Chicago Blackhawks: 3 keys to success for Malcolm Subban

Key 3: Learn as much and as quickly as possible

It doesn’t really matter what happens in the standings this year because no one really expects Chicago to be a very good team. There’s too much uncertainty all over the roster, and there are big question marks specifically in the net. Three of them to be precise, and this is a chance to learn for all three goalies., not just Subban

It’s going to take extreme focus and patience to make this season work. No matter what though, 2020-2021 will be a valuable experience for Chicago’s goalies. He has more experience than his counterparts, but only a little and none of it as a starter. Like the other two, Subban’s going to have to fail his way to success and learn as quickly as he can.

His career numbers predict a rough year for him, but he needs to commit to improving, regardless of what his stats have been. Every period of every game is going to be something to learn from. Every time he gets his skates on the ice he’ll need to have reflected on how he can improve from the last game.

There may be times where he’s expected to carry the team, and he’ll need to learn how to have the fortitude to do that. No team makes it to the Stanley Cup without goalies stealing games during the playoffs. This is Subban’s chance to really see what it takes to deal with that kind of pressure. This will be especially important because Chicago didn’t commit to making the postseason. Instead, they’ve publicly stated that the organization developing younger players.

Personally, I believe the starting position is probably Subban’s to lose. There isn’t much in the way of evidence that anyone could point to support that claim, but it was Subban who backed up Crawford against Edmonton and Vegas during the return to play for 2019-2020.

This fact alone says a lot about how they view the top three goalies in the organization. With no starter to play against and no expectations for pursuing a spot in the postseason, a lot of pressure has been removed from this season. There’s an open crease waiting to be filled, and it is likely Subban’s to lose.