Andrew Shaw finally finding niche on present-day Blackhawks roster

The Blackhawks used to know exactly who Andrew Shaw was and exactly what he would bring every night.

After three years of separation, though, the reunion between the now 28-year-old Shaw and the franchise with which he had won two Stanley Cups wasn’t as seamless as planned. Shaw struggled to find his new role during the first month this season.

“I don’t think I had my hands there, either” Shaw said. “Not like I’m stickhandling or dangling guys, [but] I just mean like handling pucks, winning 50-50s, that kind of stuff. Timing, as well, was off.”

During his time in Montreal, Shaw had changed as a player, adapting to the ever-increasing emphasis on possession and skill over physicality and intimidation in the modern NHL. He now seems to use his persistent, sometimes annoying nature to win the puck back in tight situations more than provoke opponents and only occasionally chip in offensively.

The Hawks initially didn’t seem to know that. Now they do.

“I like his game lately,” coach Jeremy Colliton said Thursday. “Skating better and he’s winning a lot of 50-50s around the net. He was one of the guys I thought had a pretty good game [Tuesday against the Hurricanes]. He’s been good on the power play, winning pucks back. So hopefully he can continue that.”

Shaw estimated it took “seven or eight games” for him to regain his hands, blaming the long offseason — the Canadiens just missed the playoffs with Shaw aboard last spring — and the Hawks’ odd early-season schedule for the slow start.

Looking at the data, it appears his season really began clicking 12 games in, starting with the Hawks’ win in Anaheim on Nov. 3.

Up to that point, Shaw had scored just three points (two of which came in the home opener). In the nine games since then — entering Thursday’s matchup against the Lightning — Shaw has tallied five points.

But the biggest difference has been in terms of Shaw’s power play usage and effectiveness. Before the game against Anaheim, Colliton had deployed Shaw for just 30 percent of the team’s total man-advantage minutes. Since then, Shaw has played 57 percent of those minutes. And the Hawks’ power-play scoring chances with Shaw on the ice have risen from 0.55 to 0.80 chances per minute.

“You win your 50-50 battles, you get those assists,” Shaw said. “You win your 50-50 battles, you’re going to get more responsibility. You’re going to be put out there in certain times of the game, and I think that’s just been happening. I’ve been getting better and better.”

Clearly, Colliton and the coaching staff have figured out how to better use Shaw’s new strengths.

They still haven’t figured out who to put him with, though.

Entering Thursday, Shaw had spent between 10 and 27 percent of his 5-on-5 ice time with 10 different forwards — as in, everyone except Alex Nylander and Zack Smith.

That instability finally seemed to have settled down lately, as Shaw’s line with David Kampf and Dominik Kubalik lasted steadily for three and a half games — a relative eternity. Yet Shaw moved up next to Jonathan Toews and Brandon Saad in the third period Tuesday, then skated Kirby Dach and a rotating cast of wingers Thursday.

Still, Shaw remains thankful he has at least found his individual niche.

“I’m going to play the ice that’s given to me,” he said. “Just go out there and compete, battle, make sure we can sustain pucks, help out on faceoffs, forechecking, keeping pucks alive, that sort of thing.”