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TEAM STATS
Chicago Blackhawks, 2009-10
Goals For: 271 3rd
Goals Against: 209 5th
GVT: 62 2nd
Points: 112 3rd
VUKOTA Projection for 2010-11
Goals For: 251 2nd
Goals Against: 234 18th
GVT: 17 4th
Points: 97 4th
Did you raise your eyebrows when you saw VUKOTA predicting a drop in the standings for the Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks? It made sense to me- while the Blackhawks retained a wonderful core of two elite lines and two strong defensive pairings, their bottom six forwards and third defensive pairing were literally gutted by salary cap constraints. GM Stan Bowman did a commendable job of retaining Chicago's most critical pieces while reloading for the future with prospects and picks in return for the likes of LW Andrew Ladd, RW Kris Versteeg, RW Dustin Byfuglien, LW Ben Eager, RW Adam Burish and D Brent Sopel, but the fact of the matter is-that for 2010-11-the bottom half of the Blackhawks roster has gone from a championship-winning strength to an Achilles Heel.
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On The Beat (11/11)
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