Grading each Blackhawks forward’s performance during the first half of the season

Through 38 games, the Hawks’ offense hasn’t been as explosive as expected.

SHARE Grading each Blackhawks forward’s performance during the first half of the season
F_grades.jpg

Patrick Kane’s 46 points on the season lead all Blackhawks forwards by a wide margin.

AP Photos

Thirty-eight games into the season, the Blackhawks are near the halfway mark in an undesirable, if not fatal, position.

Although a porous defense probably deserves the most blame, the Hawks surprisingly have also struggled offensively, ranking 22nd in goals and 18th in scoring chances per game.

The following grades compare each player’s production and performance to their expectations and salary-cap hit, not to each other:

Patrick Kane

Kane’s zero-point outing Monday dropped him a few decimals below a 100-point pace on the season, but he still could easily hit the mark.

With 46 points — 19 more than any other Hawks forward — Kane has largely carried the offense, despite his (per usual) poor underlying numbers.

Grade: A

Jonathan Toews

After an exceptionally frustrating fall for the Hawks’ captain, Toews finally has come on of late and tallied 12 points in his last nine games.

But he’s also on track to finish with the worst scoring-chance -ratio of his career, and his production isn’t living up to his $10.5 million cap hit.

Grade: C+

Alex DeBrincat

DeBrincat has taken a concerning step backward in his third season after setting sky-high expectations in the first two. He has been snakebitten, no doubt, but after scoring in three consecutive games this month, he has gone eight in a row without a goal.

Grade: C-

Dylan Strome

Strome hasn’t been the elite first-line playmaker that his breakout last spring implied, but that was always going to be difficult to maintain. He’s still on pace for 55 points, just two shy of last season’s combined total with the Hawks and Coyotes.

Grade: B

Brandon Saad

Saad’s ankle injury is untimely because it temporarily disrupts what had become an impressive season in terms of puck control and chance generation (if not a sky-high point total).

Grade: A

Andrew Shaw

Shaw’s future remains unclear after he suffered yet another concussion in late November. The gritty winger wasn’t on his A-game before the setback, either, but the Hawks still would benefit greatly from his return.

Grade: B-

Zack Smith

With Shaw and Drake Caggiula on injured reserve, Smith is strangely in the company of Kane and Toews as the three Hawks forwards with cap hits over $1 million. Smith’s $3.25 million hit isn’t so bad because the Artem Anisimov trade saved the Hawks $1.3 million, but the veteran is on pace for only 14 points after tallying 28 last year with the Senators.

Grade: C

Kirby Dach

Dach’s production has slumped over the last month, and he’s one of the Hawks’ worst forwards in scoring-chance ratio. But he’s nonetheless demonstrating many of the tools — strength, creativity and resilience — that eventually should make the 18-year-old a stud center.

Grade: B

Alex Nylander

Nylander, like Dach, has shown plenty of intriguing raw tools that seemingly foreshadow future stardom. But the fact he has yet to put it all together consistently is worrisome.

Grade: C

Dominik Kubalik

Kubalik has been dynamite since his elevation to Toews’ line a few weeks ago, developing into an excellent complementary scorer at a bargain price. He’s quietly third on the team in goals.

Grade: A-

Ryan Carpenter

Carpenter has done exactly what he was brought in to do: improve the penalty kill, win faceoffs, provide bottom-six stability. He also has contributed a little offense.

Grade: B+

David Kampf

Colliton’s early-season adoration of Kampf has seemingly worn off, with the Czech center relegated to a smaller role. His five goals are already a career high, though.

Grade: B-

The Latest
Despite getting into foul trouble, which limited him to just six minutes in the second half, Shannon finished with 29 points, five rebounds and two assists.
Cowboy hats, bell-bottoms and boots were on full display Thursday night as fans lined up for the first of his three sold-out shows.
The incident occurred about 3:40 p.m. near Minooka. The horse was successfully placed back into the trailer, and the highway reopened about 40 minutes later. No injuries were reported.
The Hawks conceded the game’s only two goals within the first seven minutes and were shut out for the 12th time this season in a 2-0 defeat Thursday.