Who is going to break out next season?
With one of the toughest seasons in 15 years in the books and uncertainty over who will be a Hawk next season, let's turn the page and look at a couple breakout candidates who could play a big role next season.
We'll start with the player who has been in the news a lot lately, forward Sam Lafferty. He signed a two-year contract extension with a cap hit of just $1.15 million last week. Back in January, the Hawks acquired Lafferty in a trade with the Pittsburgh Penguins for Alex Nylander.
Lafferty's production �11 points in 45 games �doesn't pop off the page, but his combination of intense work ethic and subtle skill have been impressive.
"Sam's speed and up-tempo style is the brand of hockey we hope to see the team play over the coming years,» general manager Kyle Davidson said in a statement.
Lafferty has only scored 32 points in 140 career games but based on his production with Chicago, he very well could match that number next season and have a Brandon Hagel-esque breakout. He also brings a much-needed physicality to his game, recording over 100 hits with the Hawks
Another strong breakout candidate was acquired in the Hagel trade and that's forward Taylor Raddysh who scored 10 points in 20 games with the Hawks after scoring just 12 in 53 games with Tampa. Of course his production was a large part due to playing time, averaging 4:30 more of ice time with Chicago. With the rebuild underway, his ice time only figures to increase and he could easily double his 22 points.
A popular breakout selection the last few years has been Kirby Dach, but he has struggled with injuries the last few years, accumulating 36 points combined over the last two seasons (88 games).
Something to remember about Dach though is he's only 21, six years younger than Lafferty and three years younger than Raddysh, for reference. He has time to turn things around. He just needs a mental reset this summer.and not everyone sets the league on fire right away. His time is coming. Some fans are calling him a bust already. It's a little early to write off a 21-year-old with 152 games of NHL experience. There's a reason he was the third overall pick in 2019.
| POLL | ||
Who do you think is going to have a breakout season for the Blackhawks next year? | ||
| Lafferty | 81 | 26.6 % |
| Raddysh | 79 | 25.9 % |
| Dach | 71 | 23.3 % |
| Other | 74 | 24.3 % |
| List of polls | ||
