Chicago Blackhawks: 3 keys to success for Dominik Kubalik for 2020-2021

The chorus of “fire Bowman” has understandably been pretty loud among Chicago Blackhawks fans, but not every move he’s made over the years has been a bad one.

One of the few recent bits of positive news was that the Chicago Blackhawks rookie sensation, Dominik Kubalik, signed a new deal with the team. There were a few moments of, “will he or won’t he” because no one knew what Kubalik would ask for, but the deal was done and most people were happy with the result.

For a rookie season, Dominik Kubalik really surprised pretty much everyone this year.  He scored 30 goals, and the Chicago Blackhawks made giving him a new deal a priority during the offseason.

Kubalik was acquired from Los Angeles in return for a fifth-round pick in 2019. At the time, the move just kind of looked like Chicago wanted depth for Rockford. Most of Chicago’s fans were happy to be wrong and find out that Kubalik was going to be more than just a guy that was intended to fill out the roster in Rockford.

His stats are for the most part pretty good.

Even his possession metrics are decent. Not amazing, but decent:

Where does he go from here though? After such a strong rookie campaign, how can he improve, or at the very least, how does he succeed next season?

Key 2: Better puck management

Without a doubt, Kubalik can score goals. He’s shown this throughout his career, however, there’s one area where he seems to struggle sometimes, and that is his puck management. His ability to make and received passes can be a bit rough.

HIs shot makes him a valuable player for Chicago, as well as his ability to quickly get the puck to the net. However, he’s not someone who can reliably distribute the puck. One season isn’t enough to judge him by, but after seeing him play, he appears to struggle when it’s time for him to move the puck. His possession metrics say he’s ok, but after watching his shifts all year, it looks like he tends to mishandle the puck.

Whether it’s bobbling passes that are made to him or making poorly timed passes to teammates, Kubalik is a bit lacking in this aspect of his game.  It’s a shame as well because quality puck management is essential in today’s NHL. Hopefully, this is something he works on during the offseason, because it’s an area that needs improvement.

To be fair, the mediocre puck management is a problem almost all of  Chicago’s roster displayed last year, but Kubalik was playing on the top line along with Captain Toews. It’s fair to ask that the standard be set a little higher for the players that are supposed to exemplify the best the team has to offer. It’s also only fair to expect a little bit more from Kubalik’s puck management next year.

Key 3: Become a leader

It’s not clear what Chicago’s long-term plans are for Kubalik, but if he’s going to stick around he’ll need to do more than score goals. Ideally, he’ll need to become a leader on the team, especially to help guide younger players that will be joining the organization and have little to no professional experience. That doesn’t mean that Kubalik will be around forever, but there’s a part for him to play beyond scoring.

During Stan Bowman’s media tour, he explained in an article with the Chicago Sun-Times why he traded Saad and described the deal as being “asset management“. That’s certainly a way to look at it, and if Bowman was concerned about what Saad would ask for when he became a UFA, then trading him was good to move, especially since he might risk losing Saad for nothing to free agency. Now, where that leaves Kubalik is anyone’s guess since it could be a very similar situation.

If 28-year-old Brandon Saad wasn’t going to be part of Chicago’s long-term plans, what about 25-year-old Kubalik? It isn’t like Chicago is going to be a competitor in just 2 or three years. At the same time, the pandemic cap will likely be revisited in a few years and Kubalik will only be 28 when that happens. What will Kubalik be worth to the team then? Will he simply be a tradeable asset like Brandon Saad or an indispensable leader like Brent Seabrook? That decision will stay with Kubalik if he wants to stick with the Blackhawks.

Chicago will probably (cross your fingers!) be on the ascent ina few years, and Kubalik should still have prime hockey years ahead of him. By then he should be able to have established himself as a more integral player in the locker room if Chicago doesn’t trade him before then. He’s not exactly a prospect, and so this is a risk for a team like Chicago that is rebuilding. Regardless, Kubalik was a pleasant surprise, and his progression with the team will give fans something to look forward to.