Team: 2018-19 Chicago Blackhawks

Initial Creation Date: Sep. 15, 2018

Published: Sep. 15, 2018

Salary Cap Mode: Basic

I think the Hawks get back to the playoffs with a healthy Crawford, slightly improved D, and better contributions from Saad, Toews, and the bottom-6. However they will not be better than WPG, NSH, StL, or COL.

That said, Anisimov gets traded in the off season, Kreuger is released, and Murphy is shopped with tweener talent like Hayden, Highmore, or Kampf for a 3rd and 5th round pick (depending on the # of players involved).

Blackhawks need another breakthrough offensive talent to draw the opposition's attention. Debrincat and Schmaltz are good bridge pieces, but they will not propel this franchise to another Cup the way the original core did. Panarin had that potential and, well, he'll be in NY next year.

Toews is not a true #1 C anymore, more of a 1-A. Schmaltz still needs to get much better at faceoffs, and Anisimov is a stable, depth, contributor, perfect #3 C. Kreuger will be fortunate if he starts more than 50 games this year. He'll either get injured or just be less effective than any of the guys I put out there on the 3rd-4th lines. He's getting paid for all the hard shifts he took during the good days.

This team could be dangerous if... the bottom six achieve their potential and outplay their counterparts on opposing teams.

The reality is... this team is only a little better than last year, and even with some luck avoiding injuries isn't better than 3rd or 4th in the Central. Until the next superstar shows up in Black and Red, the Hawks have officially reached the plateau, 41-27-14