The Top 5 Scorers from the Last Time Chicago Won the Stanley Cup: Where Are They Now?
“It was a pretty monumental day and huge land shift for the Blackhawks organization,” Chicago Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson declared following the 2022 National Hockey League (NHL) Draft in July. “But it’s almost the unofficial start of where we’re headed and our ascension there.”
Davidson jumpstarted an organizational rebuild for the Blackhawks at the NHL Draft through a series of trades. He moved Alex DeBrincat, who scored 41 goals in 2021–22 but had just one year left on his contract, to the Ottawa Senators in exchange for the №7 pick and a second-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft as well as a third-round pick in 2024. Davidson also shipped Kirby Dach, a former №3 overall pick, to the Montreal Canadiens for the №13 overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft.
These trades signaled a much-needed change in direction for the Blackhawks, which had missed the playoffs in four of the past five seasons. Before that stretch, Chicago made the playoffs in nine consecutive seasons and won the Stanley Cup three times. The Blackhawks last won the Stanley Cup in the 2014–15 season. Below is a look at the top five scorers from that year’s team and where they are now.
1. Jonathan Toews (Blackhawks)
Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews is in the final year of an eight-year, $84-million contract and, while he was still with the team to begin the 2022–23 season, could be playing his last season in Chicago. Last March, after Chicago dealt veteran Brandon Hagel to the Tampa Bay Lightning, Toews told Mark Lazerus of The Athletic that he wasn’t sure if any of the Blackhawks players “feels safe at this point.” He was rumored to be on the trade block during the offseason.
Toews, drafted by the Blackhawks third overall in the 2006 NHL Draft, was a key player for the team during each of its three Stanley Cup winning seasons. He led the team in scoring with 66 points in 81 regular season games the last time Chicago won the Stanley Cup in 2015. He also had 21 points in 23 playoff games. Toews recorded at least 50 points in each of the following five seasons, including a career-best 81 during the 2018–19 season. However, he had a career-low 37 points in 2021–22 after missing the entire 2020–21 season due to chronic immune response syndrome.
2. Patrick Kane (Blackhawks)
Kane is also in the final year of an eight-year, $84-million contract and, like Toews, is rumored to be traded before the 2023 NHL trade deadline. His agent, Pat Brisson, told Pierre Lebrun of The Athletic in October that “We’ll probably explore things at the appropriate time later this season,” adding that he believes the Blackhawks won’t make a trade unless Kane agrees to it.
Selected first overall by the Blackhawks in the 2007 NHL Draft, Kane won three Stanley Cups with the team and was its second leading scorer in 2014–15 with 64 points in 61 games, 20 fewer than Toews played that season. Kane led the team in playoff scoring with 23 points. Kane continued his impressive play the following season and won the Hart Trophy as the league MVP after leading all players in points with 106. He recorded a career-best 110 points during the 2018–19 season and, entering the 2022–23 season, had 1,180 points in 1,107 games.
3. Marian Hossa (Retired)
A 43-year-old native of Slovakia, Marian Hossa finished third in scoring on the Blackhawks in 2014–15 with 61 points in 82 games. He also had 17 points in 23 playoff games. A veteran of 1,309 career NHL regular season games, Hossa spent his last eight seasons with the Blackhawks and recorded at least 50 points five times. He also played for the Detroit Red Wings, Pittsburgh Penguins, Atlanta Thrashers, and Ottawa Senators.
Hossa last played in 2016–17. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2020 and Chicago announced plans to retire his №81 jersey in the 2022–23 season.
4. Brandon Saad (St. Louis Blues)
Selected by the Blackhawks in the second round of the 2011 NHL Draft, Brandon Saad made his debut with the team in the 2011–12 season and recorded 52 points in the 2014–15 season. Saad played during the following offseason with the Columbus Blue Jackets, but he returned to Chicago in 2017–18 and spent three more seasons with the team. He played for the Colorado Avalanche in 2020–21 and is now in his second season with the St. Louis Blues. He had 49 points in 78 games with the Blues in 2021–22.
5. Duncan Keith (Retired)
A three-time Stanley Cup champion with the Blackhawks and two-time winner of the James Norris Trophy as the league’s top defenseman, Duncan Keith played all but 64 of his 1,265 career games with Chicago. He had 45 points in 80 regular season games in 2014–15 and won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP after recording 21 points in 23 playoff games. Keith announced his retirement in the summer of 2022 after playing one season with the Edmonton Oilers.
