Blackhawks: Kris Versteeg Was Very Underrated in Chicago

Kris Versteeg never got the acknowledgment from the Chicago Blackhawks’ fans during the five seasons he was with the team.

In Kris Versteeg‘s career, he’s played for seven different NHL teams. He’s found himself playing in the AHL and overseas too. I don’t just think, I know Versteeg is one of the most underrated players in Blackhawks’ history.

Versteeg was overshadowed by many stars on the team when he was there. It’s hard to be recognized on a team that has Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, and Duncan Keith in their prime. You can add a few more future Hall of Famers like Marian Hossa, Patrick Sharp, Brent Seabrook, and Corey Crawford to that list too.

That doesn’t mean that Versteeg shouldn’t have gotten his credit though.

In 294 games with the Blackhawks, Versteeg scored 68 goals and had 96 assists for 158 points. He’s a point every other game player when he’s wearing Red and Black. In his entire career, he’s played in 643 regular season games scoring 149 goals and having 209 assists for 358 total points.

In the playoffs, Versteeg played in 66 games for the Blackhawks in his five seasons here. He scored 12 goals with 19 assists for a total of 31 total points in the playoffs. Two of those 12 goals were game-winning goals.

Those stats aren’t bad at all. On teams without all of those Hall of Famers, those stats would get him a second-line role. Averaging around 45 points a season with the Blackhawks isn’t bad at all. People somehow missed that.

If you’re still not convinced, make sure to check out the Hawks Rewind on NBC Sports Chicago. Versteeg made a big impact in 2010, having the same success in 2014 and 2015 during those three playoff runs.

Oh, Versteeg also has two Stanley Cups, so I don’t think he’s complaining about his.