Blackhawk Defense No Longer Elite Without Campbell

One unexpected trade and one costly injury have left the Chicago Blackhawks scrambling and without depth on the back-end.

Early on in the regular season, the Chicago Blackhawks were marching out a loaded roster, perhaps the most talented in the league. At that time the thought was that Marian Hossa’s arrival would give the Hawks one of the most talent-laden rosters in recent memory. It was difficult to imagine the powerhouse Hawks with yet another superstar. They seemed set on all fronts. Especially on defense.

With Brian Campbell and Cam Barker holding down the status of second-pairing blueliners for Chicago, the Hawks owned unparalleled depth at the defense position. No team in the NHL had a second-pairing that so closely resembled a first-pairing.

Today however, even with Hossa healthy and productive, the Blackhawks will be a weaker team heading into the playoffs than before the arrival of their big ticket summer signing. The removal of two stud blueliners has severely damaged the team.




Cam Barker is a former 3rd overall pick who looks to be merely scratching the surface of his talents. He put up 40 points last year while playing behind Brent Seabrook and Duncan Keith, but this year failed to mount similar numbers in Chicago. Barker was a casualty of the excess skill on Chicago’s defense.

With very little breathing room under the salary cap, Chicago dealt Cam Barker to the Wild in what was essentially a salary dump for long-term flexibility. They acquired the expiring contract of Kim Johnsson and prospect Nick Leddy from Minnesota. Chicago’s talent level took a hit with the trade, but it was considered manageable with the highly skilled Brian Campbell still in place as the team’s number three defenseman.

So how badly do the Hawks wish they could go back in time and undo the Barker trade now?

With Brian Campbell’s injury suspected to keep him out of action for 7-8 weeks, the Blackhawks find themselves depleted on the back end. They still have one of the strongest pairings in the league leading the way, but beneath them is a major drop-off in talent. What was once the team’s strong suit is now an Achilles heel. The Blackhawks will likely enter the playoffs with Niklas Hjalmarsson and Kim Johnsson (currently day-to-day) as their second and third best defensemen. Not bad, but not elite as they were before Barker was traded.

The Hawks are still loaded with talent and own the likely winner of the ‘09-10 Norris Trophy in Duncan Keith, but their losses on D will trickle down and affect goaltending which is the club’s other major area of concern. The duo of Huet and Niemi don’t have much playoff pedigree between them; Huet has a 6-10 record in his post-season career, while Antti Niemi has never played an NHL playoff game. This inexperienced tandem won’t be well insulated by its weakened defense, which doesn’t at all bode well for the Hawks advancing deep into the playoffs.

Call it a crisis at the worst, a minor setback at the very least, but this scenario gives you a prime indication of why General Managers of contending teams tend to add a defenseman or two at the trade deadline. The Blackhawks started the season with the best defense in the NHL on paper, which they can no longer claim. The defense is still strong, mostly because Duncan Keith has been the NHL’s best defenseman this year and Brent Seabrook has done just fine riding shotgun.

What might keep the Hawks afloat until Brian Campbell returns is their limitless ability to score and create offensively with three skilled forward lines. If the gunners are at their best, perhaps Chicago can avoid a first round upset. Keith and Seabrook have already seen bumps in ice time, and that will have to continue until Brian Campbell returns to action.

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