What do you know, another Badger hockey column from a depressed beat writer at The Badger Herald.

Thing is, my partner in overwhelming sadness, Adam Holt, covered all the anguish Tuesday. We were certain our experience covering the 2009-10 team was going to end with a kick-ass Wisconsin national championship, and I couldn’t help but imagine my play-by-play call of the championship moment for WSUM.

But instead, I described five BC goals and watched the Badgers come up empty. Season over.

Now what?

Well, now is about that time you hear the one line that makes every loyal sports fan cringe. “There’s always next year.”

But as excruciatingly painful as those five words might sound (think Barry Melrose’s hockey coverage), especially after such a near-perfect season, they need to be said eventually.

So what about next year? Will we have to wait another four years to see the Badgers return to the Frozen Four? Or can UW make another run next season?

The latter doesn’t seem likely with all the changes this team is about to endure.

First things first, let’s talk early departures. Expect juniors Ryan McDonagh and Brendan Smith to leave early to start their pro careers. McDonagh has nothing left to prove at the college level and while Smith could use more defensive seasoning, he would be wise to capitalize on his stellar statistical season.

Cody Goloubef and Derek Stepan are two other candidates to leave early.

Stepan has made it clear that he intends to stay at least one more year, and he needs to add some bulk before he joins the Rangers system with McDonagh (Damn Rangers… Adam, another Double Down please).

BUT, if Stepan suddenly decides to leave, the Badgers are in deep trouble. Their top returning center man would be — drum roll, please — Sean Dolan.

Goloubef hasn’t given any inclination either way.

Blake Geoffrion showed how beneficial an extra year in college could be, and Badger fans will certainly hope the other NHL draft picks follow his lead.

But even if McDonagh and Smith leave early, the defensive corps should be fine. Experienced returners Goloubef (maybe), Jake Gardiner, Justin Schultz and John Ramage provide a solid two pairs. Craig Johnson and Eric Springer have also shown they are more than capable of filling in. The D-unit won’t be as offensive-minded as it was this past year, but it should be good enough.

Plus, next year the defensemen will play in front of returning goaltender Scott Gudmandson. That stability will alleviate some early season stress and provide UW with one of the top goalies in the WCHA.

But seniors Blake Geoffrion, Ben Street, Michael Davies, Andy Bohmbach, Ben Grotting, Aaron Bendickson, and John Mitchell are all moving on.

What’s the one thing they all have in common aside from taking their games to another level in their final year? They are all forwards.

The top lines are absolutely gutted.

So, the second-highest scoring team in the nation loses a huge chunk of offensive production. Stepan is primed for another big year as the top center, but there isn’t much proven scoring behind him (again, assuming he doesn’t leave early).

But then there’s the special teams — you know, one of the undeniable keys to a championship team.

The power play unit loses its playmaker in Davies and its man in the middle/faceoff technician in Geoffrion. Plus, if Smith leaves early that lethal slap shot from the point is gone. But there is even more work to be done on the penalty kill.

Geoffrion, Bohmbach, Bendickson, Grotting and Street were all penalty-killing forwards. That’s not going to be easy to replace.

Seniors-to-be Podge Turnbull, Patrick Johnson and Dolan will need to step into leadership roles and can offer some help on the PK, but those three aren’t going to magically attain a scoring touch.

Now there are a number of highly touted forwards that will earn playing time as true freshman (thankfully Eaves continuously gets some of the best talent across the country), but you can’t rely on first-year players to score on a consistent basis. The adjustment to the college game takes time.

If this team wants to make another postseason run it is going to need some younger forwards to carry some serious scoring weight.

That burden falls on two players in particular. Craig Smith and Jordy Murray.

In his first year, Smith showed flashes of greatness but finished with just eight goals. But his size and tremendous strength with the puck make him look unstoppable at times when he wants to get to the front of the net.

His game-winner against Minnesota where he knocked the puck out of mid-air in the slot and snapped a shot just under the crossbar was only a sample of Smith’s potential. But like any freshman, the Predators’ draft choice was plagued by inconsistency and had a tendency to take bad penalties.

The Madison native has all the tools to be one of the top scoring threats in the WCHA and the Badgers need him to mature quickly.

Murray is another skilled forward who will need to just about double his 21 points this past year. While his game over the past few seasons has been about puck possession and hard work in the corners, he has great hands and a nose for the net.

With more time on the top lines and on the power play, Murray will have plenty of opportunities to get a little more creative in the offensive end.

With over 270 points potentially leaving Madison, the 2010-11 UW lineup is loaded with question marks.

Badger fans should pray Stepan returns and trust that Smith and Murray can take a big leap forward.

Otherwise, UW might be destined to return to its four-year Frozen Four plan.

Max is a junior majoring in journalism. Think UW is primed for another NCAA tournament run? Let him know at [email protected].