Will Strome's offseason work earn spot with Hawks?

The Blackhawks have asked Dylan Strome to do quite a bit of juggling when it comes to his role over the last couple of seasons.

So perhaps it's no surprise Strome taught himself that very art over the summer.

Now, if the veteran forward can keep a steady hand, perhaps he can erase the memory of a disappointing finish to the 2020-21 campaign.

It will not be an easy task, however, especially with a glut of similarly talented players fighting for roster spots and roles.

Strome has been buried on the depth chart thus far as guys like Henrik Borgstrom, Jujhar Khaira, Philipp Kurashev, Adam Gaudette and Lukas Reichel get long looks from the coaching staff. Mike Hardman, Reese Johnson and MacKenzie Entwistle are knocking on the door as well.

Strome (38 goals, 68 assists in 156 games with the Hawks) has had plenty of impressive moments since GM Stan Bowman acquired him in exchange for Nick Schmaltz. Last season was a rough one, though, as Strome managed just 9 goals and 8 assists in 40 games and was a healthy scratch in four of the last nine contests. He once again saw time on the wing and at center as the Hawks tried to utilize their entire roster and figure out where Strome fit best.

So Strome, hoping to get his career back on track, got to work in the offseason by teaching himself how to juggle.

"With a lefty you take most of the faceoffs with your left hand low and my right hand's dominant," said Strome, who has won 47.1% of his career draws. "So did some things to create my left-hand dominance and (become) a little quicker. ...

"If there's one thing I can do to help myself play center and be in the opening night lineup, it's faceoffs."

That's true because other than Jonathan Toews (56.9%) the Hawks don't have anyone with a career win rate of above 50%. Carpenter's is 47.4%, Khaira's is 45.3%, Gaudette is at 41.0% and Kirby Dach is at 36.8%.

Strome also wants to improve on carrying the puck through zones with speed.

"I feel sometimes I just get it and just throw it away when I know I can make plays," he said. "And I should be making plays, so I'm going to continue to work on that. Hopefully that translates to more O-zone time and more offense."

Despite the appearance that Strome might have fallen out of favor with the Hawks, the 24-year-old is "staying positive." He recalled that last year he started on a line with Patrick Kane and Alex DeBrincat before things went sideways, due in large part to a concussion.

He knows it's a long season and that a lot can happen over the course of the next 6-7 months.

"I think I can be a big contributor on this team and help the team win," Strome said last April. "Feel like I've proven that and I know I can do that."

Slap shot:

Jonathan Toews took a maintenance day and did not practice Saturday.