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The Blackhawks are so out of it right now that trades have been the talk of the organization lately, and for good reason. Thanks to how bleak things have been for Chicago so far and how unforeseen it was back in October, it\u2019s easy to say we all overrated them in this rebuild.<\/p>\n
Still, it doesn\u2019t mean a few players haven\u2019t flown under the radar, and throughout this long, tedious season, they deserve recognition. One of those players has been through a lot of adversity within the organization, while another two are seasoned veterans who know a thing or two about what it\u2019s like to play on some trying hockey teams.<\/p>\n
One of the Chicago Blackhawks more surprising players, Arvid Soderblom just won\u2019t slow down this season. Okay, maybe that notion is a little premature, as he\u2019s allowed at least three goals in four of his past five games, but we can all agree he\u2019s enjoyed a much-improved campaign.<\/p>\n
Plus, it\u2019s not like Soderblom has had it easy, with his last five games heading into Tuesday night coming against the Toronto Maple Leafs, Winnipeg Jets, New York Rangers, and twice, the New York Islanders. Not the most pleasant slate of opponents, even if the Hawks snagged a pair of wins with him in the net.<\/p>\n
That said, nearing midseason and 11 games later, Soderblom has a 3-7-1 record, a 0.600 quality starts percentage, a 2.76 GAA, and a 0.909 save percentage. Hey, I thought for sure he\u2019d slow down at this point, but it hasn\u2019t been the case.<\/p>\n
Ryan Donato is another player who\u2019s cooled off somewhat. But a hot start has still put him at No. 2 on the team in points and, through 29 games, in first place as far as goals go with 10. And before you ask, no, Donato\u2019s physical play hasn\u2019t gone to the wayside, as he\u2019s well on track to land over 100 hits if he stays healthy.<\/p>\n
Donato\u2019s Corsi For at even strength is also seventh on what is still an ailing Blackhawks team, and his 9.9 on-ice shooting percentage is fourth on the Hawks among forwards who have played at least 29 games.<\/p>\n
This has him on the best track of his career. And if Donato can start racking up points again, he\u2019s giving someone a lot of value even if it\u2019s not the Hawks.<\/p>\n
Pat Maroon is someone whose job was simple this year: Oversee the next step in the team\u2019s rebuild and play roughly 12 minutes per game. He\u2019s done that, and has put up one goal in eight points, and 51 hits so far on the year.<\/p>\n
Not bad basic statistics, but here\u2019s something to consider: A 91.3 on-ice save percentage at even strength. The Hawks need all the help they can get defensively, and Maroon is one of a few forwards who have given them that help so far on the season.<\/p>\n
As has been the case often throughout the journeyman\u2019s illustrious NHL career, Maroon is someone who just does the dirty work. He doesn\u2019t play for recognition. But when the effort and intensity are there, and when he\u2019s doing his job, Maroon deserves some.<\/p>\n The Chicago Blackhawks season might be finished before January 1st, 2025, in a manner of speaking. But a few players have put up some under-the-radar efforts.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":6933,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6932","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-chicago-blackhawks"],"yoast_head":"\n