Meet the new Blackhawks: What does Ryan Donato provide for the Blackhawks forward group?
A look at what the journeyman forward will bring to the table for the Blackhawks.
When it comes to center depth, Ryan Donato won't be sitting at the head of the table for the 2023-24 Blackhawks, thanks to a certain No. 1 overall draft pick. A deeper dive at what Donato has to offer, though, suggests there is some potential for him to produce at a higher volume than some may believe.
Entering his seventh season in the NHL, Donato will be playing for his fifth team heading into the 2023-24 season. Used mostly in a middle-six role, the left-handed forward out of Harvard has accumulated 135 points (65 G, 70 A) in 325 career games.
A second-round pick in the 2014 NHL draft, Donato is still only 27 years old and carries a team-friendly $2 million dollar salary cap hit for the next two seasons. In his time split between the Bruins, the Wild, the Sharks and the Kraken, he's seen a decent amount of time on the power play each season but has rarely taken the ice in shorthanded scenarios.
Donato has a fairly useful skillset that could potentially be a great fit with the look Blackhawks roster. So let's dive into some of what he brings.
