Blackhawks Deep Dive: Taylor Raddysh & A Snakebitten Season

Through 55 games last season, Chicago Blackhawks forward Taylor Raddysh had 24 points, 14 of which found the back of the net. His shot percentage? 16.7%. The prospects for 2023-24 with Connor Bedard arriving couldn’t seem better.

What a difference a season makes. Through 55 games this season, Raddysh has five goals and 11 points with a shooting percentage of just 5.2%. To say his production has dipped wouldn’t be telling the whole truth. Just looking at shot percentage alone, snakebitten is the first word that comes to mind.

But Blackhawks head coach Luke Richardson likes what he’s doing, despite the falloff in production.

“He’s doing the right things,” Richardson said.  “Last year, they were going in for him a lot better. I think he’s just going to have to get one. I know he’s trying to get his shots on the net, getting them away quick. At this point, maybe he’s just better ty try and close your eyes and bar down without even looking–one of those games where one goes in hopefully just raises up his confidence to get on a roll.

Where I think he had some hot/cold flashes year as well. Obviously not as cold as this one. He’s a competitor and always tries to do the right thing defensively and not cheat to get those extra chances.”

Here’s a look both from a numbers and visual perspective as to how things look for Raddysh this season.

Taylor Raddysh Sure Looks Snakebitten

Whether it’s the eye test, or even the numbers, he does indeed look snakebitten. When I wrote about him last season, I figured he would be one of the biggest benefactors from the Blackhawks selecting Connor Bedard. After injuries took a bite of its own out of the Hawks, it looked like a golden opportunity for Raddysh to cash in.

Instead, he hasn’t scored a goal since December 14th, the lone marker in a 7-1 thrashing by the Seattle Kraken. But it’s not like he hasn’t been active. The chart on the right shows Raddysh’s shots for the season. The five goals he has this season, the furthest out is in the right circle, against Vegas back in October. Of those five goals, one was scored shorthanded. Now, contrast that with the one on the left. Look at the swath of chances he’s had as opposed to this season. Buried within those chances are a bucketful of goals.

Taylor Raddysh Shots and Goals 2023-24 (Courtesy of Evolving Hockey)

Taylor Raddysh Shots and Goals 2022-23 (Courtesy of Evolving Hockey)

Raddysh’s expected goals (xG) this season is 10.4, showing again that it’s unbelievably lower than what has registered on the ice.

But when looking at his shots per game, he may very well end having more shots while losing an average of 10 seconds of ice time this season. He averaged 1.65 shots per game last season but is averaged out at 1.75 shots per game. He has 20 more games at least and from Richardson’s perspective, once one finds the back of the net it’s likely a lot more will follow.

Even with more shots, Raddysh is playing responsible hockey which means that in time, good things should happen.

“I think as a whole our team has played well and done their jobs in our structure and that includes him,” Richardson said.  “So, like I said, he can’t start cheating the game to get more opportunities to score. It’s just not going to work. It’s going to give the other team more opportunity. We’ve shown that in the videos. If we do our structure defensively, it’s really led into some good line rushes, which a lot of them have involved him. We just got to keep encouraging him to work on his game and be positive and make sure you do the right things out there and good things will happen.”

A Final Verdict?

Whether by chart, on the ice, or from the quantitative standpoint, Raddysh indeed looks snakebitten. Sometimes the sport of hockey is a fickle beast and while confidence breeds success, the opposite can hold true, too. If Richardson believes he’s playing right, then there really isn’t much else he can do.

But that doesn’t help the mental side of things, where sometimes that grip tightens a bit with every shot that whistles wide or deflects away when the net is yawning wide. Whether a puck that hops over his stick on a two-on-one break or a golden opportunity last night that ricochets away, Raddysh certainly hasn’t had puck luck on his side.

But all it takes is one. Perhaps then, the puck will finally bounce his–and the Blackhawks–way.

Follow Chicago Hockey Now on Facebook and Twitter

Follow Nate on Twitter