Patrick Kane: Is He One Of The Chicago Blackhawks' Top Five Players?

Patrick Kane was last year's Calder Trophy winner as the NHL's top rookie. This year, he was voted a starter in the All Star Game for the Western Conference.

But is he even one of the five best players on his own team? I would say no.

The Blackhawks certainly have a talented young roster, so it's hard to say how good many of their players will either continue their careers in Chicago and how high their individual ceilings can be. But on the current roster, where we're at in the 2008-09 season, a case could be made that Kane is not among the top five.

Here are the some of the factors for why I rank five other players ahead of Kane on Chicago's current roster.

First of all, more than half of his points (35) have come on the power play. While scoring on the power play is important, Kane's numbers are weighted heavily towards more open ice scenarios (power plays and four-on-four opportunities).

Secondly, and it's not Kane's fault, but other teams have starter to pick on him because of his size and he's had issues at times adjusting to the physical play. He handles the puck as well as anyone on the roster, but if someone six feet tall gets in his way, he doesn't have the ability to get around them as well as Kris Versteeg has this year.

Thirdly, Kane has looked to pass first this year when he could, and should, be looking at the net. It has become almost painful to watch him on an odd-man break skate backwards with the puck on his stick, looking for a trailer heading for the net. He needs to be more decisive and play either the pass or the shot, much like Patrick Sharp does.

Finally, and this has a lot to do with both his size and how aggressive he is in the offensive zone, Kane ranks dead last on the team with a plus-minus of -7. Last.

Coach Joel Quenneville has experimented with Kane playing next to more physical forwards like Andrew Ladd and Dave Bolland, but he still hasn't been able to keep this stat positive.

With those issues being named, here are my rankings of the top five current Blackhawks players:

1. Martin Havlat(68 pts, 26 goals, 42 assists, +25)

I hope GM Dale Tallon has his checkbook ready for this coming summer, because a great part of the Hawks present, and indeed their future, rests on his ability to keep Havlat in town.

The oft-injured wing is enjoying his best season in Chicago, largely because of health and being next to other talented players. He leads the team in points and assists and his plus-minus is ridiculous for the amount of ice time he's played this year.

2. Patrick Sharp (42 pts, 25 goals, 17 assists, +4)

The real value of Sharp might have been overlooked until he recently spent 14 games on the injured reserve, when the Hawks began to struggle offensively. He has played in just 57 games, but he still ranks third on the team in goals and seventh in points.

3. Duncan Keith(42 pts, 8 goals, 34 assists, +32)

Keith was an All Star last year, and should have been this year. He skates as well as any defensiveman in the league (including teammate Brian Campbell) and brings a strong, physical presence to the blue line with the ability to handle the puck as well.

Keith leads the team in plus-minus, a number that borders on silly considering he also leads the team in average time on the ice by more than two minutesover his line mate, Brent Seabrook, at over 25 and a half minutes per game.

4. Jonathan Toews(63 pts, 30 goals, 33 assists, +7)

Toews shares a number of things with Kane: they were both rookies last year, he was runner up to Kane in Calder voting, they both started this year's All Star Game, and neither can legally consume alcohol yet.

But Toews, named the team's captain before this season, has shown a more consistent ability to put the puck in the back of the net than Kane this year, and his body (6'1, 195 pounds) allows him to be more physical than his smaller teammate (Kane is 5'9 and 160 pounds). He also leads the team in game-winning goals (6).

5. Kris Versteeg (50 pts, 21 goals, 29 assists, +13)

Perhaps a worthy heir to Kane hoisting the Calder in Chicago, rookie Versteeg has enjoyed a solid first season with the Hawks. He leads the team in short-handed goals (4), fifth in goals and seventh in plus-minus.