Former Blackhawks on New Teams - Where Are They Now?
In a time where it feels «right» to lament in the mistakes of prior management, I wanted to revisit some notable former Blackhawks who are now thriving with their new teams. It's how the league works-the good old «one man's trash is another man's treasure» cliché. Historically, the Blackhawks have had both good and bad luck in the risks they've taken, and this is consistent throughout the league-another humbling comparison to understand the complexity of managing an organization and assets of this magnitude.
However, throughout the 2021-2022 season, three players in particular have had meteoric rises surrounded by their new teams. The Blackhawks may have given up on them, but other teams clearly had these players in their crosshairs:
1. Ryan Hartman (CHI - NSH - MIN) - 29G, 27A, 56P w/ Wild in 73 Games
In his time with the team, he was my absolute favorite «grinder» on the team and at that point didn't seem to have much offensive upside. But he was cheap, consistent, and tough as nails. I don't believe it's wrong to assume fans were stunned that the Blackhawks could reel in 1st and 4th round picks in a trade to Nashville, but was it worth it? At the end of the day, that 1st rounder from Nashville turned into Nicolas Beaudin and the 4th turned into Kurashev-and with plenty left to develop, we can't fully evaluate the winner of that trade quite yet.
His best season with the Blackhawks consisted of 19G, 12A, 31P in 76 games (2016-17), and he has well-succeeded his career-best this season.
Since his departure, Hartman was flipped to the Wild, and has really started to take off. With a career-high in points this season at 27 G and 27 A in 71 games, he has well-surpassed the «bar» set for him by both the Blackhawks and Predators. Once this season ends, I'll be in full support of the Wild in the playoffs for multiple reasons, one of which being in support of Hartman chasing success. And he may have learned this nifty spin from Patty Kane:
Hartman's Spin-o-Rama Goal
2. Gustav Forsling (CHI - CAR - FLA) - 8G, 26A, 34P w/ Panthers in 65 Games
It goes to show what playing for «winning organizations» can do for your development-and this goes for Hartman as well. Spend a season with Florida as they begin their hold over the Eastern conference, and play around players who don't rely upon you. His best season with the Blackhawks included marks of 3G, 10A, 13P in 41 games played in the 2017-18 season. Although Forsling is far from the flashiest player the �Hawks have parted ways with in the past, he has found a cornerstone spot with the Florida Panthers in a top-4 defensive role.
Forsling Completes Beautiful Tick-Tack-Toe Goal
3. Brandon Saad (CHI - CBJ - CHI - COL - STL) - 21G, 24A, 45P w/ Blues in 70 Games
This one's a bit of a doozy. In my opinion, trading Brandon Saad for Artem Anisimov was the beginning of Stan Bowman's downfall. From there, the Hawks turnover Panarin to bring Saad back to the Windy City, and really, it just gets worse from there. Essentially the Panarin trade returned a measly third round pick to the Blackhawks (considering they got Saad back for Panarin, then trade Saad for Zadorov, and finally trade Zadorov to Calgary for a 3rd). Although I will always love the «Saadfather» and remember him as a crucial piece of the championship teams, I believe his ceiling was reached with the Blackhawks. Saad had the greatest success of his Blackhawks career back in 2016-17, with 24G, 29A, 53P in 82 games. And this season seems to be right on pace with those past numbers.
Not to say he's a bad player-he's worth his contract, or just short of it. But he provides a much better role on deep teams such as STL or COL, where he can thrive in a third-line role. That said, this play he made three weeks ago is exactly why the Blackhawks will miss him for a long, long time.
Saad's Highlight Reel Goal 2022
| POLL | ||
Which recently-traded Blackhawks player will you miss the most? | ||
| Brandon Saad | 50 | 17.9 % |
| Brandon Hagel | 52 | 18.6 % |
| Artemi Panarin | 161 | 57.7 % |
| Ryan Hartman | 16 | 5.7 % |
| List of polls | ||
