How the Chicago Blackhawks were built

[rainydrinkwater]

A team on the cusp of dynasty status IMO.


http://www.cbssports.com/nhl/eye-on-...wks-were-built

The Chicago Blackhawks are back in the Stanley Cup Final for the third time in six seasons after ousting the Anaheim Ducks in seven games in the Western Conference finals. With that level of success in the salary cap era, plenty of teams will probably be falling all over themselves to take whatever it is Chicago has and replicate it.

However, when you look at what has happened in Chicago, what they've done isn't exactly easy to replicate. The Blackhawks, under the stewardship of GM Stan Bowman since 2009, have built primarily through the draft. But it took years of good drafting to get there and it wasn't until their futility afforded them two top-three picks that the franchise was altered forever.

[Zorro]

Dale Tallon and his scouting staff deserves most of the credit here.. He drafted Toews and Kane.. He also signed Hossa to one of the best contracts in NHL history..

Who drafted Keith and Seabrook..??

[Shake]

GM at the time was Mike Smith drafted Seabs and Keith.

Dale Tallon and his scouting staff deserves most of the credit here.. He drafted Toews and Kane.. He also signed Hossa to one of the best contracts in NHL history..

Who drafted Keith and Seabrook..??

[BradyJets]

Good ol' Mike Smith. That Jets experiment of only drafting Russians and Europeans didn't really work out. Glad he drafted Keith and Seabrook and changed his style.

Once you bring in players like those two, plus Toews and Kane, it's not hard to attract talent that wants to play for you.

[Daydream Nation]

Glad he drafted Keith and Seabrook and changed his style.

Once you bring in players like those two, plus Toews and Kane, it's not hard to attract talent that wants to play for you.

This

All this Hawks success stems from:
1) Getting lucky- Drafting Kane and Toews as back-to-back 1st round picks
2) Getting lucky 2.0/ great drafting- Drafting Keith (2nd round pick) and Seabrook (1st round pick) in back-to-back drafts.
3) Great trading- Fleecing Philadelphia in a trade for Patrick Sharp and getting Johnny Oduya on the cheap
4) Finding gems- Drafting Crawford in the 2nd, Saad in the 2nd round, Hjamarlsson in the 4th round, and Shaw in the 5th round

As any team, the Hawks have made some bad signings and trades over the last few years but they have hit on enough players to build a deep roster.

[2014olympicgold]

Luck is how any team builds a good team. You have to be bad in the right yrs. Edmonton was awarded 1st overall in 2 of the 3 weaker drafts of this generation. If they had gotten the 3 1st overalls the previous 3 yrs, its Stamkos, Tavares, and Kane I think. Scouting has some influence here, but really its luck in the draft, and smarts in FA.

Byfuglien trade is what teams should be doing. Trading someone they can’t afford for picks. 1st (Kevin Hayes), 2nd (Ludvig Rensfeldt), Reasoner, Crabb, and Morin. And Ladd for Vishnevsky and a 2nd (Clendening). Just like I said above, it’s about luck in the draft.

[Daydream Nation]

Luck is how any team builds a good team. You have to be bad in the right yrs. Edmonton was awarded 1st overall in 2 of the 3 weaker drafts of this generation. If they had gotten the 3 1st overalls the previous 3 yrs, its Stamkos, Tavares, and Kane I think. Scouting has some influence here, but really its luck in the draft, and smarts in FA.

Luck definitely plays a big part when talking about lottery drafting. Some years have more star talent available in the top picks than others. It's later in the first round and the rest of draft where skill really shines. Excellent drafting teams consistently find players throughout the years. I categorize the Hawks this way- Saad, Shaw, and TT are contributing players that were drafted after the middle of the 1st round since the Hawks 2010 Cup. Other players such as both Hayes and Pirri have gone on to make contributions on other rosters. Teams will always miss on players but if you can get a contributor or two every draft even if you trade him, you've done well.

[Slug]

Some of the Blackhawks previous GMs definitely deserve some credit but I give most to Bowman. After the Hawks first cup they were forced to alter the roster dramatically, I cant think of any other teams that maintained the Hawks level of success after making such drastic changes.

[JagrBomb]

GM at the time was Mike Smith drafted Seabs and Keith.

well that explains it. Mike Smith the GM was in net for the coyotes this year, while Mike Smith the goalie was in net for Team Canada.

[Pengwin7]

I'm a big fan of how the Hawks came together.
Since those awful years in the mid-2000s, they've done just about everything right.

Good drafts.
Good trades.
After first cup...
They let some guys walk that they felt would be too expensive.
They kept their key pieces.
Good job by coach/GM.
All around - very solid - very deserving of their success.

It will get interesting next year when the new P.Kane/Toews contracts kick in.
This could be their last hoorah, but 3 SC in 6 Years is about as good as we may ever see in post-2000 NHL.

[Zorro]

Hossa still isn't given enough credit here.. Hossa is definitely in the 'fab 5' of the B-hawks..