Chicago Blackhawks October Review: Most Valuable Player

By Sean Sarcu @seansarcu on November 1, 2014

In a month where no other player on the Chicago Blackhawks‘ roster managed to stand out, Duncan Keith‘s tremendous performance throughout October makes him a pretty easy and uncontroversial choice as the team’s most valuable player of the month.

Keith already has one third of his goal total from 2013-14. The trade of Nick Leddy and the steep decline of Michal Rozsival have necessitated a heavy reliance on Chicago’s top four defensemen, and Keith has taken advantage of the extra ice time. He’s playing about a minute and a half more each night compared to last year, and he has only improved on where he left off in a 2013-14 season that saw him win the Norris Trophy.

Chicago’s offense didn’t produce up to its usual standards in October, but this problem didn’t extend to Keith. As always, he was absurdly effective in transition; no defenseman in the NHL is as good at anticipating and breaking up opponent’s passes in the neutral zone and converting them into offensive opportunities. Keith has been nearly flawless in Chicago’s defensive zone, using his speed to constantly pester teams along the boards and take away rush plays.

The Blackhawks’ defensive play, which was a significant problem last season, was very strong throughout most of October. The team has managed to pick up 13 out of 20 points despite shooting at an awful clip and missing Corey Crawford for the last six games. Among all individual players on the roster, Keith has clearly been the biggest contributor to the team’s success so far.

Sean Sarcu is a Chicago Blackhawks writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter or add him to your network on Google.