Top 25 Blackhawks of the quarter century, No. 25-21

As we count down the final days of 2025 and look ahead to 2026, this is the perfect time to take a look back at the last 25 years of Chicago Blackhawks hockey. We’ve seen it all since the turn of the century. It started with a directionless team with no hope of ever regaining its former glory. Then, after Rocky Wirtz took over the team, we witnessed the franchise's greatest stretch of hockey, with three Stanley Cups in six years. We are now starting to see the light after the start of a long rebuilding process, with numerous talented young players looking to get the Blackhawks back to championship contention.

Over the final five days of the quarter season, we’ll take a look back at the 25 best Blackhawks players from the past 25 years. Today, we start with players 25-21.

25 – Andrew Shaw

Andrew Shaw was never the largest or most highly-skilled player on the ice, but Blackhawks fans immediately endeared themselves to him. He had that blue-collar work ethic and willingness to put his body on the line that the diehards love. He had plenty of memorable moments, from scoring a goal and getting into a fight in his NHL debut, to “I love shin pads,” to receiving the Stanley Cup with fresh stitches in his face in 2013, to his disallowed head-butt goal in 2015.

Shaw, a fifth-round pick in 2011, had his best season in 2013-14 with 20 goals and 39 points. He had 70 goals, 137 points, and 300 penalty minutes in 322 games during his first stint with the Blackhawks. He was not the same player when he returned in 2019. Injuries limited him to just 40 games over two seasons, scoring five goals and 14 points.

No. 24 – Marcus Kruger

Marcus Kruger is a player who rarely grabbed headlines or made the highlight reel. But, he never had to be. He accepted his role during the Stanley Cup run as the defensive specialist, who won faceoffs and killed penalties. He excelled at this role, but also had a knack for scoring big goals. Two of his six postseason goals were game-winners, including one in triple-overtime of Game 5 of the 2015 Western Conference Finals.

Kruger played 472 games over eight seasons with the Blackhawks, scoring 36 goals, 116 points, blocking 314 shots, and winning 50.1% of his faceoffs. He is still paying dividends for the Blackhawks by serving as a teammate and mentor to Anton Frondell at Djurgårdens IF this season.

No. 23 - Nikolai Khabibulin

Coming out of the lockout that cost the NHL the 2004-05 season, the Blackhawks signed goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin. He was coming off winning the Stanley Cup with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2004 and was one of the top free agents available. This was not a signing the Blackhawks made at this time. They usually signed big-name players after their primes, like Paul Coffey, Wendell Clark, and Peter Bondra.

Khabibulin joined the Blackhawks during their rebuild but got to enjoy the start of their return to glory. He went 90-80-24, with a 2.81 goals-against average (GAA), .904 save percentage (SV%), and had six shutouts during his four seasons with the Blackhawks. He played in the 2009 Winter Classic, coming in relief for Cristobal Huet. He started 15 of the Blackhawks’ 17 postseason games during their 2009 run to the Western Conference Finals. He went 8-6 with a 2.93 GAA and .898 SV% that spring. He returned to Chicago during the 2013-14 season and played his final four NHL games in a Blackhawks uniform.  

No. 22 – Tony Amonte

While most of Tony Amonte’s success with the Blackhawks came during the 1990s, he still put up some great numbers at the start of the century. He played 208 games for the Blackhawks during the quarter century, scoring 87 goals and 174 points. He was an All-Star in 2000 and 2001. While much of his career in Chicago was spent playing on bad teams, he still put up some impressive numbers.

No. 21 – Michael Nylander

The Blackhawks acquired Michael Nylander towards the end of 1999 from the Tampa Bay Lightning. While he was nowhere near as dynamic a player as his son William is today, he was still a solid two-player.

The patriarch of the Nylander hockey family was more of a facilitator than a goal scorer. He spent a lot of time playing on a line with Steve Sullivan, whom he set up for 32 goals while they were teammates in Chicago. In his 217 games with the Blackhawks from 2000 to 2002, Nylander scored 60 goals and 180 points, played on both the power play and penalty kill, won faceoffs, and played solid defense. When you consider the overall talent on the teams he played for, those numbers are even better.