CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – DECEMBER 27: Jonathan Toews #19 of the Chicago Blackhawks talks with Patrick Kane #88 before a face-off against the New York Islanders at the United Center on December 27, 2019 in Chicago, Illinois. The Blackhawks defeated the Islanders 5-2. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
The ChicagoBlackhawks are in a big funk that has basically taken them out of the playoffs and the power play deserves a lot of blame.
The Chicago Blackhawks are 1-5-0 in their last six games. That bad streak has basically taken them out of the playoff race in the Western Conference. They are now eight points back of the final spot in the Western Conference final wild card spot. Those six games that saw them go 1-5 all have one thing in common, the power play has been putrid.
You cannot win games in the National Hockey League if the power play is bad. It needs to be able to score some goals in order for the team to have a chance at the playoffs. In those six games, they are 0-17 on the man advantage. You read that right. The team with Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Alex DeBrincat, Brandon Saad, Dominik Kubalik, and Dylan Strome is 0 for their last 17 on the power play.
That has dropped them to 31st out of 31st in the entire National Hockey League in power-play percentage at 13.8 percent. They are almost a full percent behind the Detroit Red Wings who are dead last in the NHL with a 15-43-4 and having one of the worst seasons in NHL history. The Hawks are likely not going to the playoffs this year but addressing the man advantage is something that must be done if they are to end the playoff drought in 2020-21.
They went 0 for 3 against the New York Rangers in the 6-3 loss. It was a game where the Blackhawks were almost even with New York in shots. It was a high-danger chance filled game but the Blackhawks were never able to gain any steam. They are all but out of it at this point as the trade deadline approaches.
The Blackhawks next chance to end the power-play drought and perhaps get a win comes tomorrow when the Nashville Predators come to town. They feel that their power play is bad too but it is worlds better than Chicago’s. This is perhaps the Hawks’ last chance to start a run before being truly declared dead if they aren’t already.
The ChicagoBears inked a new tight end and an old friend of Matt Nagy. What does this signing mean for the tight ends going forward?
On Wednesday afternoon, the Chicago Bears made a free agency move before the period officially begins on March 18. After the Cleveland Browns cut ties with tight end Demetrius Harris, Chicago scooped him up on a 1-year deal.
The 28-year-old Harris is entering his seventh season in the NFL and only played one of those with the Browns. His career began back in 2014 with the Kansas City Chiefs, which is of course where he played under current Bears head coach Matt Nagy.
Harris joins a group of tight ends which was arguably the worst in the NFL last year.
The Bears will likely keep Trey Burton around, because cutting him and absorbing the dead cap makes zero sense. Seeing if Burton can regain himself both physically and mentally is their only choice with their starting tight end at this point.
Aside from Burton, the Bears still have Adam Shaheen and could bring back J.P. Holtz. Out of those two, Holtz is much more valuable at this stage. It’s sad to say, but the Shaheen pick was a swing and miss by Ryan Pace.
Going forward, Harris will likely function as mostly a blocking tight end. Although he is fairly athletic, Harris is a much better blocker than he is a receiver. In six NFL seasons, Harris has only caught 72 passes for 754 yards and nine touchdowns.
RELATED PRODUCT
SNL Da Bears Navy Performance Athletic T-Shirt
It’s not that he isn’t capable of catching the football, but his skillset is better used in blocking. In football terms, he’ll be used at the ‘Y’ tight end.
The Bears have to go out and sign or draft at least one more at the position, because Burton is the only true receiving threat at the moment. If they wanted to grab one via free agency, the big names available are going to be Austin Hooper, Eric Ebron and Hunter Henry.
The draft has quite a few notable names which could fit what the Bears do, but the limited capital makes it difficult to spend an early pick unless the value is too good in the second round.
Harris is a decent start to bolstering the tight end group, but the Bears are no where near done. I could even see Pace bringing in two more which would have a shot to make the final roster while keeping Holtz and maybe even Jesper Horsted for training camp, at minimum.
Whether they add more via free agency or the rookie class remains to be seen. What we do know, though, is that there will be more additions to this group. You can count on it.
The ChicagoBlackhawks are likely not going to the playoffs. They would be smart to trade both goalies for some future assets.
The Chicago Blackhawks are, in all likelihood, not going to the Stanley Cup Playoffs at the conclusion of the 2019-20 season. It is going to be the third year in a row without a playoff appearance despite some of the best play from the organization’s top players. It is not a good look for this team to be out with this level of talent and they need to do something about it soon. It is time to move on and get some future assets.
The thing is, both goalies on the team are on expiring contracts. Robin Lehner and Corey Crawford have been awesome this year for the Chicago Blackhawks but the rest of the team outside of Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, Brandon Saad, and Dominik Kubalik have not been good enough. It would be wise to move both goalies for the Blackhawks because they would be able to get a pretty good return on both of them from teams that need a goalie headed into the playoffs.
With both of them on expiring contracts, it makes sense to get something out of both of them instead of losing them both for nothing. These are two goalies that certain teams might pay a decent price to acquire at the deadline. There are also some good goaltenders that will be on the market in the summer via free agency for the Hawks to try and sign. There is also a chance that they try to bring back one of these two once free agency hits.
Each goalie would bring something different to whichever team acquired him. It would also prove to have some consequence for the Blackhawks for the rest of this season and beyond. It is a shame that it has come to this after having some home a few weeks ago, but this is what it is.
According to one ChicagoBears insider, don’t expect big changes at the quarterback position.
The debate over the state of the quarterback position for the Chicago Bears continues to rage on over social media. Each day there are Twitter sparring matches between the “Trubisky Truthers,” and the “Trubisky Haters.” Even those who simply demand more from the quarterback position and want the team to bring in a legitimate option to both challenge Mitchell Trubisky and potentially win the starting role, are labeled “haters.”
In short, the battle rages on, and according to one Bears insider, it does not appear the latter two groups are going to get their wish. However, if you are a fan of Trubisky and still believe he can be a star quarterback in this league, then I have some good news for you. Regardless of how you feel about Trubisky, Biggs outlines what is, in my opinion, the worst-case scenario for the Bears.
On the most recent Bear Download podcast, Chicago Tribune member and Bears’ beat reporter Brad Biggs spoke about what he believes Ryan Pace will do to address the position. Biggs, who is one of the most connected Bears insiders out there had some very interesting thoughts. Now, he did not tie these comments to anything specific he heard, but because of how connected he is, anytime he renders an opinion, fans should take notice.
Biggs said he believed there were a number of fans who are of the belief that the Bears are going to “reboot” the quarterback position this offseason. However, Biggs stated he does not think that is going to happen, adding “I think they’re committed to holding on to hope that Mitch Trubisky can become and evolve and improve and rise to the level of that franchise quarterback.”
If the team isn’t going to bring in a front-line starter to challenge or supplant Mitch, how will they address the position? Biggs thinks they will look to add someone who has a lot of experience playing games, to serve in a true backup role. Because that type of scenario will not be appealing to many of the free-agent quarterbacks, Biggs thinks the Bears may need to ultimately trade for a backup quarterback.
So let me get this straight: 1.) the Bears are not going to bring in legitimate competition, 2.) they are going to risk squandering what little is left on their Super Bowl window, and 3.) they are going to use some of their very limited draft capital to acquire a quarterback to strictly serve as a backup?
That sounds like the worst possible scenario for the Bears, but also one that is very possible because — well — they’re the Bears, and nothing surprises me anymore with this franchise.
Located just 1.5 miles west of this year’s NBA All-Star celebration is the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boys and Girls Club of Chicago. Founded in 1953, the club has played an important role in supporting underprivileged children in the city’s west side communities. And their efforts haven’t gone unnoticed.
In an effort to provide a safe place where kids can stay active, Nike and the Boys and Girls Club partnered together to refurbish the club’s basketball court. But they didn’t stop there. The partnership also includes the launch of the Nike All-Star Academy, which will provide both on and off-the-court programs to members of the Boys and Girls Club. Nike officially announced the renovations this past Wednesday, and the results are breathtaking.
The New Court
To design the new basketball court, Nike teamed up with the founder of the NikeLab Chicago Re-Creation Center, Virgil Abloh. The court highlights the commitment Nike and Virgil made to the community while shining a light on the city and its youth. Virgil commented on the new space, saying, “This new court and programming not only extend our community work with the NikeLab Re-Creation Center, they provide a positive, free space for kids to engage in activities rooted in sport that will lead to an active healthy lifestyle and teach teamwork and the determination to succeed.”
Photo Credit: NikeNike All-Star Academy
After the NBA All-Star weekend concludes, members of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boys and Girls Club will have access to the Nike All-Star Academy. At the academy, children will learn through the game of basketball and beyond it. The programming includes skill-building on the court as well as hands-on learning in the areas of sport design, sport science, coaching, and journalism.
The NBA All-Star weekend will tip off tonight with the All-Star Celebrity Game and Rising Stars game. The skills challenge, 3-point contest, and dunk contest are all scheduled for Saturday and the NBA All-Star game is set for Sunday night!
At UrbanMatter, U Matter. And we think this matters.
Tell us what you think matters in your neighborhood and what we should write about next in the comments below!