Blackhawks' Tootoo, Desjardins still going with the flow
It's been a bizarre season for Jordin Tootoo and Andrew Desjardins.
The Blackhawks wingers, with 66 games played between them, have yet to record a single point.
No goals. No assists.
Of the 95 players in the NHL with goose eggs on their stat sheets, nobody has played more games than Tootoo (35) and Desjardins (31) - and only eight others have played in 10 or more games.
It could be a sore spot for either or both, but they refuse to get down about their lack of scoring, lack of playing time or number of healthy scratches that pile up due to the emergence of younger players like Nick Schmaltz, Dennis Rasmussen, Ryan Hartman, Vinnie Hinostroza and Tanner Kero.
"I carried that negativity (in the past) and it affected not only myself but probably the aura around the dressing room," said Tootoo, who sat five of the last six games before the all-star break. "But at the time I didn't see that part of it."
The season Tootoo is referring to is the 2013-14 campaign when he spent 51 games playing for the Grand Rapid Griffins, the AHL affiliate of the Red Wings. He suited up just 11 times for Detroit.
"That's probably when I really grew as a player, as a pro, to understand that you can only control what you can control," said Tootoo, who will turn 34 on Thursday.
After recording 14 goals and 10 assists in two seasons with the New Jersey Devils, Tootoo came to the Hawks last off-season at the urging of buddies Brent Seabrook and Duncan Keith.
And although he's been a healthy scratch 21 times and only averages 6:34 of ice time when he does play, Tootoo refuses to sulk. As a matter of fact, he was goofing off behind Hinostroza and Rasmussen as the duo filmed a promo last week in the dressing room.
"I've learned to just be a good teammate in the dressing room and just prepare yourself to be ready to play when you're called upon," Tootoo said. "For me it's a privilege to be in this league and there's thousands of guys that want to be in this position. ...
"You don't want to carry that negative energy around because guys feel it, and I've witnessed it before. It's not fun to be around."
Desjardins, meanwhile, missed the first 13 games with an ankle injury. When he returned, the 30-year-old veteran figured he'd step back into the lineup and not miss a beat, but that wasn't at all the case.
"It felt like every time I got on the ice, everything (by opponents) was going in," Desjardins said.
Desjardins, who was an integral part of the 2015 Stanley Cup run on a shutdown fourth line that included Marcus Kruger and Andrew Shaw, scored a career-high 8 goals last season (although 4 came in three straight games).
Before coming to the Hawks in a trade with San Jose, Desjardins had 15 goals and 33 assists in 272 games with the Sharks. Modest numbers for sure, but about what you'd expect from a fourth-line player.
Desjardins admitted he struggled coming out of the injury, but he wouldn't use it as an excuse for the lack of production.
"There's been a little bit of a snowball effect. I don't think I've played my best," said Desjardins, adding that he feels better about his last 10 games.
"I'm not trying to worry too much about the point part of it. Just playing the right way, playing good defensively and doing the right things to help the team win - momentum and all of that.
"Obviously really disappointed with where I'm at with the points, but again, I've just got to use my ice time and do what I can with it to help our team succeed.
"It's all about the team. We're winning. If I'm doing my job, that's all that I'm worried about."
Pointless
These five NHL players have appeared in the most games without scoring a point this season:
Jordin Tootoo, Hawks 35
Andrew Desjardins, Hawks 31
Nicolas Deslauriers, Buff. 23
Mike Reilly, Minnesota 13
Tomas Jurco, Detroit 13
Note: Since 1999-2000 season, only 27 players with 30 or more games played have gone the entire season without recording a point.
Source: NHL.com