Chicago Blackhawks: Does Alex DeBrincat Still Work on the Third Line?

1 of 2

Chicago Blackhawks forward Alex DeBrincat has been a key piece for the Hawks this season. As his strong sophomore season continues, one begins to question where or not his talents are wasted on the third line.

Of the 28 current Chicago Blackhawks skaters to take the ice this season, only four of them have tallied double digits in goals. 13 players have 10+ points, however someone still needs to put the puck in the net.

At the halfway point of the season, only four players are on pace to score 20 goals (though that doesn’t mean other players won’t have a better second half than first half)(looking at you, Dylan Strome).

Of these four players on a 20+ goal pace, only Alex DeBrincat is out of the top-six. Jonathan Toews (16 G) centers the first line with Brandon Saad (11 G) on his wing. Patrick Kane (team best 22 G) skates on the second line while DeBrincat (18 G) is stuck on the third line.

So, as the season progresses and the ‘Hawks’ second-best goal scorer is stuck skating third line minutes, a question has began to surface:

Does Alex DeBrincat still work on the third line?

The “DeBrincat belongs in the top-six” argument

More from Blackhawk Up

This guy is a superstar in the making. He’s tied with players like Sidney Crosby, Matthew Tkachuk, Mark Stone and Mike Hoffman in goals this season.

He has a history of success playing alongside Dylan Strome in the OHL and has looked great filling the “Artemi Panarin” role with Patrick Kane when given the opportunity.

A bump onto the team’s second line could be huge for his performance this season.

The Chicago Blackhawks second line is a defensive liability anyway, so why not go all in and swap DeBrincat for Artem Anisimov on the wing?

In a third line checking role, DeBrincat has thrown his body around and actually looked like he has the potential to be an okay multi-dimensional player.

I’d be willing to wager that his presence on the second line in exchange for Anisimov wouldn’t be as much of a risk defensively as you’d think.

Regardless, the Cat is on pace for 35 goals this season. Someone of that skill level on a goal-starved team should have a larger role.

To be fair, coach Jeremy Colliton gives DeBrincat time on the power play and extra shifts late in the game, however his lack of 5-on-5 opportunities makes you wonder how much more productive DeBrincat could be in a larger opportunity with more talented teammates.

The kid just turned 21 years old and his hockey talent is undeniable. Rather than handcuffing him with Dylan Sikura and David Kampf, let him loose with the most dangerous player on the Blackhawks roster.

Strome continues to grow as a playmaker and would benefit greatly from having a threat like DeBrincat line up opposite Kane.

In the Cat’s last 20 games, he’s been held pointless in only 5 of them.

DENVER, COLORADO – DECEMBER 29: Alex DeBrincat #12 of the Chicago Blackhawks fires a shot against the Colorado Avalanche in the third period at the Pepsi Center on December 29, 2018 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) /

The “keep DeBrincat on the third line” argument

“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” became a saying for a reason.

In that red-hot 15 game stretch DeBrincat has put together, he’s skated on the third line with Kampf and Sikura for a lot of it. This line is starting to develop chemistry and has put together some of their strongest efforts over the last handful of games.

Here’s Julianna Nikac with a quick recap of their performance during the Blackhawks 4-2 loss to the Boston Bruins at the Winter Classic:

“The third line of Alex DeBrincat, David Kampf, and Dylan Sikura has been great the last couple of games. In this game, they only allowed one scoring chance and didn’t allow a single high-danger scoring chance. The three forwards combined for six shots on goal, with DeBrincat collecting half of those shots.”

Tuesday’s game was a good showing for them. Hockey teams are at their best when they can confidently roll four lines and, though it may be premature, Colliton might have finally found a third line he can play confidently.

Sure, DeBrincat might be more productive playing with Kane and Strome, but he’s having a darn good season without them. Playing with Kampf and Sikura not only gives the Cat more favorable matchups, but it also allows him more opportunities to develop his own game.

Rather than playing second fiddle to Patrick Kane, DeBrincat gets an opportunity to be the guy when skating on that third line. His presence could help to elevate both Kampf and Sikura’s play offensively (he’s had a noticeable impact on Sikura lately), but more importantly it could help to elevate the play of the entire Chicago Blackhawks.

The ‘Hawks have been top heavy all season. If this line third line can take another step into being a reliable unit on a nightly basis, this team’s hopes at making a playoff run (or at least being competitive) increase tremendously.

DeBrincat will be a top-six scorer for presumably the rest of his career. From this point on, he’ll only become more dangerous as he improves his awareness, defense and confidence at the NHL level.

That third line role this year could help to accelerate that.

Want your voice heard? Join the Blackhawk Up team!

Write for us!

Five Thoughts on Blackhawks Loss to Bruins at Winter Classic. dark. Next

Additionally, DeBrincat is still averaging the fourth-highest forward minutes on the team and won’t be leaving the power play unit anytime soon, so his minutes aren’t bleeding too badly (yet, that is). So, if DeBrincat can make the Blackhawks better by providing some much needed bottom-six scoring, why stop him?

What do you think? Should DeBrincat be moved into the top-six or should he stay in this role? I’ll look forward to talking about it below.

Home / Analysis

Chicago Blackhawks forward Alex DeBrincat has been a key piece for the Hawks this season. As his strong sophomore season continues, one begins to question where or not his talents are wasted on the third line.

The “DeBrincat belongs in the top-six” argument

More from Blackhawk Up

The “keep DeBrincat on the third line” argument

Schedule