It didn’t take a lot for the 26-year-old Joey Anderson to have a career year with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2023-24. He had 22 points and 96 games spread out over five seasons in the NHL before last season.
Anderson took advantage of a banged up and lackluster Chicago team last season before Kyle Davidson went and made major upgrades this offseason. The winger played much higher in the lineup than he had in his career and got in the most games at the NHL level to that point in his professional career with 55. While he just scored five goals and 17 points, it was his defensive abilities and his chemistry with Jason Dickinson that earned him the playing time and opportunity.
Related: Blackhawks Jason Dickinson, Joey Anderson Have Been “Big Pluses” This Season
Unfortunately for Anderson, that opportunity may very well have passed as quickly as it came. Up front, the Blackhawks acquired Ilya Mikheyev in a trade, Taylor Hall and Andreas Athanasiou are back and healthy, and the team signed Tyler Bertuzzi, Teuvo Teravainen, Pat Maroon, and Craig Smith. After being a middle-6 option for the Blackhawks for the majority of the season, Anderson has been bumped down to at least the 14th forward.
If Chicago stays relatively healthy, Anderson may not get into over half of the games. He played best with Dickinson, but there’s no logical way that Anderson gets time on the second or third line this season without many injuries. He’ll be hard pressed to get in on the fourth line.
While Anderson is expected to make the Blackhawks as an extra, there is still a real possibility that one of the younger players beats him out in training camp. The Blackhawks had Frank Nazar, Landon Slaggert, and Cole Guttman all make cases last season.
Anderson provides a strong defensive game, some penalty killing, and a decent amount of physicality. But is he a regular NHL talent? On the Blackhawks, the answer is no. On most of the other NHL teams, the answer remains the same. He has to find a way to do the most from the fourth line when he gets the opportunity this season, but Anderson is going to see a drop-off.
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