{"id":83562,"date":"2020-08-21T10:24:57","date_gmt":"2020-08-21T14:24:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonhockey.com\/?p=83562"},"modified":"2020-08-21T10:28:30","modified_gmt":"2020-08-21T14:28:30","slug":"the-2019-20-chicago-blackhawks-autopsy-report","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2020\/08\/21\/the-2019-20-chicago-blackhawks-autopsy-report\/","title":{"rendered":"The 2019-20 Chicago Blackhawks Autopsy Report"},"content":{"rendered":"

The 2019-20 Chicago Blachhawks Autopsy Report is taking a look at another disappointing season for the Chicago Blackhawks<\/a> as well as what they face going into next season. This year’s Autopsy Report is similar to the 2018-19 Autopsy Report<\/a> that covered a second season in a row without a playoff appearance. The only difference this year is that this one is being published a couple of months later thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic and the NHL Pause. The Chicago Blackhawks faithful are certainly disappointed with their team’s recent exit from the post-season. There is however potential for improvement for their favorite team. That of course will depend on several moves as well as who gets to decide those moves.<\/p>\n

2019-20 Chicago Blackhawks Autopsy<\/h2>\n

We will be looking at what the team did at several stages since the previous 2018-19 season. Two straight seasons without a playoff appearance certainly put the focus on their beleaguered general manager. He definitely had to get his roster and team in order.<\/p>\n

2019-20 Chicago Blackhawks Autopsy- The Pre-Season<\/h4>\n

General manager Stan Bowman started last summer off with two trades trying to improve his defence. He picked up\u00a0Olli Maatta<\/a><\/b>\u00a0and\u00a0Calvin de Haan<\/a><\/b>, both of whom would instantly improve the defence and especially the penalty-killing unit. His next moves were to trade for some grit acquiring former Blackhawk\u00a0Andrew Shaw<\/a><\/b>\u00a0and then\u00a0Zack Smith<\/a><\/b>. Both players were added to bring a workman\u2019s ethic to the team and agitate when needed. Unfortunately, both players suffered season-ending injuries during the year.<\/u><\/u><\/p>\n

2019 NHL Draft<\/u><\/u><\/h5>\n

At last summer\u2019s NHL Draft, everyone expected that Bowman would address the deficiency on defence with the third overall pick in the NHL Draft. It was assumed that Bowman would select\u00a0Bowen Byram<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0who was considered the top defence pick available. Nobody walks away from the best defenceman in the NHL Draft, right? Well, with the third overall pick Bowman sent shockwaves around the city of Chicago by selecting\u00a0Kirby Dach<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0third overall.\u00a0Dach did well enough that he made the team and stayed for the entire season. His growth as a player was certainly one of the few bright spots. It will be interesting as he and Byram develop over the next few seasons. Both players will be compared in Chicago to see if Bowman got it right or wasted a chance to improve his defence corps.<\/u><\/u><\/p>\n

2019 Free Agency<\/u><\/u><\/h5>\n

The Blackhawks’ first free-agent signing was Ryan Carpenter<\/a><\/b> early on July 1st. Carpenter at 6\u20190\u2033, 200 pounds brought some more size to the forwards and more depth at centre for the team. Later on that day, Bowman would sign Vezina finalist Robin Lehner<\/a><\/b>\u00a0to a one year $5 million deal. The addition of Lehner was a bold move shoring up the team\u2019s goaltending position. Corey Crawford<\/a><\/strong>\u2019s concussion history was a big factor in the signing.\u00a0<\/u><\/u>The 2019-20 Chicago Blackhawks goaltending tandem of Corey Crawford and Robin Lehner would provide a solid one-two punch in the net.<\/p>\n

2019-20 Chicago Blackhawks – The Season<\/h3>\n

Early on in the season, the players struggled to find consistency. In many games, they looked like potential Stanley Cup contenders, however, in others, they looked like bottom feeders of the league. This was also true during games where they would dominate their opponent and then take several shifts or even an entire period off during the game.<\/u><\/u><\/p>\n

It was also frustrating to watch the team get overwhelmed and spend an entire shift in their own zone several times a game. Their lack of puck possession went on for what seemed like an eternity some nights. This put enormous pressure on the goalies every game. Luckily for the Blackhawks,\u00a0Corey Crawford\u00a0and\u00a0Robin Lehner\u00a0were very solid in net. If not, the team\u2019s record would have been far worse than 5-7-3 after 15 games.<\/p>\n

The 2019-20 Chicago Blackhawks Autopsy finds the goaltending tandem of Corey Crawford and Robin Lehner continued to provide a solid one-two punch in the net as the season wore on. They were both seasoned competitors and battled together to backstop their team while Lehner was in Chicago. They shared time in net and did incredible as their team\u2019s defence played inconsistently in front of them.<\/p>\n

At the midway point of the season the two goalies records were:<\/p>\n