#8 CHICAGO What more can you say about a team that has won 3 Stanley Cups in the matter of 6 years?  And the amazing part about them winning those Cups is that they needed to overhaul their team because of salary cap reasons and still managed to remain competitive enough and return to the Cup Finals without too big of gap in between in terms of years.  The team’s cap issues this year led to the team trading away one of their better young talents in Brandon Saad to the Columbus Blue Jackets.  In that deal they were able to get back a few needy pieces and a good young forward in Marko Dano.  Some believe Dano to be the next Marian Hossa, who the Blackhawks still have on their roster.  Patrick Sharp was also a victim of the cap and was traded to the Dallas Stars, who also acquired defenseman Johnny Oduya via free agency.  D-man Trevor Daley was the other side of that Sharp trade so the Hawks managed to fill in critical pieces as they were losing them.  Thank you Brad Richards!  Enjoy your ring, now take care!  All those pieces were crucial to the Hawks Stanley Cup hoisting, but knowing them, they will return there in short order as the core of the team remains intact. GOALIES He probably doesn’t get the respect he deserves but Corey Crawford has been exactly what the Blackhawks have needed as he won both times the hawks went to the Cup finals with him as their #1.  He may not be the flashiest of net minders, nor may he be one of the elite goaltenders, but he has been a part of all three Chicago Championship teams, although he didn’t get any playoff time during their first Cup run with Antti Niemi.  Crawford will return as the #1 and the fans will grumble about his performance when he gets in one of his funks, but the team is a dynasty and he is a major part of that.  His metrics may be average, but he knows how to come up big in the big games. Backup Scott Darling is the local flavor and favorite and has performed admirably as he is getting his feet wet as an NHL goalkeeper. 2014-2015                      GP      GAA       W        L        OTL       SP Corey Crawford            57         2.27       32       20         5         .924   DEFENSE Two-time Norris Trophy-winning defenseman Duncan Keith is about all you need to say about the Chicago defense.  He was just masterful during the Cup run of 2015 and received the playoff Conn Smythe MVP trophy for his efforts.  Build your fantasy defense around this superstar and you won’t be sorry.  He is joined by Brent Seabrook who is a steady contributor production-wise and a good defensive d-man, but he probably could produce more but rarely does.  Daley was brought in and has the experience to fit right in as one of the top-4.  He has produced the past two seasons and should continue that trend with this Chicago team.  Kyle Cumiskey, Niklas Hjarlmarsson, Michal Rozsival and David Rundblad make up the top 7defensemen but don’t expect many points out of this bunch.  FORWARDS The team is built around Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane.  Toews has been the ultimate leader since day 1.  Kane has been the hero over and over again but his off-ice antics may be becoming a bit more troublesome with this franchise.  The problem with trading away a player of Kane’s stature, you can never get enough in return for a player with his talent.  Both elite players, but I didn’t need to tell you that.  Marian Hossa, at the ripe age of 36, still continues to be productive with consecutive 60+ point seasons. He seems to be ageless but the Hawks are preparing just in case he starts to slow down with the acquisition of Dano mentioned earlier.  With the departure of Saad and Sharp, the Hawks have C Artem Anisimov, a solid veteran, along with new-comers RWs Artemi Panarin & Viktor Tikhonov, who they hope can acclimate quickly to the NHL game and fill some of the needs.  Marcus Kruger and Andrew Shaw both hope to get expanded roles now with the openings available.  Rookie RW Kyle Baun has been making some noise in the preseason with 3 goals and an assist.  It’s these kind of out-of-the-blue players that can make or break your fantasy team.  Keep an eye on Baun and see if he continues in the remaining preseason games.  Might be worth a last round pick.   PROSPECTS The Hawks always seem to manage to work the revolving door well with bringing in veterans or promoting the youngsters to fill in important roles while keeping the core intact.  Panarin and Tikhonov were mentioned above but they have some talent still on the farm with Ville Pokka a good, young defenseman along with Mark McNeil, who at 22, should be opening some eyes if he wants to be considered for the big club.  Ryan Hartman was drafted at the end of the first round in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft and has good offensive skills. Overall Fantasy Outlook I don’t know how you can count this team out but it seems like they are programmed for an “every-other-year” Cup win as they manage the salary cap by replacing key personnel with players a year or two away from being able to generate the style of play necessary to complement their star players.  Kane should be your first choice and Toews a close second, but Toews will never give you that elite production.  Always overrated in terms of offensive production.  Keith then Crawford & Hossa.  The rest of the talent are for deeper leagues except for perhaps Seabrook. I’m not saying they won’t reach the Finals again, but I think not.  Now next year will be a different story.