NHL Postseason Dissection: Devils, Blackhawks Need To Regroup

The NHL postseason is upon us unless you’re the New Jersey Devils or Chicago Blackhawks. What went wrong with this pair?

With less than two weeks remaining in the NHL regular season and with the postseason just around the corner, most of the Stanley Cup playoff spots have been clinched. The race in the Eastern Conference has pretty much been over since the All-Star break, while the final spots in the Western Conference may come down to the last few games.

With most of the teams that are mathematically eliminated playing out the string, it is a good time to see exactly why they ended up on the outside looking in. We will start one club that is still assembling the pieces to be a contender and a former championship organization likely heading for a rebuild.

New Jersey Devils

What went wrong?

After signing Corey Crawford to be a tandem partner for MacKenzie Blackwood and the Cup-winning goalie retiring just prior to the season two years ago, Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald brought in veteran Jonathan Bernier to share the workload, but injuries have killed New Jersey between the pipes. Bernier played only 10 games before undergoing season-ending hip surgery, Blackwood missed half the season with a heel injury, and the Devils have used the most goaltender (7) of any club this year, which was a big factor in their being in the bottom five in goals allowed.

Injuries also had an impact on New Jersey‘s core group, as Jack Hughes missed a month with a dislocated shoulder, free agent signing Dougie Hamilton missed nearly two months with a broken jaw, and Miles Wood missed all but three games with a hip injury.

What went right?

Any doubt of whether Hughes is a #1 center was pretty much erased, as the 20-year-old scored 26 goals and averaged over a point-per-game in 56 games. Coupled with the developing Nico Hischier, the Devils appear to have a strong one-two punch up the middle. Dawson Mercer jumped right from the QMJHL to the NHL as a 19-year-old, and wingers Jesper Bratt, Yegor Sharangovich, and blueliner Damon Severson had career offensive years.

What will they do?

Fitzgerald has some difficult choices over the summer. With Bratt looking for a significant pay raise after leading the team in scoring, the Devils may not be able to afford re-signing former first-rounder Pavel Zacha. The decision that will most impact New Jersey is whether Blackwood is their present and future in goal. The Devils have to decide if the 25-year-old can bounce back, or they will be in the market for a starting goalie. The future of head coach Lindy Ruff may also be in question after a second straight sub-.500 campaign.

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Chicago Blackhawks

What went wrong?

Off the ice, the fallout from the Kyle Beach scandal resulted in the dismissal of Hawks general manager Stan Bowman and put a much-deserved pall over an organization that won three Stanley Cups over the last dozen years.

On the ice, Chicago’s attempt to quickly reload around veterans Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane was a dismal failure, as the additions of Seth Jones, Marc-Andre Fleury, Tyler Johnson, and Jake McCabe failed to provide a significant upgrade and return the Hawks to playoff contention.

What went right?

The recognition by new GM Kyle Davidson that the Hawks have to pursue a rebuild began before the trade deadline, as they moved young forward Brandon Hagel to Tampa Bay for young forwards Taylor Raddysh, Boris Katchouk, and a pair of first-round picks, and Fleury to Minnesota for a conditional second-rounder.

Kane at 33 years old continues to be one of the league’s best forwards and Alex Debrincat reached the 40-goal plateau for the second time.

What will they do?

It would seem that any serious rebuild would begin with moving out Kane and Toews with a year left on their contracts, but both of them have some control over the situation with their possessing no-movement clauses. If Davidson chooses to strip it down to the bare wood a la Arizona, it is possible that the Hawks shop DeBrincat with a year left on his deal. Chicago does not have an NHL goalie under contract for next season and there has even been chatter that they might explore moving Jones before his eight-year, $76 million extension kicks in.