via Ed Willes of the Vancouver Province,

Since their game-breaker went down, they’ve gone 10-4-1, relying, in no particular order, on their captain, their goalie and their system. They’re clearly a more dangerous team with Kane in the lineup, but they might be more efficient without him.

They’ll also need that same template for the foreseeable future because, while Kane has started skating with the Hawks, he’s not expected back until early May, when his teammates will either be playing golf or in the second round of the playoffs. Unless things go haywire over the final week of the season, they’ll be meeting St. Louis, a team they seem to beat on memory.

As mentioned, there are no clearcut favourites this season, and any of the 16 teams — and yes, that includes the Canucks — who make the post-season can reasonably entertain thoughts of a deep playoff run. But the Hawks’ aspirations might be the most reasonable of the lot.