Dobber's offseason fantasy hockey grades – Chicago Blackhawks

For the last 18 years (12 with The Hockey News) Dobber has reviewed each team from a fantasy-hockey standpoint and graded them.

The 19th 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!

Gone – Pius Suter, Brandon Pirri, David Kampf, Vinnie Hinostroza, Nikita Zadorov, Brent Seabrook, Adam Boqvist, Duncan Keith, Tim Soderlund, John Quenneville

Incoming – Seth Jones, Caleb Jones, Jujhar Khaira, Tyler Johnson, Marc-Andre Fleury, Jake McCabe

Impact of changes – The Blackhawks made some wholesale changes, starting at their own net by acquiring recent Vezina winner Marc-Andre Fleury just for the price of taking on his cap hit. He instantly bumps Chicago into the playoff bubble, and that's before we get to the changes on defence. The big move was acquiring Seth Jones, who will step in on the top power play, and anchor the blue line for 25+ minutes a night.

The whole set of changes on the blue line were drastic, and may end up being a marginal upgrade on the whole. Riley Stillman, Jake McCabe, Caleb Jones, and Wyatt Kalynuk will compete for time on the left side, making up a more mobile group than last year. The former two names are excellent multi-category contributors, while the latter two have some point production upside. Keep an eye on the defence pairings n camp before committing to one though.

Up front, the biggest addition would be a healthy Jonathan Toews, but that is still up in the air as to whether he will be ready to go by mid-October. Tyler Johnson also adds some depth at centre, where Chicago struggled the most last season. The offence is deeper and more dynamic. This team should be taking a step forward in all facets of the game.

Ready for Full Time – Wyatt Kalynuk got 21 games in last season, and looked the part of a sheltered NHL defenceman. He saw the easiest minutes of any Blackhawks player last season, but he did put up solid numbers in that ice time. With seven defencemen likely vying for the six spots, Kalynuk is not guaranteed to see the ice for every game. However, he does offer the most upside of the left-handed options for Chicago, so they should be trying to fit him in.

Acquired as part of the package to dump Brett Connoly's contract, Henrik Borgstrom may finally have a shot at a regular role in the NHL. The Hawks have plenty of other centre options though, so if the skilled 24-year-old is going to get a shot, it will be on the wing.

Fantasy Outlook:

As mentioned above, the team has upgraded everywhere on the ice and should be a better source for fantasy production than they were last year. With the return of Jonathan Toews, the whole lineup fits together a little better and looks a whole lot more dynamic. Alex DeBrincat and Patrick Kane are two elite options up front, and this season they will be much more well insulated this season.

The plus-minus for the team should be much more palatable for fantasy owners as well, with Fleury likely dropping the overall goals-against for the team down by a significant number.

However, with Fleury's contract up at the end of next season, Jones' monster extension kicking in, and a lack of high-end prospects in the system, the fantasy future is a little up in the air. That being said, if Chicago can continue to add to their ranks with European free agents, they should be able to patch the gaps for a few years until the old guard of Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews fades away.

Grade – B+ (last year was B-)