The Chicago Blackhawks are in the midst of a rebuild, so this 2023-24 season is much more about development than it is about winning. The organization is also trying to determine who they want as a part of their team in the future. Only five forwards and three defensemen are signed beyond this season, meaning the Blackhawks obviously have a lot of flexibility. So, who will they want to re-sign? That’s a question we will be pondering all season long.
A player I’d like to discuss today is forward Taylor Raddysh. The 25-year-old was acquired by the Blackhawks by the Tampa Bay Lightning as part of the Brandon Hagel blockbuster trade. The Blackhawks have had 21 games in the 2021-22 campaign, plus all of last season and the beginning of this season to evaluate Raddysh’s game. Is he someone the Blackhawks will want to extend? Let’s look at his contributions thus far.
Raddysh’s Strong Start With the Blackhawks
As mentioned above, Raddysh arrived with the Blackhawks from the Lightning at the end of the 2021-22 season. On a stacked Lightning roster, the right winger wasn’t going to get the same opportunities as he would with the Blackhawks. The trade was a chance for him to prove himself.
With his new squad, Raddysh was deployed mostly on the second line with Jonathan Toews and Dominik Kubalik. Towards the very end of the campaign, he comprised a rather effective third line with Philipp Kurashev and Sam Lafferty.
All in all, the Ontario native registered six goals and 10 points in 21 games, averaging 15:34 minutes of ice time. He was also credited with 41 hits, showing a physical side to his game. All this added up to establish Raddysh with the Blackhawks as a versatile member of the top-nine forwards.
Raddysh Heads up a Respectable 2022-23 Campaign
The 2022-23 campaign was certainly a strange one, as the rebuild began in earnest. The Blackhawks officially said goodbye to legends Toews and Patrick Kane, and dealt another top forward, Max Domi, at the trade deadline. That said, no one on the team finished the season with more than 20 goals.
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It turns out Raddysh was one of the guys to accomplish 20 goals, along with 17 assists (78 games played), while averaging 16:34 minutes of ice time. His 37 points was second only to Andreas Athanasiou, who registered 20 goals and 20 assists for 40 points (in 81 games).
In referencing my lines and pairings notes from last season, Raddysh’s deployment was very similar to the previous season, and surprisingly consistent throughout the entire campaign. Stated simply, he was the Blackhawks’ second line right winger. He was deployed on a line with Kurashev and Toews at the beginning of the season, and was also centered by Domi, Cole Guttman and Jason Dickinson throughout the campaign. Additionally, he played quite a bit with Tyler Johnson on his left wing.
Looking at Raddysh’s game log, he was quite streaky with his production last season. He would score a goal here, or grab an assist there, which slowly added up as the season progressed. He only strung together seven multi-point games, two of which were three-point contributions. Do you all remember his first career-hat trick against the Boston Bruins on Mar. 14?!
Raddysh was also a big contributor on the power play last season, supplying seven power play goals (third on the team) and eight assists (fourth on the team). His 241:38 total minutes on the man advantage ended up being the most of the Blackhawks. All in all, this was not a bad campaign for a player in his second NHL season, and his first season with just one team.
Contributions for Raddysh This Season
Now, it might not be saying much to be one of the top scorers on a bad Blackhawk’s squad. But it does lead one to believe Raddysh would be a top contributor, or at least a decent contributor, on a 2023-24 squad that’s arguably worse than last season. So far, that hasn’t been the case.
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At the time of this writing, Raddysh has suited up for all of the Blackhawk’s 34 games, and he only has five goals and 10 points to show for it. That puts him on track for 12 goals and 24 points; nowhere near last season’s production.
Raddysh is still being deployed as the second line right winger, although not with the benefit of Toews as his center. Lukas Reichel was his center until Reichel was transitioned to the wing right around the end of October. Since then, Raddysh has been centered by Athanasiou, T. Johnson, Dickinson and Guttman. Which is basically the same players he worked with most of last season.
On the power play, Raddysh has kind of just been there. He’s only contributed a goal and an assist. One place he has added some contributions is on the penalty kill. He wasn’t used on the PK last season, but mentioned in training camp he would consider helping out in that department. Head coach Luke Richardson took advantage of this, and Raddysh’s 57:47 PK minutes is currently sixth on the team. If nothing else, this adds to his utilitarian value.
Obviously Raddysh isn’t a playmaker on his own; he needs to be a complementary player with someone else taking the lead. Besides Connor Bedard, the Blackhawks don’t exactly have those kinds of players on their roster right now. I’m a bit surprised Richardson hasn’t experimented more with Raddysh’s deployment to see if he might be better served with someone else, or somewhere else in the lineup. But again, he doesn’t have many options right now.
Perhaps when Athanasiou returns we will see some more of this experimentation. But for now, Raddysh isn’t exactly living up to expectations, regardless of the roster around him.
Should the Blackhawks Re-Sign Raddysh?
Raddysh is in the last season of a three-year contract with an annual cap hit of just $758,333. He probably wouldn’t command more than $1-$2 million in his next contract, depending on the term. But the Blackhawks aren’t exactly hurting for money. They have plenty of flexibility and can actually overpay players they especially want around.
Raddysh might also be someone the Blackhawks could trade at the deadline on Mar. 8, but he isn’t exactly doing much to add to his value. Unless he picks up his production, I don’t see the organization getting many assets in return for him.
Finally, there are a number of forward prospects that could be NHL-ready next season, such as Colton Dach, Oliver Moore and Frank Nazar. Plus, the team might make a splash in free agency to sign a experienced and talented forward. This would be someone to help mentor Bedard and the other prospects. After all, it’s time to start putting together a more competitive team than the team they’ve iced the last few seasons.
That said, there just might not be room for someone like Raddysh, especially if he doesn’t show his value.
The long and the short of it is that Raddysh needs to start contributing more to earn his next contract, whether it be with the Blackhawks or another team. Will this streaky player go on a run? Will he be deployed with players that can bring out more in him?
There’s plenty of time left in the season for Raddysh to turn things around. But for now, I don’t see the Blackhawks re-signing him.