Chicago Blackhawks: Upcoming Milestones to Watch for in 2019-20

Here are some Chicago Blackhawks milestones to watch for in 2019-20.

As an Original Six team in the NHL, the Chicago Blackhawks have plenty of records and milestones that haven’t been touched in a while.

The 2019-20 NHL season will be exciting for the Chicago Blackhawks’ organization and their fans for many reasons. Stan Bowman has been busy this offseason and has effectively replenished the roster depth

On paper, the team seems to have greatly improved over last season’s squad. Only time will tell exactly how much better.

It’s time to dust off the record books. There are some significant milestones and records that are in danger of being set or broken this season.

Let’s see which legends will be sweating and which players will add to their extensive resumes.

Games Played

Patrick Kane currently sits at 9th in games played (903), just one behind Dennis Hull (904). Kane will automatically surpass Hull. He also has the opportunity to pass Doug Wilson (938) and move all the way up to 7th all-time, if he plays at least 36 games this season.

Jonathan Toews will also make an appearance in the Top 10 in games played this season.

Toews is currently sitting at 873 games played. If he plays in at least 66 games, he will move up to 7th all-time in Blackhawks’ franchise history. Seems very doable to me.

Top 10 Games Played leaders:

1. Stan Mikita – 1396 GP
2. Brent Seabrook – 1082 GP
3. Duncan Keith – 1077 GP
4. Bobby Hull – 1036 GP
5. Eric Nesterenko – 1013 GP
6. Bob Murray – 1008 GP
7. Doug Wilson – 938 GP
8. Dennis Hull – 904 GP
9. Patrick Kane – 903 GP
10. Steve Larmer – 891 GP

Goals Scored

Once again, Patrick Kane has an opportunity to move up in the Blackhawks’ record book. Kane currently has 356 goals and needs 22 goals to pass Denis Savard for 4th all-time.

If Kane can light the lamp 51 times next season, which isn’t out of the question, Kane will pass Steve Larmer as well and move up to 3rd all-time.

Kane’s good buddy, Jonathan Toews, isn’t far behind with 327 goals. Like Kane, Toews will also need 51 goals to pass Denis Savard for 4th all-time.

Toews might have a harder time scoring 51 goals than Kaner though, so I’d expect him to climb up one more rung on the ladder next season.

Top 10 Goal Scorers:

1. Bobby Hull – 604 goals
2. Stan Mikita – 541 goals
3. Steve Larmer – 406 goals
4. Denis Savard – 377 goals
5. Patrick Kane – 356 goals
6. Jonathan Toews – 327 goals
7. Dennis Hull – 298 goals
8. Tony Amonte – 268 goals
9. Jeremy Roenick – 267 goals
10. Bill Mosienko – 258 goals

Assists

There are currently three active players in the Blackhawks’ top 10 all-time assists leaders: Patrick Kane, Duncan Keith, and Jonathan Toews. That’s some good company right there.

Kane has 582 career assists (3rd), Keith has 485 career assists (7th), and Toews has 428 assists (8th).

Kane trails Savard by 137 assists, so I don’t believe he has a shot at moving up this season, but next season is feasible. Keith needs 33 assists to pass Larmer for 6th all-time, which seems fairly reasonable to do this season.

Toews will need 90 assists to pass Larmer, which will likely happen next season. Brent Seabrook can crack the top ten if he can manage to rack up 36 assists, which would bump Chris Chelios.

Top 10 Assists Leaders:

1. Stan Mikita – 926 assists
2. Denis Savard – 719 assists
3. Patrick Kane – 582 assists
4. Doug Wilson – 554 assists
5. Bobby Hull – 549 assists
6. Steve Larmer – 517 assists
7. Duncan Keith – 485 assists
8. Jonathan Toews – 428 assists
9. Pierre Pilote – 400 assists
10. Chris Chelios – 395 assists

Points

The Chicago Blackhawks’ franchise has been home to some of the most offensively gifted players in NHL history.

Three of the Blackhawks’ top ten point producers have over 1,000 points each, and the top ten, as a whole, has accumulated 8,974 points between them.

If that weren’t impressive enough, Patrick Kane has already racked up 938 points in his 12-year NHL career and he’s not even close to being finished.

There’s not a single doubt in my mind that he is already the best American hockey player ever and he still has a few years left in the tank.

Currently, Kane is trailing Savard by 158 points so that will likely come next season. Jonathan Toews needs 25 points to surpass Doug Wilson for 6th all-time which will be something to monitor this season.

Duncan Keith will likely take the 10th spot away from Jeremy Roenick, as he only needs 14 more points.

Top 10 Points Leaders:

1. Stan Mikita – 1467 points
2. Bobby Hull – 1153 points
3. Denis Savard – 1096 points
4. Patrick Kane – 938 points
5. Steve Larmer – 923 points
6. Doug Wilson – 779 points
7. Jonathan Toews – 755 points
8. Dennis Hull – 640 points
9. Pit Martin – 627 points
10. Jeremy Roenick – 596 points

Honorable Mentions

Corey Crawford currently has the 3rd most wins in Blackhawks’ history (244) and needs 33 more wins to pass Glenn Hall for 2nd all-time. Crawford may have a shot at 33 wins this season. It really depends on how much of the game split he receives and how well the revamped defense plays in front of him.

Crawford also currently has the 2nd best save percentage in franchise history (.918). If he plays well this season, he could easily take the top spot from Scott Darling (.923).

Corey has 5 shutouts and needs 3 more to move into a 3-way tie for 5th all-time with Jocelyn Thibault and Mike Karakas; 4 shutouts would move him into sole possession of that 5th spot.

Final Thoughts

There seems to be a common theme among all of these records — Patrick Kane is listed within the top 10 in every major offensive category — and I am not surprised one bit.

Although, it is kind of crazy to think about, considering Kane will turn 31 this November and shows no signs of slowing down.

Kane could find himself at the top of every major offensive category by the time he hangs up his skates.

Will he go down as the greatest Chicago Blackhawks’ player of all-time? Only time will tell, but he’s well on his way to earning that title.

I honestly can’t wait for the first game of the 2019-20 NHL season, especially with these historic milestones being chased and potentially broken. October 4th cannot get here soon enough!