8 Players KEY to success of the Blackhawks Dynasty

After being swept out of the playoffs, some questionable underlying analytics, and the usual salary cap crunch made even more of a challenge thanks to the Vegas Expansion Draft, the desire to shake things up in a major way in Chicago is strong.

This team is a modern dynasty, but if the Blackhawks want to extend that claim past the three Stanley Cups they’ve already earned since the 2009-10 season, some major moves might need to be made.

That being said, Dave Melton of Second City Hockey identified 9 players who are still keys to success in Chicago:

Patrick Kane: The pure scoring talent that Kane possesses only comes along once in awhile, making the 28-year-old right winger basically untouchable. His 34-goal, 89-point season only looks bad compared to his 46-goal, 106-point campaign the year before.

Artemi Panarin: The 25-year-old Russian has two NHL seasons and two 30-goal campaigns. Kane doesn’t have to carry the team’s offense with this guy around. He just signed a 2-year, $12-million extension with Chicago.

Corey Crawford: There was some talk about what the future held between the pipes in Chicago, but with Scott Darling’s exit to Carolina, Crawford is a must-keep in net. He’s getting older, but at 32 he still put up a 2.55 GGA and a .918 save-percentage, plus all his experience in the Playoffs can’t really be replaced.

Ryan Hartman: 22-year-old right winger scored 19 goals and 31 points in his first full NHL season. Critical depth scoring potential with a bright future at an affordable price.

Richard Panik: Another depth scorer who just locked down a 2-year deal in Chicago worth $5.6-million. His second NHL season saw him score 22 goals and 22 assists across 82 games.

Nick Schmaltz: The 21-year-old had a solid rookie season, scoring 6 goals and 22 assist for 28 points in 61 games with the Blackhawks. What’s most impressive about those numbers is that he scored 24 of those points in the last 35 games of the season. If he can find the consistently produce like that, he’ll be a centerpiece in Chicago’s future.

Gustav Forsling: This young defenseman only played in 38 games with the Hawks this season, but the promising young Swede has the potential to be a key piece on a team looking for a younger, faster blueline.

Alex DeBrincat: He was taken 39th overall by the Blackhawks in the second round of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft, and the 19-year-old showed why scoring 65 goals and 127 points for the OHL’s Erie Otters this past season. Expect him to be an offensive force when he reaches the NHL.

So where does this leave conspicuously absent core players like captain Jonathan Toews, Seabrook, Keith and Hossa? Not expendable, but maybe not as secure as they use to be.

Only Stan Bowman knows for sure who’s on the trading/expansion block and who isn’t, and it should be an interesting offseason in Chicago.