Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman counting on additions paying off in playoffs

The Chicago Blackhawks’ trades before last month’s deadline have not produced the desired results in the standings. But Chicago Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman believes the newcomers will make the team harder to play against in the postseason.

Since the Blackhawks first acquired winger Andrew Ladd, and then added defenseman Christian Ehrhoff and wingers Dale Weise and Tomas Fleischmann, they have gone 3-4-1. They are winless in their past four games (0-3-1) and have given up 13 goals in the past three games. They've slipped to third in the Central Division.

“I liken this to start of the year for us,” Bowman told Paste BN Sports at the recent general managers meetings in Boca Raton, Fla. “When you have new players come in, there is an adjustment period. You have an idea of how it will play out, but it still does take your coaches and players a little bit of adjustment. We have new guys, and you have to figure what they can do and what their roles will be.”

Bowman said he will have a better read on how everyone fits over the next couple of weeks because his team was not at full strength when the deals were made.

“Fleischmann has already probably been a little bit better (two goals, assist) than expected,” Bowman said. “He already seems like he’s a guy who has been on our team for a couple of years.  He’s picked up everything right away. He’s been a pleasant surprise.”

Ladd has two goals and four points in eight games, Weise has a plus-2 rating in six games, and Ehrhoff has averaged 14:54 in five games.

“They’ve all been solid,” Bowman said. “And it’s only going to get better as they acclimate. With our guys, it doesn’t happen in one game. We have a lot of players who have played together a lot. So when you bring a new guy in, no matter how great they are, they have to feel their way out. That’s starting to happen. By the time we get to April, we will feel good about the chemistry of the new players. But initial reviews of the new players is positive.”

One reason Bowman targeted Weise and Ladd, in particular, is because they are hitters. The Blackhawks were lacking in that aspect of the game.

“There is an adjustment going on because we are not used to having that,” Bowman said. “We don’t have a real physical group. But when you add those guys to our mix, we now have a guy on every line now that brings some of that element. We have to get used to that."

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