Patrick Sharp is penciled in to serve as the Blackhawks' top line left wing, CSNChicago.com's Tracey Myers reports.

Sharp is penciled in to serve as the Blackhawks' top line left wing, CSNChicago.com's Tracey Myers reports.

Analysis:

Though he's coming off a career-best season in which he netted 34 goals and 78 points, Sharp's stock heading into the upcoming campaign seems to be trending downward nonetheless, after he lost out on ice time to Brandon Saad in the playoffs and was dogged by trade rumors over the summer. While the Blackhawks' window to deal him has probably closed at this point, Sharp probably doesn't have much more room for improvement as he enters his age-33 season. He'll still be a potent scorer and deliver an excellent plus/minus rating for one of hockey's most talent teams; just don't overpay for last season's numbers.