Should Andrew Shaw Play as a Third-Line Center or a Bigger Role in 2014-15?

Are the Chicago Blackhawks giving Andrew Shaw the credit he has earned?

With the season set to begin Oct. 9 in Dallas, the Blackhawks appear to have their top two lines set for the early part of the schedule.

The top line consists of wings Marian Hossa and Patrick Sharp centered by Jonathan Toews. The second line will see explosive Patrick Kane and speedy Brandon Saad on the wings and former New York Ranger Brad Richards in the middle. (Although Sharp and Saad could switch places on a fairly regular basis.)

During last year's playoffs, Shaw had an opportunity to play center for Kane and Saad. Head coach Joel Quenneville made that move after the Blackhawks fell behind 3-1 in the Western Conference Final, and that trio lit it up in the final three games. Kane had nine points in those three games, Saad had six, and Shaw recorded four assists.

Despite those heroics, the Blackhawks' season ended in overtime of the seventh game when Alec Martinez's long shot deflected off of Nick Leddy and found its way past Corey Crawford and into the back of the net.

Quenneville was thrilled with the production of Kane, Saad and Shaw, and he told the media that he was impressed with the line's chemistry. He suggested to Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times that the trio might be together on a more permanent basis.

But shortly after the season ended, there was a change of heart within the organization. Or at least a different line of thinking.

The Blackhawks signed Richards to a one-year contract early in free agency, and they all but anointed him as the center of that No. 2 line.

That means Shaw is back where he had been prior to his late-season heroics—on the third line. He will have Kris Versteeg on right wing and Bryan Bickell on left wing until further notice. Shaw scored 20 goals and 19 assists during the 2013-14 regular season and had a plus-12 rating. He averaged 15:41 of ice time per game and had a plus-16.51 Corsi On rating, according to BehindTheNet.ca.

During the playoffs, he scored two goals and six assists and had a plus-five rating. His ice time went up to 17:06 per night and his Corsi On rating was plus-10.99.

While there is a tangible reason to like Shaw having a more responsible role on the Blackhawks, there is also reason to believe that he would be a question mark on the No. 2 line. 

There is little doubt that he is a hard worker and an all-out hustler. He will do anything he can to maintain possession of the puck or fight to get it when the opponents have possession. He is a courageous forward who will go to the front of the net just so he can screen the goalie, deflect a shot or jump on a rebound. 

However, when it comes to the high-end skills of the game, Shaw does not always fit the description. Shaw does not have the same kind of shooting touch as players like Toews, Kane or Sharp, and it's unlikely he will ever come close to matching what those players can do with a slap shot or wrist shot.

Shaw also tends to struggle in the face-off circle. He won just 43.3 of the draws he took last year, and that's a liability on a strong puck-possession team like the Blackhawks.

If Shaw is disappointed about being taken off the line with Kane and Saad, he has given no indication of that kind of feeling. The 23-year-old Shaw supported Quenneville's decision to make the moves that would help the Blackhawks continue to win games.

“He knows what he’s doing,” Shaw told Lazerus. “We have a great group of guys, a real deep team. It just means we’re going to win a lot of games.”

Shaw also knows that moves made before the start of the season are not necessarily going to last all year. Injuries, slumps, hot streaks and a coach's intuition could all factor into upcoming moves.

And if Quenneville decides to put him back on the same line with Kane and Saad—for any reason—Shaw knows that they have a successful track record and there's no reason why they won't be able to repeat it.