Alex DeBrincat’s turnaround is what the Blackhawks needed

The Chicago Blackhawks are running on fumes with so many players out with injuries. Still, they have managed to play some pretty impressive hockey through the first 15 games of the season, one outstanding player leading the charge is Alex DeBrincat.

DeBrincat did not play his best hockey last season. Through 70 games, he put up 45 points and constantly found himself out of the top six and not getting any power-play opportunities. This season has been different for DeBrincat.

Second on the team with 15 points, DeBrincat is on fire so far this season. With seven goals and eight assists, he is over a point per game on average and has helped lead the team to victory with a few game-winning goals.

After signing a contract extension last season through the 2022-23 season, it is nice to see DeBrincat turn his play around. Last season the pucks just were not bouncing his way, but this year almost every time the puck has been on DeBrincat’s stick, it has ended with a goal.

Alex DeBrincat is taking on a leadership position with the Chicago Blackhawks.

More from Blackhawk Up

• Blackhawks: Three Noticeable Improvements in Comeback Win vs Blues
• Blackhawks: Key Takeaways from 3-2 win over the Blues
• Blackhawks: Grading Connor Murphy and a position comparison
• Blackhawks: Shuffling the lines to try and spark offense at 5 on 5
• These Lineup Changes could Solve the Blackhawks’ Scoring Problem

With Connor Murphy and Andrew Shaw out of the lineup, Alex DeBrincat wore the A last night on his jersey. While this might not seem like a big deal, it does show the amount of trust Chicago has in DeBrincat, and he is the second player behind Murphy to wear the A, having not won the Stanley Cup with the team in the past.

The leadership group in Chicago has always been the likes of Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Brent Seabrook, and Duncan Keith, but they still had other players to lean on when injuries have occurred. DeBrincat wearing the A this season shows that the next generation is getting ready to take over the team. The breath of new life is hitting the roster.

The play of DeBrincat is really interesting when breaking things down a little further. As we all know, DeBrincat missed a few games this season due to COVID 19 protocol. The play from DeBrincat before and after his pause from the lineup has shown two different levels from the young winger.

Before missing four games, DeBrincat put up two goals and four assists through six games. Those are good numbers, but they are not going to change the outcome of any games. Since returning, DeBrincat has put up nine points in five games.

The ‘Hawks are lucky to have Alex DeBrincat, and his outstanding play as of late has featured him scoring goals in bunches. Pairing DeBrincat with Patrick Kane has been a recipe for success and has helped lead to more goals from both of them, but at the end of the day, I think it all comes down to DeBrincat shooting more.

During the past five games, DeBrincat is averaging almost five shots on goal per game. Let’s hope he can keep putting the puck in the back of the net, and the team can get back in the win column next game!