On Monday morning, Chicago Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman faced the media to wrap up a forgettable 2017-18 NHL season while looking ahead to the 2018-19 season.
High on the list of concerns for next season, Bowman said they’re expecting Corey Crawford to be back to full health after missing the second half of the 2017-18 season:
Stan Bowman on Crawford (paraphrasing): We have expectations that he’s going to be the same goalie that he’s been. Last 3-4 seasons, he’s been getting better every year. No way do we win the Stanley Cup in ’13 or ’15 without him. No reason to doubt he’ll the way he was last year
— John Dietz (@johndietzdh) April 9, 2018
Bowman also expressed his frustration with the team’s current predicament, on the outside of the Stanley Cup Playoffs:
Stan Bowman was irate last season. This year’s end was a lot less sudden. “The emotion would be extreme disappointment in where we’re at as an organization. We had high expectations and we know we didn’t meet those this year. We’re clearly not happy with where we are.”
— Mark Lazerus (@MarkLazerus) April 9, 2018
Bowman specifically mentioned the Hawks’ struggles on both the power play and penalty kill units. Chicago finished the season ranked 20th (79.24 percent) on the penalty kill and 29th (15.99 percent) with the man advantage:
Stan Bowman: “Our special teams have to be much better. We’ve got to be able to find a way to get in the top 10 in both.”
— Mark Lazerus (@MarkLazerus) April 9, 2018
There was a lot of talk about the underwhelming season turned in by Brandon Saad in his return to Chicago this season. But Bowman suggested that reaching any conclusions after only one season is premature:
Stan Bowman on Panarin-Saad trade: “It’s hard to judge a trade on one year.” Noted that trade specifically was made with long term in mind. #Blackhawks
— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) April 9, 2018
Bowman also expressed faith in veteran defenseman Duncan Keith’s ability to be an effective NHL players despite his age:
Stan Bowman on Duncan Keith: “I don’t know that he’s lost a step. A lot of it was the execution wasn’t there. I don’t know if it’s a physical thing. Sometimes you’re not on top of your game.” Pointed to Kopitar, Brown and Chara as older guys who had big seasons this year.
— Mark Lazerus (@MarkLazerus) April 9, 2018
And it doesn’t seem like Bowman is planning on making a big splash in the free agent market this offseason:
Bowman will look to improve the team in free agency, but likely looking at short-term deals only. In other words, don’t count on John Carlson coming to Chicago.
— Mark Lazerus (@MarkLazerus) April 9, 2018
And some young defensive prospects in the organization have caught Bowman’s eye with their performances outside of Chicago this season:
Stan Bowman said he’s been “very impressed” with progress of Henri Jokiharu and Ian Mitchell. Said “Henri has the chance to do some very special things with the puck.”
— John Dietz (@johndietzdh) April 9, 2018