NHL Central Division: Team Offense Comparison For 2016-17

No. 4: Chicago Blackhawks

These next three teams are very, very comparable as far as their offensive capabilities. And it may seem crazy to put the Blackhawks this low considering they have the league’s reigning scoring leader, but there are some issues with forward depth.

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The obvious first talking point with the offense is Patrick Kane, the aforementioned reigning scoring leader. When you pot 106 points, you’re going to push any offense. And Kane’s success really pushed Artemi Panarin, who netted 77 points in his rookie season. Artem Anisimov also benefited offensively from playing with the two.

Jonathan Toews is noticed for a lot of things, and his offensive exploits might occasionally get pushed back. Duncan Keith is a major catalyst for the offense from the blue line, and Brent Seabrook is also offensively solid back there. Marian Hossa can still put the puck in the net as well.

But, as Blackhawks fans know, the bottom six is in a state of flux. It’s not entirely certain what the team is going to get from the third and fourth lines, but some youngsters coming in could boost things. Still, the guys up top are just so solid offensively, the Blackhawks have to get pushed up these ranks.

Next: Number 3