Saad, Chicago Blackhawks looking to rebound next season

Brandon Saad could hardly believe it.

On the phone with reporters last June, a shocked Saad was on his way back to Chicago. Back to the Blackhawks. Back to the team he helped lead to Stanley Cup titles in 2013 and 2015.

He was so excited to be reunited with Jonathan Toews and absolutely couldn't wait for September to arrive.

"He's someone I had early success with in my career, and that's something I look forward to trying to rekindle," said Saad after Stan Bowman re-acquired the two-way forward from Columbus. "It can only grow from both of us getting better as players the last couple of years."

All the optimism of that day rolled over into the season opener when Saad registered a hat trick in a 10-1 victory over Pittsburgh. Toews proceeded to score in Games 2, 3 and 5, and when Saad buried an overtime winner in Game 6, the Hawks were 4-1-1 and seemingly on their way to another big season.

But we all know what happened next.

Inconsistency crept into everyone's game. Guys started getting too cute, too fancy. Turnovers led to far too many easy goals by opponents and suddenly the Hawks were just 17-13-5 on Dec. 23.

Then Corey Crawford went down.

And the bottom fell out.

"It's been a pretty crazy season," Saad said after practice Monday. "It's definitely difficult to be a part of. Whether it's individually or as a team, it's been a struggle for everyone. It's not fun, that's for sure."

There's no doubt Saad has been one of the season's biggest disappointments. He had 6 goals after six games, then scored just nine times from Games 7-70.

But why has he struggled? It's a good question with no easy answers because - as Saad will tell you - when you are on a team that's winning, everybody is going to benefit. And when a team is struggling, it's awfully difficult for individuals to have big seasons.

"Maybe as a team we were not as confident as a group and that kind of affected everyone's play," said Saad, who scored 55 goals in his two seasons with the Blue Jackets. "It's tough to put a finger on exactly what, but it's not like I have any less confidence in my scoring ability now than I did last year."

Saad is 2 shots on goal from setting a career high, but his shooting percentage is a career-low 7.8 - far below his career average of 11.0.

"The finish has got to be there," said coach Joel Quenneville. "And the consistency with and without the puck is probably an area he can be better at, too."

There's no doubt the Hawks need Saad to rebound next season. He can't go through a 64-game stretch where he's barely noticeable and not contributing offensively.

And there's no reason to think it can't happen. In the last nine games, Saad has 4 goals and 3 assists - but more importantly, there have been flashes of the 2013, '14 and '15 player Hawks fans grew to love.

The speed, the puck control, the drives to the net - they all seem to be returning.

Saad, for one, believes that both he and the Hawks will make fans forget about 2017-18 when next April rolls around.

"You could call it a down year, but I still had almost 20 goals," Saad said. "I'm usually around 20-30 on average. I've had some good years and some lower years. …

"It's just getting back to doing it consistently. But it also helps when you're playing well as a team. Anytime the team's doing well, everyone seems to be pitching in and contributing.

"As a team we can get better, we can move the puck better, we can hold onto pucks more - it all starts from working together as a group."