Father Time, even up against the finest of modern-era NHL dynasties, is undefeated. And while his inevitable, debilitating game plan hasn't completely knocked the Chicago Blackhawks off their perch of perennial success, the symptoms of his impending victory are starting to seep through the cracks of the club's once invincible armor.
The Blackhawks won three Stanley Cups between 2010-2015 and established the blueprint for building a champion in today's NHL: find talent year after year in the draft, and groom them into becoming a cohesive unit.
Now, unfortunately, with the luster of their championships fading farther and farther away in their rear-view mirrors, the Blackhawks have become the poster boys of how difficult it is to keep a title-contending roster intact while complying with the restrictions of the salary cap.
The one constant Chicago's maintained in its personnel, over years of roster changeover, is the team's core. Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, and Marian Hossa authored an unforgettable generation of success in the Windy City, sticking with the club while several pieces of the Stanley Cup-winning puzzle were forced out of town as cap casualties.
Amid all the roster turnover, that group of players have managed to keep Chicago in the postseason mix, but have failed to get past the first round of the playoffs in each of the past two seasons. And this year, without Hossa included in their arsenal of weapons, the Blackhawks will be hard-pressed to diverge from the recent string of disappointing results.
One month in, Chicago's veteran nucleus looks like it may not be enough to overcome the remainder of the Blackhawks' flawed roster. That's not a slight on their individual contributions; more so that this is a team that's been able to mask its mistakes for a while now, and this season, they're starting to show.
Goaltending
The area Chiacago looks best happens to be between the pipes, as starter Corey Crawford has kept his team alive through his 10 appearances. In those contests, Crawford has mustered a .935 save percentage with a goals against average of 2.12.
If there's one thing that can drag a team out of a slump, it's good goaltending, and if it weren't for Crawford so far, things could be much worse for the Blackhawks than their 5-5-2 record suggests.
Defense
The blue line, however, is a different story. The Blackhawks traded defensive stalwart Niklas Hjalmarsson over the offseason, and his steadying presence has been sorely missed.
The defensive corps as a whole has been getting torched this season, surrendering 34.5 shots per game. Keith, of course, has been relied upon to log his usual 25 minutes per night, but he's 34 now, so how much longer can he do it himself?
Seabrook's possession numbers have seen a steep decline over recent years, and increased usage isn't the solution to that. Elsewhere, aside from Keith, the only Blackhawks defenseman to put up a positive shot differential at five-on-five is rookie Jan Rutta. If this continues over 82 games, it's going to be a major problem.
Forwards
Much like Keith on the blue line, Chicago's attack hasn't been spread evenly. Kane, who lost triggerman Artemi Panarin, has proven he can produce points with pretty much anyone, and the return of Brandon Saad has had a positive impact on Toews.
But, the Blackhawks are 25th in expected goals scored at even strength, and have a powerplay that's operating at an uncharacteristic 12.7 percent clip.
The reliance on its three best offensive players has posed problems early for Chicago, particularly since 15 its 38 goals came in the first two games of the season.
Unlike years before, the Blackhawks' powerful core isn't supported by the depth required to compete for a Stanley Cup. In fact, at this point, it barely looks as though it's enough to consistently succeed in the regular season.
But that's what Father Time does: he catches up to everybody.
(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)
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