No matter how far you go, you always know where to stop and where it becomes a realization that you're in for a tough season. Does it look that way for a team like the Chicago Blackhawks?
After the Stanley Cup was hoisted by the Blackhawks last season, they needed to clean house to avoid going over the salary cap for next season. How did they do it? By getting rid of eight players, including stellar goaltender Antti Niemi.
Not only Niemi but Kris Versteeg, Ben Eager, Brent Sopel, Andrew Ladd, Colin Fraser, and among others have either been traded or lost to free agency. Looks like the Blackhawks needed to clean house while they still had time.
With all these trades, it's going to be interesting to see if the Blackhawks are going to be able to repeat another Stanley Cup this season. The addition of Marty Turco from Dallas could certainly help but let's be realistic. He couldn't possibly be enough to help this team win again.
Then you have the likes of Nick Boynton, Viktor Stalberg, Jeff Taffe, and among others. These are guys who have either underproduced, still in their rookie years, or just not good enough to put enough goals in the back of the net. Certainly this seems like an emergency situation for me.
Will the Blackhawks falter this season with these new changes? I wouldn't think so, but I definitely wouldn't make any early judgements until I see this team in action on the ice and how well they play with each other. It seems like it could possibly work out, but then again, it could all break down and they could end up having a losing season after all.
Well, the season's only a few months away. Are any more trades in store for the Blackhawks and will they have a chance to repeat or let the season die altogether? We'll know in only a few months.
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