Using the VUKOTA projection system of Hockey Prospectus, Insider is taking the temperature of key players on every NHL team, continuing with the Chicago Blackhawks. For a detailed explanation of Prospectus' proprietary GVT value metric, read more here.
Note: Because of the lockout, GVT scores for the 2013 season are prorated from 48 to 82 games.
Summer Skate: Chicago Blackhawks
Chicago made it until Game 25 before its first regulation loss of the lockout-shortened season and finished with an absolutely absurd .802 winning percentage. Though the Blackhawks were strangely overlooked for any individual awards -- including most notably coach Joel Quenneville for the Jack Adams -- they got the one trophy that mattered most: the Stanley Cup.
Unlike the massive cap-imposed exodus that followed their 2010 triumph, the Blackhawks managed to keep the team mostly intact this time. That, and the move from the league's strongest division to what could be its weakest, should keep them strong throughout 2013-14 as they look to be the first back-to-back Cup champs since the Red Wings following the 1997-98 season.
Trending up: F Andrew Shaw
Last season: 3.2 GVT | VUKOTA projection: 3.9