Chicago Blackhawks: Heading into the Playoffs, it's coming down to sixteen teams, each vying to be the best. Stated below is the case for the surging Blackhawks , who look to win the West in the regular season.
When I saw that nobody else was stepping up to take the should be Stanley Cup champions come June, I figured I may as well. There are good reasons to believe that the Chicago Blackhawks will win the Cup. And here's why: everything.
I repeat, everything. From the best goalie tandem in hockey to the best forward core, this team is one that will continue to dominate on the ice. Allow me to break it down even more.
Expectations
Mar 19, 2017; Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson (4) and center Nick Schmaltz (8) (Caylor Arnold-USA TODAY Sports)
The Blackhawks expectations were small. They needed to get to the playoffs and do better than they did last year. After sheer exhaustion led to the Blackhawks losing to the St. Louis Blues, they have to do better. They have had a full summer for the first time in a long time. Now the goal should be not to do it again.
The Chicago Blackhawks' regular season expectations were heavily affected by their youth movement. They've had eight rookies play for them this regular season, including Ryan Hartman, Nick Schmaltz, Tanner Kero, Michal Kempny, Gustav Forsling, Tyler Motte, Vinnie Hinostroza, and now John Hayden.
Chicago had to find out how these rookies fit in. The Blackhawks had to ready themselves for a sudden surge of rookies when Joel Quenneville was never the best at working them in. And now that the rookies have arrived, they've become a crucial part of the team. The expectation of simply working in the rookies has been surpassed because of the play of said rookies.
The expectations on the core were a lot bigger. And those have also been met. It was up to Patrick Kane to prove that last year wasn't a fluke. He's still in the Art Ross race. It was up to Artemi Panarin to continue being a good teammate for Kane. He's got 66 points. It was up to Jonathan Toews to continue being one of the best defensive forwards. He's done that, plus he's got 55 points on the season.
Biggest Strength: Depth
The Blackhawks' biggest strength is simple: they have tons of depth. From their bottom six forwards to their fifth and sixth defenseman, to even the players that are healthy scratches, the Blackhawks are stacked.
Dec 30, 2016; Chicago Blackhawks defensemen Michal Kempny (6) is congratulated by forward Jonathan Toews (19) and defensemen Trevor van Riemsdyk (57) (James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports)
The Blackhawks third pairing of defensemen is now Brian Campbell and Trevor Van Riemsdyk. Campbell, even at his advanced age, is still a capable offensive defenseman, and he's scored 17 points this season. Van Riemsdyk is a capable defensive defenseman, and he has 85 blocks.
The two of them are only on the bottom pairing because of the Blackhawks' top four of Duncan Keith, Niklas Hjalmarsson, Johnny Oduya, and Brent Seabrook. Those four can take heavy minutes and keep going, but there's no need to because of the bottom pairing.
The offense is the same way. The Blackhawks have buried Marian Hossa to the third line. That's not because of the way Hossa has declined – he's had a 42 point season already, including 24 goals – but because of the unexpected play of the Blackhawks' youth. Richard Panik has 40 points and has helped re-elevate Jonathan Toews.
They also have Ryan Hartman, who's scored 29 points, Tanner Kero, who's scored 12 points in 40 games, and Marcus Kruger, one of the best defensive forwards who's scored 14 points in their bottom six. This comes in addition to the Blackhawks numerous stars, like Kane (81 points), Panarin (66) and Toews (55).
Biggest Question Mark
The biggest question mark for the Blackhawks is also one of their strengths through the regular season. How will their youth movement translate in the playoffs? Can these guys without experience in the playoffs spur the Blackhawks to the cup?
In the past, the Blackhawks have won their Cups on the backs of cup-less veterans like Antoine Vermette and Michal Handzus. Now, they lack a player like that. Their biggest deadline deal was for Johnny Oduya, who won two Cups with the Blackhawks. This year, it's the cup-less youth who will have to help the core that's won three cups.
Feb 4, 2017; Chicago Blackhawks right wing Ryan Hartman (38) and center Tanner Kero (67) (Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports)
Nick Schmaltz, Tanner Kero, and Ryan Hartman all figure to play a big role in the playoffs. Michal Kempny could be an emergency defenseman. John Hayden, well, we don't know what his role will be when Artem Anisimov returns.
Trevor Van Riemsdyk has only played 11 games. Dennis Rasmussen hasn't played any. There are members of the Blackhawks who will be relied upon who haven't been there before.
Whether or not that's a problem has yet to be determined. If the Blackhawks are going to win the Cup, that question mark will have to be resolved positively.
Why the Blackhawks Can Win the Cup
Because they've done it before, and there's a chance they'll do it again after this year. With the new youth movement working out so far, the Blackhawks cup window may have been extended. It certainly covers this year.
Mar 18, 2017; Chicago Blackhawks goalie Corey Crawford (50) (Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports)
Corey Crawford has two cups. Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, Niklas Hjalmarsson, and Marian Hossa all have three. That's the core, all with multiple Cups. They've proven time and time again that they can do it.
Plus, the last two Blackhawks cups came in odd years. Guess what this year is? The Blackhawks are the San Francisco Giants of the NHL, and there's no Chicago Cubs to stop them this year.
The Blackhawks will win the Cup because that's what they do. They win Cups. After a summer full of rest, a regular season that helped to build confidence not only in the rookies but back in the core, and one of the best deadlines in Stan Bowman's career, the Blackhawks remain an exciting team.
Projected Depth Chart
LW – C – RW
Nick Schmaltz – Jonathan Toews – Richard Panik
Artemi Panarin – Artem Anisimov – Patrick Kane
John Hayden – Tanner Kero – Ryan Hartman
Dennis Rasmussen – Marcus Kruger – Marian Hossa
Vinnie Hinostroza – Tomas Jurco
LD – RD
Niklas Hjalmarsson – Johnny Oduya
Trevor Van Riemsdyk – Brian Campbell
G
More from Puck Prose
This article originally appeared on 
