Richard Panik making the most of his chance on top line

ST. LOUIS — Richard Panik still doesn’t know why it didn’t work out with the Toronto Maple Leafs — whether he simply wasn’t good enough, or whether he didn’t fit new coach Mike Babcock’s system, or whether he was kept in the AHL and eventually traded as part of a blatant attempt to tank for the No. 1 draft pick.

Truth is, he doesn’t really care. Not anymore. Not now that he’s suddenly a top-liner for the Blackhawks, playing in a Game 7 alongside Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane while the rebuilding Leafs turn their attention to the draft lottery’s ping-pong balls.

“I don’t know,” Panik said after Monday’s morning skate at Scottrade Center. “I didn’t have a bad camp, I didn’t have a great camp. But they decided how they decided, and it’s in the past. I don’t want to think about it. Now I’m here, and my main focus is on Game 7.”

Panik turned heads with his virtuoso performance in Game 6, earning first-star status with one assist, four shots on goal, two blocked shots and six hits. Joel Quenneville’s decision to move Panik from the fourth line to the top line to start the second period helped trigger the Hawks’ comeback from 3-1 down to force a Game 7.

“Panik had a great game,” Quenneville said.

It’s been an unusual journey for Panik, a second-round pick of the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2009. After playing parts of two seasons with the Lightning, Panik failed to make the roster out of camp in 2014-15 and was claimed off waivers by the Maple Leafs. He scored 11 goals in 76 games for Toronto last year, and appeared to be in their future plans. Then Babcock took over, and Panik was out of the picture.

On Jan. 3, the Hawks traded their own forgotten prospect, Jeremy Morin, to Toronto for Panik, and Quenneville immediately suggested he’d get a shot on Toews’ line. That didn’t work out, either. First, visa issues delayed his arrival by more than a week. In the meantime, the Hawks were in the early stages of their 12-game win streak, with Andrew Shaw playing well on Toews’ left side, and suddenly Panik wasn’t needed on the top line. Ten days after Panik finally arrived, he overslept and missed a morning skate in Tampa Bay, putting him in Quenneville’s dog house.

After spending the final two months of the season in and out of the lineup, bouncing around from line to line, Panik was a healthy scratch in Game 1 against St. Louis. He hasn’t missed a game since, and finally feels somewhat entrenched after a frustrating, peripatetic season.

“I know I can play any role on any team,” Panik said. “I think I’m a skilled guy, too, so I can make scoring chances for our guys. It’s all about confidence, how you feel on the ice. And now I feel pretty good about myself, and I’m excited about it.”

Panik said that Toews has been in his ear, making sure he knows his responsibilities both offensively and defensively. But Panik said he’s “just not thinking too much” while playing with the two supremely skilled forwards. He’s taking a similar stance on his uncertain future.

With the Hawks’ salary-cap situation getting tighter every year, players such as Panik — useful, versatile, and relatively cheap — are valuable commodities. Panik earned $975,000 this season and will be a restricted free agent this summer. He’s certainly making a case to stick around — at least, on the ice.

“My main focus is on Game 7,” he said. “I’m not worried about next year.”

Email: mlazerus@suntimes.com

Twitter: @marklazerus