Before NHL commissioner Gary Bettman presented the Chicago Blackhawks with the Stanley Cup for the third time in six seasons Monday night, he said that they were a dynasty.
Under some circumstances, Chicago wouldn’t be a dynasty. Unlike, the Montreal Canadiens of the 1970s, New York Islanders of the early 1980s and Edmonton Oilers of the late 1980s, the Blackhawks have never won consecutive titles. Those teams of the past also were never eliminated in the first round twice during their span of championships.
That said, you have to consider the era in which the ‘Hawks have dominated the NHL and the financial landscape it operates in. The salary cap forces teams to let go of a lot of good players because it’s impossible for everyone to be fairly compensated under the cap ceiling. It’s quite difficult to keep a championship-winning roster together beyond two or three seasons.
After the ‘Hawks won the Cup in 2010 with a loaded roster, a cap crunch the following two years resulted in goaltender Antti Niemi, defenseman Brian Campbell and forwards Andrew Ladd, Dustin Byfuglien and Kris Versteeg all being traded or let go in free agency to clear cap space.
After winning the Stanley Cup in 2013, valuable depth players such as defenseman Nick Leddy and forwards Michael Frolik, Dave Bolland and Viktor Stalberg were traded or left via free agency.
The ‘Hawks were able to overcome these losses and advance within one goal from the 2014 Stanley Cup Final and then win it this season by drafting well and developing young players, which has surrounded the veteran core of Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Marian Hossa, Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook with skill and depth.
Andrew Shaw, Brandon Saad, Marcus Kruger, Brad Richards and others filled the void left by departed veterans and made the Blackhawks a four-line team with three quality pairings (when healthy) on the blue line.
Overall, Chicago’s run is incredible and probably won’t be matched for a very long time. Starting with the 2008-09 campaign, the Blackhawks have won three Stanley Cup titles, and in two of the four seasons they failed to reach that goal, they still managed to make it to the Western Conference Final. We’re probably talking about a ‘Hawks three-peat if not for one unlucky deflection in overtime of Game 7 against the Los Angeles Kings last season.
But for all the dynasty talk right now, the ‘Hawks still have as good of a chance as any team to win again next season. However, their road back to the Cup won’t be easy.
The salary cap isn’t increasing much, so it will be interesting to see if guys like Patrick Sharp, Brent Seabrook or Bryan Bickell are moved to clear cap space to make room for Toews and Kane’s massive contract extensions and Brandon Saad’s new deal (he’s an RFA). Defenseman Johnny Oduya is an unrestricted free agent, as are forwards Antoine Vermette and Brad Richards. Kruger is an RFA as well.
Chicago also doesn’t have its first-round pick this year, which isn’t good because this class is loaded with high-end talent. It also traded prospect Klas Dahlbeck and two second-round picks at the trade deadline (although they will receive a 2015 second-rounder as compensation for losing Kevin Hayes).
Despite the looming salary cap crunch, the Blackhawks still have four probable Hall of Famers in Toews, Kane, Keith and Hossa signed long-term. Saad, if re-signed, is headed toward franchise-cornerstone status. Teuvo Teravainen, a 2012 first-round pick, could be one of the best players from that draft. Starting goalie Corey Crawford, who still receives a lot of criticism despite his success, has proven to be a clutch performer come playoff time and is signed long term.
Chicago already is a dynasty in the salary cap era, and given its current roster and past success rebuilding from cap crunches, there’s no reason to believe this run of playoff success will end in the short term.
Thumbnail photo via Dennis Wierzbicki/USA TODAY Sports Images
