Staff Predictions for the Chicago Blackhawks 2020-21 season

The new season is finally here. We finally have Chicago Blackhawks hockey back this week.

While the Chicago Blackhawks might not be the best team in the NHL this coming season. We here at Blackhawk Up are looking forward to a fun year covering this team. Today, we thought it would be fun to go over some staff predictions with you all.

56 games might not be the norm in the NHL, but it will still provide the league to play a decent regular season before heading into a normal playoff format for the most part. So before game one of 56 starts against the Tampa Bay Lightning, let’s dive in with some predictions from everyone here at Blackhawk Up.

The Blackhawks point leader will be…

Seth Stauffer: 

Patrick Kane: Unless he is injured or has an absurdly slow start to the season it’s hard to see him being anything other than Chicago’s top offensive weapon this year. Otherwise, I think it would be possible to see Alex DeBrincat in the running for point production. He’s due a correction from last year’s drop in offense.

Steve Dishon: 

Patrick Kane- Kane shows no signs of slowing down and is consistently over a point-per-game producer. He will pull extra shifts with Dach and Toews out and find success from the right dot on the powerplay. Kane may be aging, but his work ethic is strong and his skills haven’t diminished. He isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

Matt Kamholz: 

The Blackhawks leading point scorer should be no surprise to anyone, provided he plays at least 75% of the season, Patrick Kane. Kane’s an absolute superstar, a Hockey Hall of Fame first-ballot lock. He will always be the leading point scorer as long as he’s on the team, especially with the next potential superstar in Kirby Dach out for the season. Kane will never be an analytical darling, but his actual production is still there with the best.

Justin Klawans: 

I think that Alex DeBrincat will have a comeback year in 2021, and go onto lead the Blackhawks in points. While he didn’t have a great season last year, he was able to avoid the sophomore slump the previous season and really impressed me with his offensive prowess. While I know that Patrick Kane seems like an obvious choice to lead the team, I think that DeBrincat will really surprise everyone with the numbers he puts up this season.

Shaun Filippelli: 

I see 2020-21 as a rebound year for Alex DeBrincat. That sounds somewhat odd, given that he’s still 22 years old and only entering his fourth year in the league, but he had a noticeable decline in production through 2019-20. With that said, it wasn’t for the sake of not trying as he was creating plays and taking shots, but he just wasn’t getting the puck luck he deserved. If he can maintain top-line minutes alongside Patrick Kane all year, that’s a recipe for the best numbers he’ll see to date.

Jimmy Goldenberg: 

The top point scorer for the Blackhawks this season will be Patrick Kane. I going to play the chalk here. Kane’s still playing at an elite level. There is no indication that his skills are diminishing at all. My only concern would be if he wears down. I know this is a shorter schedule but with the off-season injuries and trades, Kane is likely to log a ton of minutes. There is still some offensive talent at the top of the lineup. Strome, Debrincat, and Kubalik will hopefully play well, but opposing teams are going to focus on Kane and do everything they can to slow him down.

Dylan Terry: 

In a season that is going to have a ton of question marks, I expect Patrick Kane to lead the team in points once again. With injuries to Dach and Nylander, the Blackhawks choosing to ship out Brandon Sadd, as well as Jonathan Toews’s unfortunate circumstances, the Blackhawks will have to rely on Kane more than ever before this season.

He will presumably be playing on the ‘Hawks top line for the majority of the season, well also essentially being the quarterback of the Blackhawks top powerplay unit. This season presents Kane with the opportunity to log more ice time than ever before, so look for #88 to top the team in points once again.

Jake Wheeler: 

I believe Patrick Kane will lead the Blackhawks in points this season. With Kane still finishing near the top in scoring the last few seasons, I do not see how anyone else from the Blackhawks will get more points than him. If the line of DeBrincat-Strome-Kane holds up, look for that line to be on the scoresheet on a nightly basis, with Kane as the guy who drives the play in the offensive zone.

Jimmy Lynch:

Patrick Kane is the easy pick to lead the team in points this coming season. My pick is no different. Kane will lead the team in points, but I do think it will be closer than it has in the past thanks to a bounce-back year for Alex DeBrincat.