The Chicago Blackhawks have a hole in the middle of their second line. That's far from breaking news. Coach Joel Quenneville has tried to plug the hole with several players. It's time to give Marcus Kruger his turn.
The carousel that is the position of second-line center has been occupied at times over the last few seasons by Patrick Sharp, Patrick Kane, Dave Bolland, Michal Handzus, Brandon Pirri and Kruger, among others. No one seems to be able to stick.
Bolland got an extended shot last season and is now in Toronto. Handzus caught a bit of lightning in a bottle and stepped up in last season's playoffs. The Kane experiment ended after the 2011-12 season.
Pirri doesn't seem to merit a lengthy stay in the top six in Quenneville's eyes. Sharp, who could potentially fill the role, doesn't seem to want it.
Quenneville sent out recent acquisition Peter Regin between Kane and Kris Versteeg for Chicago's game in New York Thursday night. Regin scored a late goal in the 'Hawks 2-1 loss to the Rangers but wasn't on the second line by the latter part of the contest.
Barring a miracle trade that brings in a top-six pivot, the Bl ...
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Article written by Jon Fromi
Chicago Blackhawks: Time to Give Marcus Kruger His Shot on the Second Line
February 28th, 2014 by Jon Fromi Leave a reply »
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