Blackhawks: Three Takeaways from Ryan Carpenter’s 2021 season

Ryan Carpenter was as reliable as ever for the Chicago Blackhawks. While he might not be the best forward on the team he is someone they are happy to have in their bottom six.

Ryan Carpenter doesn’t score a lot of goals, but he does help put the team in the best direction to win. On a pretty bad team, Ryan Carpenter still found a way to lead the team in Corsi for players that played more than ten games. Carpenter was at 53.6, on a team that struggled in their own end, having numbers like that are great, especially considering he was playing on that bottom line.

This was Ryan Carpenter’s second of three seasons with the team with a contract he signed during the 2019 off-season. Carpenter is a great undrafted NHLer, but I do not know if his future is really going to be with this team.

Maybe it is the expansion draft, or maybe it is just a deal during the season next season, but it makes the most sense for the Hawks to part ways with Carpenter next year. He is not going to net the team a really great draft pick, but a fifth-rounder would be a fine addition at the deadline and it would give an opponent a reliable depth forward that can make a difference on the penalty kill.

So with his season in review, let’s take a look at some of the key takeaways from Ryan Carpenter’s season with the Blackhawks.

1. There wasn’t much to talk about.

Carpenter really blent in on this team. I was really shocked to hear that he played 40 games this season as I felt like he wasn’t really noticeable on the ice. Still, putting up four goals in 40 games is not that bad, plus his 78 hits are a nice addition to a team that needs physicality.

Carpenter is a player that is willing to do anything to win, and that is a nice addition to a team.

2. Chicago probably won’t be his final landing spot.

Carpenter played in Vegas during their first season. Maybe he will do it again with the newest expansion team. While I do believe there are some better players for Seattle to draft, picking up Carpenter wouldn’t be the worst thing they could do. He would provide them with some depth and would be a great leader in the group.

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3. His roster spot might be in question next season.

The Blackhawks have so many young players looking to take the next step next season. From Lukas Reichel to Henrik Borgstrom, some of these guys are going to be in the NHL next year. Carpenter provides the team some great depth, but you cannot go wrong with young players.