September 15, 2008
Time for young Hawks to 'commit'
The Chicago Blackhawks may be under the salary cap, but TFP Columnist Josh Mora believes they're still a little thin up front.

[Chicago, IL] -- Those of you outside Chicago probably missed the best moment in the Blackhawks' season a year ago.

Better than Jonathan Toews scoring while skating through the entire Colorado Avalanche defense corps plus Rob Ramage and Hardy Astrom.

Better than Patrick Kane scoring on his first shift in his native Buffalo.

Better than Adam Burish and his one-punch kayo of Eric Nystrom.

It occurred when the Blackhawks mailed in their final game before the All-Star break in a loss to Columbus, sending Denis Savard on a rampage the equivalent of Michael Douglas in "Falling Down."

In that spontaneous rant, Savard told the press his team had to "Commit to the Indian."

That one little phrase sent the hardliners in the burgeoning Hawks' fan base into a hysterical tizzy. First they carpet-bombed the Hawks' PR offices, begging them to start using the quip as a slogan. (Side note: the Hawks had to decline for obvious politically correct reasons, but they did start using the single word, "commit", in much of their in-game presentation).

Then they tried to figure out at whom Savard was pointing his far-reaching finger. Most settled on Robert Lang, who indeed had taken most of that night off – one of about 20 he chose to sit out while still in full uniform last season.

Lang, along with Nikolai Khabibulin, were two of the three players who skipped the Hawks' convention this summer.

In a related story, on the eve of training camp, the Hawks traded Lang to the Montreal Canadiens for a second-round draft pick in 2010.

I happened to talk to Lang about four hours before he was traded. He had just come back to Chicago from the Czech Republic and had been on the ice at conditioning camp with a dozen of his teammates for the first time. He knew the Hawks' cap situation, but didn't seem to think a trade was coming. At least not that soon. We agreed he'd do something for us on camera in the coming week.

In spite of the fact that Lang has little speed, and little penchant for playing hard every night, he's a valuable commodity to a good team, especially a team that is both good and young like the Blackhawks. Lang scored 21 goals and 54 points. He kept the powerplay in the middle of the pack. And even though he didn't play hard every night, he scored big goals – tough goals – that first- and second-year NHL players don't always know how to score.

It also shows why I didn't pick the Blackhawks as Free Agency winners in the expert section of TFP.

There was an inevitable subtraction coming because of the cap situation. Now the Blackhawks' centers behind Jonathan Toews project to be Petri Kontiola, Dave Bolland and Adam Burish. Say 'em out loud. Kontiola, Bolland and Burish.

Should those names be trying to skate through Nik Lidstrom and Brian Rafalski, or representing you in a civil suit? And all four guys are so young, their favorite TV show is The Imagination Movers. Ironically, it's also the favorite show of Lang's kids, one of whom I think is actually older than Bolland.

Look, the Blackhawks are incredibly talented down the middle, but also incredibly young. They will probably sign Kevyn Adams as a depth forward to provide leadership and regale the kids with stories about growing up in the days before flat-screen televisions, when we all just had to make do.

They love Adams, maybe more for who he is than for what he does. Though it's worth noting, even by trading Lang, if the 'Hawks sign Adams, most of their projected rosters will have them right at the cap line. Unless all the kids come through, the Hawks appear to be a veteran center and a veteran wing short up front.

So there are still moves to be made. Word is that LA may still be interested in Nikolai Khabibulin. The Hawks can make that worthwhile for LA by sending a pick or a prospect along with the Wall. They'd also have to take a goalie back. Similar story in Ottawa, where the Hawks would probably have to take Martin Gerber in a package, but that trade could net that veteran wing. They have some interest in Chris Neil.

And not only should this shake up the Hawks' movement, but it should shake up player movement around the league.

Mats Sundin may still sit out until Valentine's Day. I mean seriously, waiting for Mats to make this decision is like watching the final 10 minutes of a Project Runway episode – extremely drawn out, and ultimately not that important because neither of the two finalists are going to win the whole thing with him anyway.

And a couple of other Hawk notes: Geoff Sanderson will be in training camp in Chicago. Martin Lapointe is still waiting to be invited to a camp, but has settled his family in Chicago. Lapointe still wants to play this season, but he could join the Hawks' front office when he eventually decides to retire.

Josh Mora, a Columnist with TheFourthPeriod.com, is an Anchor and Blackhawks Reporter with Comcast Sportsnet Chicago.