For the last 19 years (12 with The Hockey News) Dobber has reviewed each team from a fantasy-hockey standpoint and graded them.

The 20th annual review will appear here on DobberHockey throughout the summer. This is not a review of the likely performance on the ice or in the standings, but in the realm of fantasy hockey both for the season ahead as well as the foreseeable future. Offensively, will the team perform? Are there plenty of depth options worthy of owning in keeper leagues? What about over the next two or three years? These questions are what I take into consideration when looking at the depth chart and the player potential on that depth chart.

Enjoy!

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Chicago Blackhawks

Gone: Alex DeBrincat, Kirby Dach, Dylan Strome, Dominik Kubalik, Erik Gustafsson, Kevin Lankinen, Calvin de Haan, Henrik Borgstrom, Collin Delia, Wyatt Kalynuk, Brett Connolly

Incoming: Max Domi, Petr Mrazek, Andreas Athanasiou, Colin Blackwell, Alex Stalock, Dylan Sikura, Brett Seney, Buddy Robinson

Impact of Changes: After Blackhawks' GM Kyle Davidson began burning the team to the ground at this year's NHL Entry Draft, expectations are the lowest they have been in a long time. Davidson shipped out some promising, youthful talent and brought in some obvious trade chips to deal at the trade deadline – clearly making their team worse.

But on the flip side, players like Domi, Athanasiou, and Mrazek (to an extent) could see an increase in their value. Both Domi and Athanasiou will play in the top six and see an uptick in power-play time – so they will have good looks to get points and shots. And of course, when you're in dire need of a fantasy goalie start, there's a good chance that Mrazek will be available in your league.

Other than that, I'd expect a significant overall dip in production from the select few of fantasy-relevant players in Chicago this season.

Ready for Full Time:

With several vacant top-six spots, this should be the year where Lukas Reichel jumps up to the National League on a full-time basis. After getting called up for 11 games last season and only tallying one assist, some may be skeptic of the idea that he will be what the Blackhawks thought he would be – but it's hard to judge from his short stint, though. Last season, he was playing behind a lot more players and in turn, didn't play in more-beneficial situations – like the powerplay. This year, He will get more opportunities as he looks to fill the void left by the departure of young talent like DeBrincat, Strome, and Dach.

Ian Mitchell could see a full year in the National League, too. Chicago is thin on NHL-calibre defencemen and the 4-6 spots are completely open. The former University of Denver Captain chipped away in Rockford this past year, with 35 points in 57 games – which is solid for a defenseman. And now with Gustafsson completely out of the picture, he could even see a little bit of time on both powerplay units.

Fantasy Outlook:

It's clear that the Blackhawks are at the beginning of a rebuild. If their head-scratching trades weren't a clear sign, I don't know what is. This leads me to believe that the Chicago Blackhawks will be in for a TOUGH fantasy season. Outside of Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, and Seth Jones, there aren't too many names worth rostering. But their diluted roster and shaky tandem of Mrazek and Stalock sharing the cage, leads me to believe that even their roster-able players, will most likely be minus players. So, every player will come with an immediate downside.

I do expect Kane and Toews to both have good seasons, though. This could be the last time we see these two Chicago sports legends play together, so they're both going to make it count. Kane is coming off a 94-point season and Toews had his first year back since having to sit out with his chronic immune response syndrome diagnosis – so you must hope he will have a better season than last. Especially if he sees more time with Kane.

Looking at their defence, it looks like their goalies will see a ton of rubber this year. Jones is still an exceptional player, but outside of him, it really begins to drop off. Because of this, and the chance that Chicago will allow a ton of goals this year, I'd avoid all defensemen on this team unless an injury to Jones inserts them into more beneficial situations.

Outside of the three listed players above, guys like Domi, Athanasiou, and maybe even Reichel could be viable options in deeper leagues. Anyone who plays with a franchise talent like Kane always carries some sort of value. But as mentioned previously, they will most certainly be going minus.

Ultimately, a lackluster free-agent frenzy and a slew of bad trades spells a long, dry, losing season for the Hawks. For all of you Hawks fans, enjoy what could be the last season you see franchise cornerstones in the iconic red, white, and black jerseys, and pray they land Connor Bedard in next year's NHL Entry Draft.

Fantasy Grade: D- (Last season was a B+)