Blackhawks couldn't overcome struggles by core players, Crawford injury

The Chicago Blackhawks (30-35-9, 69 points) were eliminated from Stanley Cup Playoff contention Tuesday after a 5-1 loss to the Colorado Avalanche.
The Blackhawks will miss the playoffs for the first time since the 2007-08 season. They could end up with a top 10 selection in the first round of the 2018 NHL Draft on June 22 in Dallas. If so, it will be their highest first-round pick since 2007, when they took right wing Patrick Kane with the No. 1 selection.

Here is a look at what happened in 2017-18 for the Blackhawks and why things could be better in 2018-19.

The skinny

Potential UFAs: Patrick Sharp, LW;
Lance Bouma
, LW;
Jordin Tootoo
, RW; Andreas Martinsen, C;
Christopher DiDomenico
, C;
Viktor Svedberg
, D; Michal Rozsival, D;
Cody Franson
, D;
Jeff Glass
, G.
Potential RFAs: Anthony Duclair, RW; John Hayden, RW; Tomas Jurco, RW; Vinnie Hinostroza, RW;
Adam Clendening
, D.
Potential 2018 Draft picks: 8
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What went wrong

Struggling core players:No. 1 center Jonathan Toews, 29, has 52 points (20 goals, 32 assists), his lowest point total in a full regular season. Left wing Brandon Saad, 25, has 31 points (16 goals, 15 assists); his 16 goals are the fewest since his rookie season (2012-13), when he had 10. Defenseman Duncan Keith, 34, has 31 points (one goal, 30 assists), the fewest he's had since his rookie season (21 points in 2005-06).

Corey Crawford's injury:Crawford, 33, was 16-9-2 with a 2.27 goals-against average and .929 save percentage when he was placed on injured reserve with an upper-body injury Dec. 27. He hasn't played since. Backups Anton Forsberg (9-16-3, 3.08 goals-against average, .905 save percentage), Glass (3-6-3, 3.31 goals-against average, .898 save percentage) and
J-F Berube
(7-2-4, 3.70 goals-against average, .897 save percentage) couldn't offset the loss of Crawford.
Team defense:What was usually the strength of the Blackhawks was their weakness this season. They've allowed 3.06 goals per game (21st in the NHL), their worst average since the 2006-07 season (3.06 goals per game). Coach Joel Quenneville constantly changed defense pairs. Brent Seabrook, 32, struggled and was a healthy scratch against the Ottawa Senators on Jan. 9. Connor Murphy, 24, was switched to the left side but was a healthy scratch in six games.

Reasons for optimism

Alex DeBrincat:The 20-year-old forward quickly adjusted to the NHL and is fourth on the Blackhawks with 46 points (25 goals, 21 assists); Kane is first with 70 points, but DeBrincat is tied with him for the lead in goals.

Nick Schmaltz:Schmaltz took a big step in his second season and is third on the Blackhawks with 48 points (20 goals, 28 assists). The 22-year-old spent a good part of this season centering Kane, which is where he'll likely stay moving forward
Henri Jokiharju:The Blackhawks selected Jokiharju, 18, with the No. 29 pick in the 2017 NHL Draft, and the Finland-born defenseman could be ready to make the jump to the NHL next season.