Andrew Desjardins played a big role in the Blackhawks’ 2015 Stanley Cup run, a versatile defender and penalty killer who was on the ice for big minutes in big situations.
But for much of November, Desjardins couldn’t even crack the lineup, benched in favor of rookies and journeymen. The NHL is a “what have you done for me lately” business, and Desjardins hadn’t been doing enough.
“You know he brings something that you’ve seen in key games and key situations,” Joel Quenneville said. “I thought last year he was fine. … This year, he’s been a little bit in and out of the lineup probably because his play is a little bit inconsistent. When he’s more effective, the puck seems to follow him around.”
Desjardins was a healthy scratch for four of six games between Nov. 19-29. But Tuesday night will be his fourth straight game, and his spot is more secure now that the Hawks have sent down rookie Nick Schmaltz — another forward who can play wing or center — to Rockford. Desjardins was coming off a game in which he won all seven of his faceoffs against Winnipeg, but was back on the wing Tuesday.
But center or wing, he just wants to be in the lineup.
“Obviously, it’s huge,” Desjardins said. “Any time that you have that opportunity, you want to take advantage of it. I’m just trying to do the things that I’ve done in the past, that I’ve been successful in this league with. Just trying to concentrate on that more than anything else.”
A foot injury suffered in the preseason finale kept Desjardins out of the first 13 games of the season, and he’s been playing catch-up ever since. He’s never been a big point producer, but he has no goals and no assists through 10 games, and his possession numbers are among the league’s 10 worst.
“When he’s effective, he seems to be around the puck more,” Quenneville said. “He seems to keep himself in the play. [He has] some responsibility defensively. You can use him [for] penalty killing. He had a good night on faceoffs the other day. He has some versatility there. He gives us a little bit of sandpaper that we could always use. When he’s effective, he wins more puck battles.”
Desjardins knows that what he’s done in the past doesn’t give him a free pass in the present. And he knows that every game is a chance to keep his spot — or lose it again.
“You always have a little bit of frustration [as a scratch],” he said. “But it’s hockey. You have to just take your bumps and just go with it, and try to do the best you can when you have that opportunity.”
Email: mlazerus@suntimes.com
Twitter: @marklazerus
