CSNChicago.com Blackhawks Insider Tracey Myers and PGL host Chris Boden will evaluate the 2011-12 performance of each player on the Hawks roster. One breakdown will occur every weekday in numerical order.
In his 13th full season, the 37-year-old Jamal Mayers played in 81 games and averaged just under 10 minutes per game playing primarily on the fourth line and seeing some time on the penalty-killing unit. Mayers scored six goals and had nine assists, finishing at minus-4. He accumulated 91 penalty minutes and delivered 102 hits. Mayers only played in three of the six playoff games, going minus-1 with five hits and zero points.
Boden's take: It was one of the curious twists in the playoff series with Phoenix: Jamal Mayers' benching after Game 3. He played his role almost to perfection during the entire regular season, missing just one game due to illness, protecting his teammates as well as anyone and guiding a lot of inexperienced linemates along. Joel Quenneville denied right after the season that it had anything to do with Mayers not going after Raffi Torres when his hit ended the season for Marian Hossa (Brandon Bollig jumped right in). Mayers won 56 percent of his faceoffs during the regular season, but struggled late and into the Coyotes series. Quenneville said he just wanted to give a different look with Brendan Morrison, who wound up playing his best hockey for the Hawks in Games 4, 5 and 6.
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Myers' take: The Blackhawks, and especially Quenneville, knew what they were getting when they brought in Mayers this season: a tough, supporting-cast veteran who wasn't afraid to defend a teammate. He was the only one who did so when Jonathan Toews was getting smacked around by the San Jose Sharks back in February. But after filling the job duties during the regular season, Mayers was suddenly a healthy scratch for the Blackhawks' final three postseason games. Some wondered if Mayers was benched after not retaliating after Torres' hit on Hossa in Game 3 against the Coyotes, but Quenneville said that had nothing to do with the scratching. Whatever the reason, Mayers was out.
2012-13 Expectations
Boden: Once Mayers finally talked about his benching, he placed the blame squarely on his shoulders for "putting himself" in a position where he was scratched, without providing further details. He was certainly worthy of re-signing to another one-year contract (costing just 550,000 last season), but the way things ended casts a dark cloud on his return. His offensive output was the same as it'd been the previous three years. Mayers definitely has some hockey left in him as he turns 38 in October. It just doesn't appear, at this point, to be a second straight year here. And right now, the center depth chart reads Toews, Patrick Kane, Dave Bolland and Marcus Kruger.
Myers: Re-signing Mayers looked like a distinct possibility through the winter months. Now it seems doubtful for several reasons. The biggest was that postseason benching. Here are two more: (1) Mayers will turn 38 in the fall and the Blackhawks have younger guys (Brandon Bollig, Jimmy Hayes), who can fill their sizeedge needs. (2) The Blackhawks have already re-signed younger agitator Daniel Carcillo, whom general manager Stan Bowman showered praise (without even being asked about the forward) on the season-ending media day.
How do you feel about this evaluation? As always, be sure to chime in with your thoughts by commenting below and check out highlights of Mayers above.
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