Perlini has struggled to adapt to new role, but his stock may be rising

When Brendan Perlini came to the Blackhawks as "the other guy" in the Dylan Strome/Nick Schmaltz trade with Arizona, a tidal wave of compliments burst forth from anyone and everyone.

Stan Bowman loved Perlini's "fantastic wheels." Former teammate Connor Murphy said, "You're getting a big body that can fly."

Even Perlini wasn't afraid to toot his own horn, saying: "I bring a lot of speed and I think that's really my main asset - speed and shot."

It seemed a tidal wave of goals and points were sure to follow.

Instead, it's been a rocky and uneven transition for the 22-year-old Guildford, United Kingdom, native.

Perlini, who racked up 31 goals for Arizona during the previous two seasons, has been asked to accept mostly a fourth-line role with the Hawks in which he's lucky to play more than 10 minutes a game. It can be a tough spot for a skill guy and can even affect someone's career if they stay in it for too long and start to lose confidence.

"It's been an adjustment, it's been different," Perlini admitted after practice Wednesday. "It's something where you keep battling, you get through it and you come out on the other side a better person, a better player."

The tide turned a bit for Perlini when he scored a pair of goals in a 6-3 loss at Los Angeles on Saturday in his first game action in two weeks.

That performance prompted coach Jeremy Colliton to promote Perlini to the second line with Alex DeBrincat and Dylan Strome the next night in San Jose, and they skated together again during the Hawks 5-4 shootout victory over Buffalo at the United Center on Thursday.

Perlini was one of the best Hawks all night, finishing with a team-high 6 shots on goal, and he tied the game at 4-4 with 12:03 remaining.

"The last few games he's shown a little more jam; a little more willingness to get involved and win races and win puck battles," Colliton said. "Then it's no coincidence he's going to produce"

Colliton isn't a difficult coach to play for, but he does expect players to do what they're asked. If that means spending half a season in a bottom-six role, as Perlini has, then so be it.

Get the puck into the offensive zone. Know where to go without the puck. Be smart defensively. No stupid penalties.

Bottom line: Make the most of your seven, eight or nine minutes and help the team win. Then, in the end, you will be rewarded.

"All over the league there's guys who play those type of minutes," Colliton said. "Part of the challenge of being an everyday NHLer is to get it done anyway. Hopefully he can continue to take steps there."

Said veteran teammate Marcus Kruger: "Obviously playing more minutes helps. It's easier to get confident in your game.

"But I think he's been doing a good job. We can all see how skilled he is out here in practice and what he's doing in games as well. He's got to be patient, work hard on details. … He's going to get better and better."

Perlini, whom Arizona drafted 12th overall in 2014, will be a restricted free agent after the season and can likely be extended for $1 million or less.

Combine his 6-foot-3, 211-pound frame with all that speed and an impressive shot, and Perlini could very well be a valuable piece in the Hawks' rebuild going forward. So consider the final 15 games an audition of sorts, one that could make the previous four months seem like a bad dream.

"Every year can't be an unbelievable Patrick Kane year where you have 100 points or whatever," Perlini said. "You have to learn and you have to keep growing. Sometimes you have to go through tougher years.

"Maybe this was in God's plan for me to go through a tougher year and come out (stronger). And when the good times come around, I'm that much more grateful for them."