Viktor Stalberg

All season long, the NHL's rumor mill has been churning out potential deals involving the Washington Capitals' Alexander Semin, but as things stand today, it appears that Semin wil

The Chicago Blackhawks have been in a funk recently, and if that doesn't change, GM Stan Bowman could be making some permanent changes to the team's roster.

Inconsistent play, bad defense and all-around bad hockey from a number of individuals wearing a Blackhawks jersey explains the team's lack of success recently.

Although the Hawks have been struggling, there have been some players—such as Marcus Kruger and Nick Leddy—who have made significant improvements to their game since the start of the season.

With how competitive the Western Conferense has been this season, the Chicago Blackawks are going to be counting on players like Viktor Stalberg to help propel them into the postseason.

Every night a win, loss and tie becomes important; whether or not teams are playing or on an off day. Teams are not allowed to get comfortable with their position in the standings as they are constantly in motion.

It has been a tough season for Chicago Blackhawks, to say the least, and as they sit headed into the All-Star break this team just doesn't seem right. Yes, they have the best power play in the NHL and have been given solid goaltending from rookie Corey Crawford, but there seems to be a missing link on this team and it's difficult to pinpoint.

Welcome to Monday Morning Musings, or should I say welcome back? After a little hiatus and a failed experiment, I have decided to bring the weekly feature back to Bleacher Report just in time for the start of the new year.

I am thinking of doing a couple of different things with this feature this time around so if you have any ideas that are a little unique but you think you would like to see, please leave them in the comment section.

Firstly, a very happy New Year to all of you, be healthy and rich!

I gave you guys what I thought were the "5 Biggest Underachievers So Far" for the Blackhawks this season. There I listed the five guys that I thought were holding up the Hawks, and were the main cause for a lukewarm start to the season. 

After a phenomenal win over the hated Detroit Red Wings, I thought I'd have my next slide show be a little more optimistic. 

For the first time in all season the Blackhawks looked unstoppable. A 5-0 win and a hat trick will do that.

Wednesday night's game looked, felt , and had all the aspects of a game from last season.

It's all about puck control.

The Blackhawks out shot Edmonton 47-18. That is a HUGE margin, and, for the Blackhawks, those types of games haven't happened that often this season.

What could've been another blown lead by the Blackhawks last Sunday turned out to be an exciting overtime win that could prove to be more helpful than the two points the Hawks earned as a result.

As of Monday the Hawks sit at 9-9-2, hovering  around .500. Nothing to be proud of really, but, while there are many odds going against the Hawks in the early-going, there might be time for optimism in the future. 

Since the 'rebirth' of the Blackhawks a couple years ago, the United Center has been an amazing place to be at for a hockey game. It has personified what having a home-ice advantage can be.

The Chicago Blackhawks, this season, have had the opportunity to play before the home fans in one of the largest arenas in the NHL along with Joe Louis Arena in Detroit and Wachovia Center in Philadelphia.

The biggest contract concern for the Chicago Blackhawks at the moment is defenseman Brent Seabrook, who can become a restricted free agent after the 2010-11 season.

However, they should also consider locking up one of their young forwards.