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.

Who will lead the team in points?

Jeremy Riback: Patrick Kane. Another pretty obvious choice here but when you can consistently put up 80+ points, it is really hard not to choose him. Kane has been tremendous playing with Debrincat over the last few seasons, and adding Tyler Johnson to that line should only increase his production.

Justin Klawans: While DeBrincat should lead the Blackhawks in goals, I think that Patrick Kane will carry the team in points. He has been an offensive star for years and had the fifth most points in the NHL last year. Above that, he has perhaps the best stick handling abilities in the league, and makes no-look passes appear easy. There’s no reason to think he won’t be at the top of the team again.

Jimmy Lynch: I am going to break away from everyone else here. I think DeBrincat is going to outproduce even Kane this season. DeBrincat was so consistent last season and stepped up all over the ice, this year this is no doubt the team could start double shifting him on different lines and I think he is the clear pick to put up maybe 100 plus points.

Seth Stauffer: Patrick Kane. Who else would it be? He’s still among the league’s elite playmakers and should be one of the most important players for Chicago offensively. That probably won’t change this year, but DeBrincat may give him a run for his money.

Matt Kamholz: Patrick Kane, 105pts Despite still nursing the ailment he suffered the previous season, Patrick Kane is a bonafide superstar. Even with a lowly 15 goal season, Kane still added 51 assists, which would’ve put him around a 97pt pace over 82 games. I’d expect with an offseason to recover and a renewed hunger for the playoffs, Kane’s shooting percentage comes back to 10% which boosts him a few points, then add a few extra power-play feeds from Jonathan Toews and he’s comfortably back in the 100-pt club no questions.

Who will be the standout player of the season?

Jeremy Riback: Henrik Borgstrom. Borgstrom has been a huge surprise throughout training camp and preseason and I think he carries that over this season. He played a lot with Dylan Strome and Kirby Dach, so we will have to see where he falls in the lineup, but i think he will make a huge impact on the team this season.

Justin Klawans: I really hope that Marc-Andre Fleury is able to make an immediate impact with the Blackhawks. He’s had a good preseason so far, and his amazing glove stop against the Red Wings shows that he hasn’t lost his elite form. I would expect the Vezina Trophy winner to make headlines once again.

Seth Stauffer: Connor Murphy. While all eyes will likely be on the big-name additions to the roster, I think Murphy’s role with the team will be different this year. Previously, he’d been played as if he were a number one defenseman when in reality he’s much more defensively oriented. With the addition of Seth Jones, it takes some pressure off of Murphy to produce offensively, and he’ll be able to focus more on making life difficult for opponents in the defensive zone. If Chicago is going to have success this year, they’re going to need him to be an absolute rock defensively.

Jimmy Lynch: I am going to say Seth Jones is the standout player of the year. Jones hasn’t had the best training camp, but the first game of the season is when things really matter. Hopefully he can show up and be a face of the franchise like the team needs.

How many points will the team get?

Jeremy Riback: 93 points. I think the Blackhawks will definitely shock some people this season with this newly revamped lineup. While I really liked what I saw from Kevin Lankinen last season, Marc-Andre Fleury will be a huge difference maker throughout the season after coming off of winning the Vezina trophy. I also think Seth Jones will prove all the doubters wrong by showing how much he still has left in the tank.

Justin Klawans: The Blackhawks have a lot of new players this season, but if they gel together, there’s no reason to think this team couldn’t pick up at least 90 to 95 points. Will they be a guaranteed playoff contender? No. Will they be in the hunt for a playoff spot all season? Absolutely.

Seth Stauffer: 88. I honestly have no idea how to answer this question. The last time Chicago had a full 82 game season was 2018-19, where the team ended with 84 points and 6th in the Central Division. Honestly, that feels like it was ancient history and it’s possible that the team ends up better for 2021-22 than they were in 2018-19.

Matt Kamholz: 95 points, 43-30-9 Many models have the Blackhawks at 91 points, and I think they have Chicago underrated. I think the additions of Fleury, Seth Jones and McCabe make this team better, as does the subtraction of an aging Keith. We can argue day and night over whether Adam Boqvist will be better in 3yrs than Seth Jones, but the vets spoke and made it clear they want to take another kick at the can in Chicago. Plus, Jones has actually shown he could be a number 1 defenseman in the NHL before. Toews coming back is going to be a boon for the room, and I think the bottom of the Central might be a bit overrated (except Arizona).

Jimmy Lynch: I think the Blackhawks could realistically get 98 points this season. The team is well put together and should be competing for the third spot in the division or the first wild card spot, but they cannot have any bad stretches during the season.

Who will make the playoffs from the central division?

Jeremy Riback: Colorado, Minnesota, Winnipeg, Chicago. I believe that the first three teams are pretty much a lock to make the playoffs, but the fourth spot is tricky. It comes down to Dallas, St. Louis, and Chicago, but I think the offseason acquisitions will pay dividends for the Blackhawks and get them back into the playoffs.

Justin Klawans: The Colorado Avalanche and Minnesota Wild are shoe ins. Beyond that, either the St. Louis Blues and Winnipeg Jets have great shots at making the playoffs, with the Blackhawks potentially nabbing a wild card spot.

Seth Stauffer: Colorado will win the division with Winnipeg right behind them. Dallas should take the third-place spot. They didn’t do anything to make themselves any worse and they probably have a lot to prove after last season’s playoff miss. After that, Chicago could realistically steal a wild card slot. The rest of the central is so up in the air that it could happen.

Matt Kamholz: Colorado, Winnipeg, Minnesota, Chicago, St. Louis I think the Central Division shakes out something like that. The order of the four teams following Colorado is really up in the air though, the Central is going to be a dogfight. Even the sixth team in the Central might not be that far off. I don’t think the Pacific sends any teams via the Wild Card, the division is noticeably weaker.

Jimmy Lynch: Colorado, Winnipeg, Chicago, and Minnesota will make the playoffs from the central division. Obviously these are all just preseason predictions, but with how weak the pacific is there definitely could be a surprising team like Calgary or Seattle pushing for the final wild card spot that knocks St. Louis out.

Who will win the presidents trophy?

Seth Stauffer: Toronto. The team is strong and should be consistently winning games all season long. As long as their top players produce, they’ll be sitting at the top of the league all season.

Jeremy Riback:  Colorado Avalanche. Even after losing starting goalie and Vezina finalist Phillip Grubauer in free agency, this team is still loaded. Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar are as good as it gets at their positions in the league, and they have so much forward depth. This team should have made a deeper run last season after winning the Presidents trophy, but they weren’t able to. I think they are still one of, if not, the best team in the NHL.

Justin Klawans: I think the Tampa Bay Lightning will win the President’s Trophy.

Matt Kamholz: Tampa Bay Lightning, 109pts Tampa Bay is the two-time defending champion for a reason. They lost their whole 3rd line, but that lineup is still lethal and they have the prospect cupboard to keep it stocked for now. Not to mention, all the key guys are fairly young and don’t break the bank. Tampa Bay is my favorite to win the President’s Trophy.

Jimmy Lynch: The Vegas Golden Knights are in a weak division and should have a lot of points accumulated against those divisional rivals. I think they should run away with the presidents trophy this season.

One player the team will trade for…

Jeremy Riback: Radko Gudas. A bit of a wild card here but the Hawks are a young team that lacks physicality at just about every level of the game. Gudas is a big, right shot defensive defenseman who would be a great pairing with a guy like Riley Stillman on the backend. The Blackhawks could certainly use another right shot defenseman and Gudas could be a great fit if the Blackhawks are in the playoff hunt.

Justin Klawans: Jack Eichel! Okay, in all seriousness though, I could see the team trading for a journeyman defenseman to have fill out their back end with the addition of the Jones brothers.

Seth Stauffer: Um…Mark Giordano? If Chicago goes on a tear and looks like they could really make a run for the Stanley Cup, Stan Bowman is going to be looking for a talented veteran. Someone like Mark Giordano, a player that was cast away by his former club, but could help put a contender over the top as far as team depth goes. If Chicago blows it this year, I’d expect that they start trading for first-round picks since they had to send a couple to Columbus in order to acquire Seth Jones.

Matt Kamholz: Jesse Puljujarvi, Edmonton OilersIt’s a long shot and he isn’t much of a reclamation project anymore, but I would love to see the skilled 6’4 right-handed forward in Chicago. He’s smart with the puck and quick for his size, two essential elements to Colliton’s defensive scheme. He’s also just flat-out fun to watch. Is it likely? Probably not, but it would be entertaining. Also, I was very tempted to put Brandon Saad here for the meme.

Jimmy Lynch: Wouldn’t mind seeing the team trade for Joel Quenneville, but if that can’t happen I guess adding a guy that used to play for the team would make sense following Stan Bowman’s rules. Oh wait, the team just added Erik Gustafsson to make that a reality. With the recent Gustafsson addition I am not going to even give a pick for big additions to the team, and I would actually go the opposite direction and say I predict the team is not going to trade for any big rentals at the deadline, the only deals the team could make is to move a guy like Strome at some point.

The season begins on Wednesday for Chicago and in a few months, we can all look back on these predictions and judge them accordingly.