Questions Abound as Marian Hossa Prepares to Join the Hawks

Jim Neveau, PIB Co-conspirator

When Marian Hossa returns to the Hawks lineup this week, it will raise a slew of questions that head coach Joel Quenneville and the coaching staff will need to address.

The first and most obvious question is how will he perform? Will not playing in an AHL rehab stint affect the play of a guy who did not participate in the team’s training camp in September, and hasn’t seen game action in over five months?

Another question concerns the chemistry in the dressing room. Will Hossa’s return impact the chemistry of a team that has won seven consecutive games and is playing some of the franchise’s best hockey in recent memory?

Finally, which line will he play on? Will he skate on a line with youngsters Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane, or will he go with a more seasoned veteran like John Madden?

Diving in to the first question, Hossa likely won’t feel any ill effects from skipping an AHL stint. He has been practicing with the team for quite a while, and if Quenneville and the brass were concerned with his conditioning or skill level in those workouts, then they wouldn’t have hesitated to send him to Rockford for a couple of games.

In addition, Hossa may feel like an assignment to the minors would be an unnecessary step in his recovery. Even though AHL squads consist of NHL prospects who are one step away from the show, the speed of the game is nowhere near what it is in the NHL, and it probably wouldn’t help Hossa as much, especially considering the amount of practice time he has had with his teammates.

The second question involves the team chemistry angle. Is adding Hossa to the mix going to cause problems? Will it screw up the good mojo that the team has experienced in recent times?

Marian Hossa & Tomas Kopecky

It seems highly unlikely that will happen. Hossa hasn’t exactly cultivated an image of being a diva in the locker room during his tenure in the NHL, and even if he exhibited bad behavior, Captain Toews and vets like Madden would be able to quell dissension in the ranks.

Also, Hossa could be looked at to provide some experienced know-how to the young Patrick Kane, who is also a skilled right winger. Kane has been growing up by leaps and bounds in various aspects of his game, including his shooting and also his puck protection.

Finally, there is the issue of possible linemates for Hossa. Quenneville is a fan of switching around lines more often than a Vegas casino, and he’ll surely not exempt Hossa from the shuffling.

After some careful deliberation, here are the four line combos that I came up with for the Hawks when Hossa makes his debut.

Patrick Sharp: Possible Hossa-Line Center? (photo property of Pam Rodriguez)

First Line: LW Troy Brouwer – C Jonathan Toews – RW Patrick Kane

Second Line: LW Andrew Ladd – C Patrick Sharp – RW Marian Hossa

Third Line: LW Kris Versteeg – C John Madden – RW Dustin Byfuglien

Fourth Line: LW Ben Eager – C Colin Fraser – RW Tomas Kopecky

That top line combo is one that a lot of people aren’t going to agree with. All talk about this issue has Hossa on a line with Toews and Kane, but there are a couple of reasons why that should not be the case.

First off, with Kane’s latest scoring spurt that he’s had, putting Hossa on the ice with him would stifle Kane’s scoring. Kane has usually played a pass-first role in his career, but he is finally shooting the puck with more regularity, and putting Hossa on a line with him could jeopardize that progress.

The Hawks would be well advised to drop him in the rotation for at least the beginning of his return. He will likely gel well with Sharp and Ladd. Ladd thrived with Martin Havlat on his line last season, and Sharp has looked like he’s pressing way too hard as of late to score goals. If he is paired with another scorer, that could alleviate that pressure on him, and he could come out of his current funk.

Those folks who want to see Hossa with the young guns will hopefully have to wait until the Hawks have a power play. With a man-advantage, it would behoove the Hawks to put Hossa out with Toews and Kane, where their offensive talents would be complimentary to one another.

Marian Hossa’s return to the Hawks should not be a worrisome occurrence. The Hawks went out and signed him for a reason: to add another scorer on the right side of the ice who didn’t have the injury concerns that plagued Martin Havlat.

If all goes according to plan, Hossa will fit right in, and the Hawks’ offensive engine will simply keep humming along.

Tags: AHL, Andrew Ladd, Ben Eager, Chicago Blackhawks, Colin Fraser, Dustin Byfuglien, Joel Quenneville, John Madden, Jonathan Toews, kris versteeg, marian hossa, martin havlat, Patrick Kane, Patrick Sharp, Tomas Kopecky, Troy Brouwer