GM Kyle Davidson said he and his staff wouldn’t have a ton of work to do when free agency opened up Saturday, and they mostly stuck to their word. The Blackhawks did make one somewhat-splashy move, however, when 27-year-old Ryan Donato signed a two-year, $4 million deal to come to Chicago.
History & Fit
With 14 goals in 71 games last season for the Kraken, Donato is a proven chance-creator. He created 54 individual high-danger chances last year in 751 minutes of even-strength ice time, or an average of one per 13.9 minutes. That puts him among the leaders of last year’s Blackhawks, as Andreas Athanasiou led the team with 67, or just over one per 16 minutes.
Chicago will certainly take Donato’s production, but where will they put him? The talk of the Blackhawks has been the seemingly overcrowded front lines, and tough decisions will have to be made. Additions including Donato, Connor Bedard, Taylor Hall, Nick Foligno, and Corey Perry certainly don’t make that job any easier. The rebuilding team is tasked with finding a delicate balance between giving their young, talented prospect pool NHL reps and utilizing their new veteran additions.
In a slow period of the offseason after the initial wave of free agents, there’s no better pastime than predicting how the depth chart will shake out. Sure, we’re still over three months away from opening night, and the roster will undoubtedly change multiple times between now and then. Nevertheless, below is a first look at what those lines could look like come October.
Lukas Reichel – Connor Bedard – Taylor Raddysh
Taylor Hall – Andreas Athanasiou – Ryan Donato
Jason Dickinson – Philipp Kurashev – Tyler Johnson
Nick Foligno – Cole Guttman – Corey Perry
The biggest shocker here is undoubtedly Raddysh, as there were times last year where we didn’t know if he would be around much longer. However, his production numbers don’t lie: he finished the season tied for the team lead in goals. Many of his possession metrics were better than the rest of the team’s, and they had the puck much more often when he was on the ice. 5-on-5 data shows that Raddysh was most successful passing and creating high-danger scoring chances for talented teammates. It seems as if he only really succeeds when playing alongside top-tier scoring talent. See where this is going? If a young man named Connor Bedard was on the receiving end of some of those passes, it could be beneficial for both players. I foresee a situation where head coach Luke Richardson puts him on the first line with a short leash, as guys like Johnson or Donato can slide into that spot if needed, as well as Andreas Athanasiou or even Philipp Kurashev, who has yet to sign his contract.
Of course, with 13 forwards on the roster already and contracts for Bedard and Kurashev likely in the works, the Blackhawks have a few tough decisions to make. If the lines play out like they’re shown above, players like Reese Johnson, Mackenzie Entwistle, and Colin Blackwell would be left off the lineup. Joey Anderson is in the mix as well, but his two-way deal means he’ll likely spend the season in Rockford. Guttman would be great on the fourth line, but with his entry-level deal still in place, he may be headed to the IceHogs as well.
Davidson in the Blackhawks went to work on the forward lines this offseason, and their efforts have culminated in a completely different-looking depth chart. With those additions, however, the bottom lines are a complete jumble, leaving the team with some hefty decisions to make. Nevertheless, healthy competition never hurt anyone, and at the very least, the group will look better than it did last season.
I would have either Foligno or Perry on the 1st line to protect Bedard. The other can go on the 4th line. $8M is a bit much to have them both on 4th line.