Chicago Blackhawks' Unsung Foursome Does Much of the Heavy Lifting

Chicago Blackhawks fans know that their bread is buttered by superstars Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Duncan Keith and Marian Hossa.

But while those players command most of the headlines—along with Patrick Sharp and Corey Crawford—the Blackhawks have a crew of supporting players who make a significant difference and often supply the difference between victory and defeat.

Head coach Joel Quenneville knows that players like Andrew Shaw, Brandon Saad, Ben Smith and Niklas Hjalmarsson are special in their own right. They may not be superstars, but they specialize in doing the gritty, nasty work that allows the team to maintain its position among the elite organizations in the league.

In this piece, we look at the special characteristics that make this unsung foursome so valuable to the Blackhawks.

Center Andrew Shaw

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2013-14 Stats:

80 games, 20 goals, 19 assists, plus-12, 76 penalty minutes

Analysis:

Andrew Shaw is a nonstop hustler who will do whatever is needed to help the Blackhawks win. He kills penalties, takes a regular shift on whatever line head coach Joel Quenneville asks him to play on and will do an excellent job in the defensive zone.

When he had to miss time in last year's playoffs due to an injury, Shaw told CSNChicago.com's Tracey Myers the experience of having to watch the games as an onlooker was a "horrible" one. 

Shaw is an agitator who knows how to get under his opponent's skin, and he will not hesitate to stand up for any of his teammates. Even though he is 5'10" and 180 pounds, Shaw is not afraid to square off with bigger men.

He has been on the ice for many big moments. The biggest took place in Game 1 of the 2013 Stanley Cup Final when he scored the game-winning goal against the Boston Bruins in triple overtime. While it was not an artistic goal—off of his shin pads on a double deflection—Shaw was in the right place at the right time, and that goal gave the Blackhawks the early edge in a series they would go on to win in six games.

Shaw had a plus-16.51 Corsi-on percentage in 2013-14, the eighth-best on the team, according to BehindTheNet.ca.

Left Wing Brandon Saad

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2013-14 Stats: 

78 games, 19 goals, 28 assists, plus-20, 20 penalty minutes

Analysis: 

Brandon Saad may not be unsung for much longer. He is a 21-year-old who has two full years in the league and may be ready to blossom into a full-fledged star.

"Brandon has come in at a young age and played a big role on our team and obviously that's something we want to continue going forward," general manager Stan Bowman told Chris Kuc of the Chicago Tribune (subscription required).

The Blackhawks are planning to have Saad play left wing on the team's No. 2 line with center Brad Richards and Patrick Kane. Saad has explosive skating ability and high-end skills, and he appears ready to climb the NHL ladder.

However, even if he does that, he probably won't get the recognition he deserves since he's on a team with so many superstars. 

Jonathan Toews, Marian Hossa, Patrick Sharp, Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, Corey Crawford and the quicksilver Kane are going to dominate most of the headlines and highlights. Still, Saad plays a key role for the Blackhawks, as he skates a regular shift and is also used on the power play and penalty kill.

Saad had a plus-17.37 Corsi-on percentage in 2013-14, the sixth-best on the team, according to BehindTheNet.ca.

Right Wing Ben Smith

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2013-14 Stats: 

75 games, 14 goals, 12 assists, plus-three, two penalty minutes

Analysis: 

Ben Smith is the perfect definition of a hockey grinder.

He is never going to be among the team leaders in scoring or plus-minus, but he plays a key role for the Blackhawks during the regular season, and he does even more during the playoffs.

Smith will go into the corners, do anything he can to come away with the puck, and then he will go to the front of the net so he can screen the goalie or get his hands on a rebound.

Additionally, Smith will throw his body in front of any shot without a care of how much damage that piece of vulcanized rubber can do. He plays with abandon that borders on the reckless.

He is not going to do the big things that help his team win because he is not capable of carrying the team on his shoulders. However, he will do all the little things without having to be asked or reminded.

Smith scored four goals and two assists during last year's playoffs, and he came up big in the physical first round against the St. Louis Blues and earned the respect of his teammates. 

"He does everything the right way," Patrick Sharp told Chris Hine of the Chicago Tribune. "He plays on the right side of the puck. He makes simple plays. He makes smart plays. He makes hard plays."

Smith had a plus-2.11 Corsi-on percentage in 2013-14, 24th-best on the team, according to BehindTheNet.ca.

Defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson

USA TODAY Sports

2013-14 Stats: 

81 games, four goals, 22 assists, plus-11, 34 penalty minutes

Analysis: 

Niklas Hjalmarsson has made a habit of staying out of the highlights.

The one time he should have been there, his potential series-winning goal in the seventh game of the conference semifinal round of the 2013 Stanley Cup playoffs was wiped out because the whistle had been blown an instant before the defenseman shot the puck.

An exchange between Brandon Saad and Kyle Quincey had resulted in mutual roughing penalties, and when referee Stephen Walkom blew his whistle, the play was officially over.

Scoring goals is not part of Hjalmarsson's job description. He stops them from being scored. Teamed with defense partner Johnny Oduya, Hjalmarsson often goes up against the opponent's top scorers. That gives Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook a bit more offensive freedom when they are on the ice.

Hjalmarsson is a strong skater, can carry the puck and is a solid passer. However, his biggest strength is his ability to defend the best players in the game.

While he will rarely make the highlight-film plays, all of his teammates and coaches know that he is a key reason why the Blackhawks remain one of the NHL's elite teams.

"I think in his game," head coach Joel Quenneville told Brian Hedger of NHL.com, "his instincts are always in the right place defensively and trying to get in lanes and kill plays. He's going to get some big [defensive] assignments as well."

Hjalmarsson had a plus-6.77 Corsi-on percentage in 2013-14, 16th-best on the team, according to BehindTheNet.ca.