Chicago Blackhawks: Dominik Kubalik for rookie of the year?

The Chicago Blackhawks have had an up and down season but one constant has been the goal scoring of Dominick Kubalik this year.

The Chicago Blackhawks defeated the San Jose Sharks 6-2 in last night’s game at the United Center. It was a big win for Chicago as it stands on its last playoff leg right now. The win brings them to within six points of the playoff line with just a few weeks left in the season. They might have no chance to make it but this win might make the players feel good about it.

One player who has been having a great season is Dominik Kubalik. Obviously, Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane have been doing their thing but the rise of Kubalik has been a really nice surprise. He scored his 30th goal of the season last night which leads all rookies in the National Hockey League. He has been in the conversation for the Calder Trophy as the league’s top rookie, but does he really have a chance?

The answer is probably no. Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche and Quinn Hughes of the Vancouver Canuks have pretty much made it a two-horse race. Obviously, anything can happen but it seems that the Calder Trophy is going to go to one of them. There is a shot that Kubalik gets a trip to Vegas as the third nominee, however. He is likely in a race with Adam Fox of the New York Rangers, MacKenzie Blackwood of the New Jersey Devils, Victor Olofsson of the Buffalo Sabres, and Elvis Merzlikins of the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Kubalik scoring his 30th goal was a great accomplishment. Everyone thought that he had it a few games ago but it was credited to another player. Now, he officially joins Steve Larmer, Darryl Sutter, and Artemi Panarin as the only other Blackhawks to reach that 30 goal mark. It is a shame that the team likely isn’t taking advantage of his great season but maybe they can in future seasons. Either way, this was a fun win over the San Jose Sharks in front of the home crowd.