Quoting: Chopper
It takes 5 players to play defense. Maybe defense has been an issue because our forwards can't play **** for defense or don't care to. How many times do you see the Hawks having 3 forwards behind the net in the ozone, which turns in to an odd many break? Maybe part of the issue with the team is we only have 2 legitimate top 6 2 way forwards w/o including Dach. I would also argue that on a truly good team Kubalik and Strome are in no way top 6, but 3rd line players. Strome can't do **** without ADB and/or Kane.
That’s absolutely fair, but, how often do our defensemen get outpaced night in and night out? How many times do our defenders struggle to skate with the puck? How often do they struggle to even move the puck?
I understand the struggle to play 5 man defense, but this team needs to at least be able to get the puck up ice first, keep up with the opposition first, and actually hold the freakin offense zone line first! Dach doesn’t change any of that. In all honesty, Colorado was the first game all season where it looked like he actually gave a damn for the whole game. Then he disappears, AGAIN, against a lowly devils team. Now, everyone disappeared to be fair. But the Blackhawks M.O. used to be having great defense lead the charge with Keith, seabs, hammer, and oduya. Even leddy! They all kept pace with the play and knew how to move and move the puck.
I’ll finish my argument by simply saying, this team is not any better, if not worse, than last year. How is that possible when we have maatta, nylander, Shaw and dehaan (when healthy)? Oh yea, and DACH!! Is it possible a guy like byram, who is nhl ready (don’t question why he’s in juniors, Colorado didn’t need him this year, that simple), and able to jump straight into the team, could help? More than dach? Sorry, but my answer is yes. Nothing was gonna get us in the playoffs this year, but at least we’d have byram and a chance at lafreniere or byfield in next year’s draft. Honestly, just poor decision making by bowman and mark Kelley.