Is it already time for Chicago Blackhawks fans to have a James Hagens watch?

The Chicago Blackhawks were likely headed to the NHL Draft Lottery after this season ended. The hope was they would not end the season with the most ping-pong balls in the hopper.

Right now, the season is trending that way as the Blackhawks have been at the top of the Tankathon standings.

This is not because the Blackhawks are banged up like they were last season. Being overmatched and injured was a big reason the Hawks were constantly battling for the top lottery odds.

This season it has been a bad offense that has contributed to the Hawks being one of the worst teams in the NHL.

Chicago is in the league's bottom five in goals scored per game. That matters when 11 of the team's 15 losses have been decided by two goals or less.

The defense has not been the Hawks' problem this season. The Hawks are just outside of the league's top 10 in goals allowed.

That is why you have to wonder if the Blackhawks will still be at the top of the Tankathon standings as the season moves forward. If the offense gets figured out, the Blackhawks should get more victories.

Although, there are no easy fixes outside of Luke Richardson finally figuring out a top-line combination to stick with so Connor Bedard can score some more goals. The other option might be to recall Frank Nazar, who is lighting it up in the AHL.

If those offense gets fixed, it might not be worth having a James Hagens watch.

Last season fans were checking in on Macklin Celebrini at Boston University as there was the possibility the Hawks could win the No. 1 pick. The Hawks ended up with the second overall pick and took defenseman Artyom Levshunov out of Michigan State.

Still, it was fun keeping track of Celebrini who went to San Jose with the No. 1 overall pick.

This year's consensus top draft prospect is Boston College's James Hagens. He is the only draft prospect the Athletic's Scott Wheeler has in his tier 1 (a subscription is required to access content).

Wheeler thinks he will be the next American NHL star (a subscription is required to access content). He has great playmaking and skating ability that makes him a top draft prospect.

Although he is not the goal-scoring machine that Celebrini was at the college level. Hagens has just three goals, but his playmaking stands out with 14 assists. He did pick up two goals in Boston College's recent game against Dartmouth.

Hagens also registered a point in all but three of the 13 games he has skated in. The Hawks could use his playmaking ability, especially on the second line since the Hawks might want to think about keeping Bedard at wing and pairing him with Nazar.

If the Hawks find a way to increase their goal production, that could be enough to string together that elusive win streak and decrease their lottery draft odds of winning the No. 1 pick. That is why it might be too early to start a James Hagens watch.