I'm not ready to close the book on this amazing season just yet. So I figured I'd share my take on each player who contributed something of significance to the run, all 26 of em. I'll throw em up about 5 or 6 guys at a time, going through it numerically - starting with Keith and ending with Kane.
Part 1: #2, #4, #5, #6, #7 and #8
Part 2: #10, #11, #16, #19, and #22
Today: #24, #25, #29, #31, and #32
Part 4: #33, #36, #37, #39, and #46
Part 5: #51, #55, #81, #82, and #88
#24 – NICK BOYNTON (D)
7 GP, 0 G, 1 A, +4, 15:56 ATOI
3 GP, 0 G, 0 A, +2, 8:23 ATOI
I can’t say I have a whole ton to lay out about Boynton. I didn’t know much about him when the Hawks acquired him and I haven’t learned much since. He clearly wasn’t too highly thought of, as the Hawks chose to move Buff to D rather than give Boynton any time. When Buff was moved back to forward, it was Hendry who got the sixth blueliner starts.
Only when Hendry proved too shaky for even 6-8 minutes of ice time did JQ finally go to Boynton. And that’s why he’s on this list – because what he did for the Hawks, while minor and almost certainly to be quickly forgotten about by all but the most diehard of fans, was crucial to the Cup.
JQ needed another 8 or so minutes a night out of his 6th blueliner and Hendry didn’t seem capable of doing that without great cost to the team. He didn’t need to play any special teams, just get out there at carefully chosen moments and not hurt the team too much.
It wasn’t easy to tell how good or bad Boynton played, but it’s worth noting that he did fill those 8 minutes a night, he did end up a plus 2, and most of all, he was on the ice for both Game 5 and Game 6 of the Finals. And in Game 6, one mistake from Boynton could have made all the difference. But instead, on the biggest stage, despite just fleeting PT for the Hawks during the year, Boynton delivered as the Hawks needed him to and most definitely earned his engraving on the Cup.
#25 – CAM BARKER (D)
51 GP, 4 G, 10 A, +7, 13:06 ATOI
(DNP)
Another guy not worth delving too deeply into, as he was sent packing mid-season for Johnsson in an effort to shore up the blueline with a more reliable defender. No use regretting the deal – both guys eventually were lost for the year the Hawks won the title anyway, and Barker would have been certainly let go this off-season in the great salary purge. Throw in the speedy young defender the Hawks got, and this deal still only has upside.
I feel Barker deserved a spot on this list because he played in 51 games and was a semi-important part of the club’s success this year. Without Barker, who knows if the Hawks start out as hot, build as much confidence, and have enough of a cushion to survive their March blahs and hit the post-season ready to rock.
I’m not gonna say he was a major factor, but he did log some decent minutes, had some decent flashes, and helped in his way. Look no further than Hendry’s struggles in the post-season to appreciate what Barker meant.
Much like many of the other players the Hawks will lose from this team, I’m going to be very curious to see how Barker develops in Minnesota. He’s got a boatload of talent and works a lot harder than most people give him credit for. He seemed to break out a bit in the playoffs last year, only to take a major step back this season. But Barker’s still very young – I wouldn’t be surprised if he turns into a solid two-way blueliner, probably more apt to fill a #3 or #4 spot than be a top pairing guy, but a valuable player nonetheless.
#29 – BRYAN BICKELL (W)
16 GP, 3 G, 1 A, +4, 9:36 ATOI
4 GP, 0 G, 1 A, +3, 13:14 ATOI
Bickell showed some flashes in the regular season and even earned himself four starts in the playoffs when Q decided to shake up the lines against Nashville. Although Bickell wasn’t a major factor, he was a part of that turnaround which saw the squad reel off three straight wins and 13 total goals against the Preds after digging themselves a 2-1 hole in the series.
Bickell got himself an assist and was on the ice for about 13 minutes a game. That’s a significant number – that means Bickell wasn’t just skating occasional 4th line minutes. He was up with the big boys and being called on to take regular shifts at crucial times.
Unfortunately for Bickell, the team’s meltdown in Game 1 against the Canucks cost him a spot and JQ never looked his way again. However, that should definitely change next year, as the 6-4, 223 pound 24-year old is high on the list of players the Hawks front office is counting on to fill the gaping holes caused by the impending salary cap cull.
I’m not sure what we’ll get out of Bickell over the course of a complete NHL season, but I’m looking forward to finding out. With the type of playmakers the Hawks have, a guy with this size who has any sort of touch and drive should be a guaranteed 20 goals with upside for a whole lot more. It just remains to be seen if Bickell does have that touch and drive.
#31 – ANTTI NIEMI (G)
39 GP, 26 W, 7 L, .912 SV%, 2.25 GAA
22 GP, 16 W, 6 L, .910 SV%, 2.63 GAA
After three straight guys who barely reserved a mention, we’ve got a guy who could be deserving of more ink than any of these 26 players. Think about it – when the season began, Niemi wasn’t even assured of a place on the roster. But in the end, was there anyone else you would have least like to have lost the day before the playoffs began? It’s just the nature of hockey that the goalie is almost always that important – even on a team as loaded as the Hawks.
Yet, it didn’t start anything like that. Think back – when the puck dropped on the Hawk’s regular season, they were in Finland and carrying three goalies. Niemi and Crawford had both been solid, but neither spectacular, and the Hawks were only going to carry one. Niemi had a bit of a leg up, but not much. Essentially, the decision who stayed was going to come down to how Niemi played in his homeland in Game 2.
There was a hint of excitement to the shut-out he threw, but for the most part it was written off as the kind of random occurrence that happens here or there, and aside deciding who’d carry Huet’s golf clubs around, no one really cared too much about it.
Because no one realized that this performance showed us all that we needed to know about Niemi. This kid had barely had a cup of coffee in the NHL the year before, had only one year of North American hockey (in a split time role in the AHL last season), and had just been asked to play for his meal money for the rest of the year.
No pressure kid – your teammates are out of sorts from all the international travel, you’re in front of your own national fans – a group of hockey fans, mind you, that have come to expect great things from a long, accomplished line of Finnish netminders - and if you don’t play well tonight, you’re gonna be riding buses to half-filled minor league rinks again all winter.
Like he would do all year, Niemi stepped it up when it mattered most. He threw a shutout, got the Hawks a needed W from the trip to get the season started the right way, and gave Q some confidence in the guy who’d be backing up Huet.
That role alone would have made Niemi important, even had Huet not fallen apart. At his best, Huet never played more than 50 regular season games. Throw in that the Frenchmen also hadn’t ever taken on more than one round added playoff wear-and-tear, and it was clear the Hawks back-up backstop would have to be ready for quite a few starts along the way.
In those starts Niemi wasn’t always great, but he was great when it mattered. Look at that record - 26-7. Sterling. As I mentioned before the playoffs, check how he did in OT and shoot-outs. He had one of the top shoot-out save percentages in the league. He had some of the best OT GAAs in the game. While some would write those off as not having anything to do with playoff hockey, I said just the opposite. I said that’s one place you can definitely learn something about your goalie.
Those were the times the games were most clearly in his hands, and those were the times Niemi dug the deepest to deliver. So is it any surprise that come the playoffs, it would take 20 games before Niemi would allow his team to respond to a loss with anything but a W? Should it really have surprised us all that in each series he chose one game to simply will his team to a much-needed victory?
Is Niemi the perfect goalie? Nope, not by a long shot. He had plenty of stretches where he played iffy hockey, where he didn’t make the needed saves, and where the Hawks stellar D and high powered offense bailed him out.
But I think he is the perfect goalie for this team. The Hawks don’t need a superstar goalie, they just need a goalie who can make the big stops at the big moments, allowing the deep, talented group of skaters a chance to play for the win.
And that’s what he did for most of the year, especially down the stretch and certainly in the playoffs. The hope? That Niemi and his agent are smarter than most players and reps, and can see the longterm picture.
Niemi can most certainly maximize his current position, force the Hawks into a tough decision as to whether he is a big money goalie and whether a big money goalie fits with this team’s make-up. He can use his status as a restricted free agent to get a great offer that sets him up for the next 4-5 years.
Or he can appreciate that the position he’s in could allow him to go on a run of success that will keep him employed in the NHL for the next 15 years. Goalies can play forever, especially highly accomplished ones. If Niemi is willing to sign for a reasonable amount ($3Mish), the Hawks can keep him and enough talent around to just continue winning Cups. With a few more deep runs and another title or two under his belt, even if he doesn’t play particularly well, Niemi will forever be in-demand.
But if he leaves, goes to a lesser team who are placing higher expectations upon him? I can see Niemi becoming another in a long line of goalies who cashes in on one great post-season to become a salary albatross. Hell, the last two times the Hawks paid goalies that’s exactly what happened (remember, Khabi cleared waivers before 08-09 and Huet most certainly will before this season). And they aren’t alone – the NHL landscape is littered with these guys.
So let’s all keep our fingers crossed that Niemi understands this is where he fits best, where he has the best chance for longterm success both for his team and himself, and he does what’s necessary to fit into the Hawks’ salary structure. Because lord do I want to keep rooting for this guy. He’s an unheralded hard-worker who thrives on pressure and doesn’t let the occasional struggle keep him down for long.
#32 – KRIS VERSTEEG (W)
79 GP, 20 G, 24 A, +8, 15:44 ATOI
22 GP, 6 G, 8 A, +4, 17:13 ATOI
I can’t say Versteeg deserves the same amount of column space as a Niemi, Toews, etc. But lord would I love to give it to him. I can’t tell you why, but I dig this guy’s game. I just flat love Versteeg and while I know he’s gone, I’m hoping upon all hope that yet again the Hawks front office surprises me and finds a way to keep Steeg and Sharp in the Indian Head next year.
It’s doubtful that will happen, and as much as I love Versteeg, it’ll hurt if Sharp is let go so that Versteeg can stay. Versteeg brings a lot to the table, but on his best days he’s only as good as Sharp is on any given day.
But ignoring all that, man do I want to see this guy play out a few more seasons for the Hawks. I think he’s got a real break-out year in him. I think he’s got some great heroics in him. I think Versteeg could mature a bit and round into some sort of player. I don’t think he’ll ever be consistently great – he just doesn’t seem to have the mindset for it.
But he’s got a boatload of talent and a great approach to the game. Sure he can get too cute, but that glosses over the fact that he’s one of the few guys on the team who have the skills to get too cute. And the others are all your megapaid superstars – Kane, Toews, Keith, Campbell, Hossa.
Of all the support players, none – not even Buff – bring a more rare and valuable hockey commodity than Versteeg’s playmaking. Playmakers make everyone around them better and can be good no matter who’s on the ice. Think Buff is going to score many goals without Toews or Kane or the like setting him up? Think Ladd’s hustle and heart matter if he doesn’t have good players around to capitalize?
But with Versteeg, you can throw him out there with anyone and when he’s on, he will make whomever around him a more dangerous player. Versteeg creates space, delivers beautiful passes, and can put quality chances on net. But he also will rough it up along the boards (despite being no bigger than Kane), will work hard in his own end (he’s long been a plus penalty killer), and has no problem being juggled into different lines and roles.
I see Versteeg having a big year sometime soon, followed by a return to just consistent really good years. I see him being an impact player in some post-season run. And while I don’t see him ever breaking through to consistent studdom, I do believe that he’ll have a long, productive career. I think that once he starts to lose it physically, he’ll finally start to get it mentally, turn himself into the kind of vet winning teams look to add for a year.
Somehow I would love for Versteeg to go through it all as a member of the Hawks, but no matter where he goes, I’m gonna root for him.
Please read on for more:
Part 1: #2, #4, #5, #6, #7 and #8
Part 2: #10, #11, #16, #19, and #22
Today: #24, #25, #29, #31, and #32
Part 4: #33, #36, #37, #39, and #46
Part 5: #51, #55, #81, #82, and #88
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