The Chicago Blackhawks suffered a second consecutive loss on Thursday night to the Dallas Stars, slumping to 5-9-1 on the season.
Officially a month in, the Blackhawks were never expected to compete for the Stanley Cup this year, but there were expectations on Luke Richardson’s side to at least improve on their 23-win mark last season.
Through 16 games, ‘frustration’ is probably the word best used to describe Chicago’s start.
The Hawks, who have lost six games by two goals or more, rank 21st in goal differential - a worrying sign with a tough stretch upcoming against the Wild, Kraken, and Vancouver Canucks.
The case for team MVP through the first four weeks might be an open and shut case, but for the sake of an argument, here’s a look at the contenders.
The Contenders
Teuvo Teräväinen
Now in his 12th year, Teräväinen has provided a serious spark on Chicago’s power play, a unit that surprisingly ranks ninth in the league when it comes to goals.
Operating on the second line, three of Teräväinen’s four goals on the year have come with the man advantage, but his general ability to help set up scoring chances hasn’t gone unnoticed.
The 30-year-old ranks sixth on the team in assists and fourth in points, also averaging over 18 minutes of ice time per game – up on the 16 he averaged over the last two years in Carolina.
Ryan Donato
Donato leads the team in goals with seven, which includes a dazzling shootout winner last week to send the Hawks home happy against the Kings.
All seven of those goals have come at even strength, while it’s worth noting Connor Hellebuyck, Lukas Dostal, and Jake Oettinger all feature on the list of goalies he’s put one past.
Better yet, only one of those goals has been an empty netter, which speaks volumes about how far Donato has come over the last 12 months.
Originally signing a one-year deal with Chicago after bouncing around Boston, Minnesota, San Jose, and Seattle last year, the Blackhawks look to have found their center of the future - promoting him to the top forward and power play line alongside Connor Bedard.
Donato has never scored more than 15 goals during his seven-year career, so it remains to be seen if this current purple patch is sustainable. But with Connor Bedard drawing most of the defensive attention, there’s nothing to suggest he can’t live up to his expected goal total of 3.2, according to MoneyPuck.
Connor Bedard
Bedard has played in all 15 games for the Blackhawks so far, totalling three goals and 12 assists.
That earlier word, frustration, would be one Bedard would choose to describe the first month of the season, as you only need to watch his post-game press conferences to understand how tired he is of losing.
Last year’s Calder Trophy winner holds himself to an incredibly high standard, one the Blackhawks, including Bedard, haven’t been living up to on the ice.
The 19-year-old is his own harshest critic, recently saying that he needs to improve at the faceoff dot. There’s plenty of time to learn, but for now, Bedard is winning the faceoff only 30% of the time.
The Verdict: Ryan Donato
Bedard leads the team in points, but Donato’s effort gives him a slight edge over the youngster.
Not only is he creating high traffic in front of net and positioning himself in tough, scrappy areas, but he’s also converting on his chances – ranking second to only Isaak Phillips with a shooting percentage of 25%.
If betting is your thing, you can back Bedard to win the Art Ross at +2000, but with Donato red-hot and showing no signs of slowing down, he’s been both Chicago’s MVP and most-improved player through the first month.