Quote Originally Posted by ASquared View Post
I can assure you that Quenneville is not mixing and matching for his health. The loss of David Bolland has affected them more than they thought, and as of now, the Bickell signing appears to be costly. I agree that last year's team was historic, but even though they're still scoring goals this year, they're clearly hurting right now. Whether it be a lack of discipline, a failure to find a consistent pairing on the 3rd defensive line with Leddy, or finding a permanent solution at the 2nd line center, I would not declare the Blackhawks the favorites in the West anymore.

Several things- Q has always changed his lines frequently and that has been a common criticism of his. Don't read anything into that. Bolland's loss has had very little impact. He was terrible last year. If you point to a difference between this year's team and last, point to Frolik's departure. Frolik and Kruger were excellent as the top PKers and then Toews and Hossa would jump over the boards next. That is extremely stout. Bickell's signing was always questionable but he was signed as much for the postseason as anything. Don't think Q won't go back to the Toews, Kane, Bickell combination in the playoffs.

Something is clearly wrong? What did you expect? They were never going to roll through the season like last year. They had the long postseason, short offseason, and had the most players in Sochi. Plus, they had 7 players play the max number of games. And now you have a top line forward out. I look at it as a team without much to play for right now with most teams giving them their best game. Who do you think is more up for the matchup? Chicago or Colorado? Even though they lost both games, they still outshot them by 27 shots in 2 games. Overall, as a Hawks fan I am not concerned at all. They'll be ready to go when the playoffs start.