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With the Blackhawks season coming to a merciful end just over a week ago, it is time to look at just how Blackhawks players individually performed (or
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WAY too kind to Keith. Id give him a C or C- simply because he played like he didnt give a shit most nights. And Rutta a B+? Well… I dont think anyone deserved more than a C besides Franson and most of his grade comes from being a good example in RFD.
Way too kind to Murphy. C-, and that’s kind.
Keith had a tough year, B+? Um, no.
Rutta B-? The first half of the year, maybe. The last third? Yech.
Very fair assessment of the D. The guys on the blueline were really up and down and not consistent. Forsling and Rutta had some great games as a pair and some really really bad ones. I expect more from them because I think those two are probably the most likely to improve and help stabilize the D.
WAY too kind to Keith. Id give him a C or C- simply because he played like he didnt give a shit most nights. And Rutta a B+? Well… I dont think anyone deserved more than a C besides Franson and most of his grade comes from being a good example in RFD.
Much like Franson, Keith was dragging around JORDAN OESTERLE all year long. Her spent most of his season covering up everyone elses screw ups. If he weren’t around, this team would have been even more fucked, with a capital “F”.
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For a puck possession team, Keith has way too many turnovers (along with Toews) to earn a B+. If you watch the playoffs this year, sadly I can’t see how the Hawks will become relevant again. Too many young, fast, good defensemen throughout the league.
Keith probably deserves closer to an A for having to play with Oesterle most of the year. Especially since he didn’t go nutzo and elbow someone in the had just to get tossed from a game and sit for a few in protest of being saddled to an absolute waste of a roster spot.
I have no issues with Murphy. The guy has all the tools and had enough solid stretches to show he can play the game. They need to stop F-ing with him.
Seabrook is obviously slower but once he played himself into shape he looked better. Still a top 4 defender minutes wise on just about any team in the NHL. Salary probably right, term certainly isn’t. Oh well.
Kempny is a similar player to Murphy who has all the physical tools plus crazy skating ability and was banished for lord knows why.
I don’t know what Rutta is, either OK or terrible and that money was stupid.
The kids with holes in their game (Forsling, Gus, Dahlstrom) are just that and they either need the time to improve that part of their game or need to be flipped for back end futures while they still have “upside” and let the next crop have a go in Rockford.
Overall, poor job by the GM writing business and an abhorrent job by the coaching staff in developing the guys who have the right physical tools. There is a lot of blame to place on a lot of parties here.
Being at the game the other day and seeing the whole ice, Kempny can certainly play at a high level and has the tools for playoff hockey. His positioning is good, he still gets some happy feet (he literally looks to the boards like theres going to be space there and there isn’t just like special Teuvo and we know how that’s worked out) a bomb of a shot and is just an incredible athletically gifted human being. His stick work isn’t great (which probably pisses Q OFF) but better than anyone else they had on that left side not named Keith.
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