Notice that literally every single one of them does better away from Desjardins. For some of them, like Niklas Hjalmarsson, that benefit is minor. But if you look at guys like Brent Seabrook, Michal Kempny, Nick Schmaltz, and Dennis Rasmussen, it’s a tale of two worlds. When those guys are with Desjardins, the results have been terrible. Otherwise, they’ve been quite good.

And possession-driving is a key part of Desjardins’ game given that he’s a poor finisher, as anyone could tell from his career 0.17 points per game average. He’s always been a fine defensive player who fits best on teams already loaded with offensive talent like the Sharks and the 2014-15 Blackhawks.

But this edition of the Blackhawks doesn’t have nearly as much offensive firepower up and down the lineup, and it makes it harder to justify playing Desjardins. It’s one thing to have Desjardins in the lineup when the bottom six also includes Patrick Sharp, Antoine Vermette, Teuvo Teravainen, and Andrew Shaw. It’s another when those guys are replaced with Dennis Rasmussen, Jordin Tootoo, and a couple rookies.

The future holds the possibility to be great or terrible, and since it has not yet occurred it remains simultaneously both.

The future holds the possibility to be great or terrible, and since it has not yet occurred it remains simultaneously both.

The future holds the possibility to be great or terrible, and since it has not yet occurred it remains simultaneously both.