Staff Predictions for the Chicago Blackhawks 2021-22 season

The Chicago Blackhawks season starts on Wednesday.

Before puck drop of game one of the regular season, let’s highlight some bold predictions for the year from the Blackhawk Up staff. The Chicago Blackhawks season is going to be fun to watch, and here are some thoughts going into it.

Who will lead the team in goals?

Jimmy Lynch: Alex DeBrincat is the clear pick to me. I would have to say the idea of him not scoring at least 30 goals would be kind of a letdown of a year for him. Seeing him score 40 goals would be great for the team, and his future success as a NHL star.

Seth Stauffer: Alex DeBrincat. After a down year, he bounced right back and found the back of the net with much more regularity. His lull just looks like an anomaly and he’s probably poised for 30-40 goals this year in an 82 game campaign.

Jeremy Riback: Alex Debrincat. A bit of an obvious choice here but I think takes an even bigger leap this season than he did last year. Looks like he will be playing alongside Patrick Kane and Tyler Johnson to begin the season, so he will get his fair share of scoring chances right out of the gate.

Justin Klawans: I’m going to go against the obvious here (a certain #88) and say that I think Alex DeBrincat will lead the team in goals. He has become an offensive juggernaut, and his 32 goals last season, the third most in the league, proved that he can reach that superstar level. I’d expect great things from him again in 2022.

Matt Kamholz: Alex DeBrincat, 46 goals- Alex DeBrincat has come a long way since being pegged as a one-dimensional goal scorer, evolving a reliable 2-way game and sound playmaking to match his shot and ability to find space. He is still best at scoring goals though, and that hunger for the net he had last year won’t fade. He’s an emerging superstar, and he’ll have the goal total to match. While he probably won’t hit 50 or pace for it, he’s still an elite goal scorer.