blackhawks fans would have preferred a short offseason like last year's, the 2011 offseason promises to be an exciting one for the Hawks. If Bowman is able to properly construct the roster in the next four months, Hawks fans could be looking at many short offseasons in the years to come.
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