Blackhawks’ forgotten young weapon receives stunning NHL snub

The Chicago Blackhawks have assembled one of the NHL’s deepest collections of young talent, which makes it easy for certain players to become lost in the crowd. Nick Lardis appears to be the latest victim, although his omission from a recent prospect ranking is difficult to explain.

Nick Lardis deserved far more respect

The Athletic’s Corey Pronman recently ranked the top 100 NHL players and prospects under 23 who were selected outside the first round. Five members of the Blackhawks organization made the list.

Lardis was not one of them.

That would be strange enough by itself. It looks even worse when his first professional season is placed next to the decision.

Lardis recorded 10 goals and five assists across 41 games with Chicago. He did it while averaging just 12:40 of ice time and spending most of the season in a bottom-six role.

Nothing about that situation was designed to help an offensive player pile up points. Lardis still produced at a 20-goal pace over a full schedule.

When the Blackhawks sent him to Rockford and gave him a larger role, he responded with 18 goals and 32 points in 35 games. He was not merely surviving against professional competition. He was scoring at both levels during his first season away from junior hockey.

Apparently, that was not enough.

Pronman ranked Lardis as only the 16th-best player under 23 in Chicago’s system. He also placed several Blackhawks prospects without NHL experience ahead of him.

Prospect rankings are educated projections, not legally binding documents. Nobody needs to call an emergency hearing over one list. Still, leaving Lardis outside the top 100 non-first-round selections is one heck of a dismissal for a player who already scored 10 times in the NHL.

Blackhawks may have another top-six scorer

Questions about Lardis are nothing new. He is undersized, and scouts have wondered whether his scoring ability would survive against larger and faster professional players.

So far, it has.

Lardis scored 71 goals during his final junior season, becoming the first Ontario Hockey League player to reach 70 since John Tavares. Expecting him to repeat that nonsense in the NHL would be ridiculous, but his shot did not disappear when the competition improved.

Neither did his willingness to attack.

The Blackhawks have spent years collecting promising players. Now they must determine which ones can become legitimate pieces around Connor Bedard. Lardis has already done more to answer that question than several prospects receiving considerably more attention.

He may not begin the season on a scoring line. Chicago’s offseason additions created more competition, and Lardis will have to earn every opportunity he receives.

That could delay his breakout. It does not make his rookie production less impressive.

If Lardis earns more ice time and a regular role with skilled linemates, 20 goals is not some wild fantasy. It is a reasonable next step for a player who nearly reached that pace while receiving limited minutes.

Rankings will not decide his future. They can, however, provide a little extra motivation.

Lardis now has 100 reasons to supply it.

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