Brandon Saad's desire to establish himself as an unselfish teammate was there in his first game nearly eight years ago.
That inclination is still there 500 games later. Though he's a little more willing to think about shooting first.
"Early on, especially playing with (Marian Hossa) and (Jonathan Toews), you're always trying to overpass it," said Saad. "So that's something you need to learn, too. Taking your opportunities when you can."
The 26-year-old left wing has been using his skill, speed and big body to create a lot of opportunities lately, and he's been cashing in on them often. On Friday against the Sabres while playing in the 500th game of his career, Saad's two goals helped the Blackhawks to a 7-3 victory.
After going scoreless in Saturday's 4-3 overtime win over the Wild, Saad has 142 goals and 154 assists since making his NHL debut on Oct. 7, 2011, against the Stars.
"It feels like yesterday," said Saad who got married just before this season began. "I don't think anyone forgets their first one. Being 18, coming in right after the draft playing a couple games and then getting sent down it was definitely special. I was fortunate to get to play in Dallas and then back home at the United Center which is always something special to do. Now it's 500 (games) and time flies."
Dubbed the "man-child" at the start of his career, Saad was a second-round pick who became a key player on the Hawks' Stanley Cup champions in 2013 and 2015.
A shocking trade to the Blue Jackets after the 2015 season altered the course of his career, as did a subsequent trade back to the Hawks two years later. Once again, it's not clear what the future holds for him.
Unlike nearly all their top players, Saad does not have a no-trade clause. The trade deadline is Feb. 25 and with the Hawks likely to be sellers, Saad could be on the move. He has two years left on his deal with a reasonable $6 million cap hit that could make him attractive to contending teams.
But Saad is still attractive to the Hawks. He has five goals in his last six games to give him 17 this season. It put him on pace for 27 goals, which would be the second-highest total of his career.
If Saad is traded, he'll bring back pieces the Hawks would expect to be a big part of their retooling. And Hawks coach Jeremy Colliton would miss him.
"When he's at his best he's being aggressive," Colliton said. "Taking the puck to the net and taking guys on 1-on-1 but doing it safely. When you're a guy like that who likes to test (defenses) wide and test them off the rush you're trying to manage the risk and reward. We want him to manage the puck, we don't want him to turn the puck over.
"But at the same it's part of what he does. He takes on guys 1-on-1 and a lot of times he gets by them and creates a chance for himself."
Saad doesn't see himself playing until he's 40. But another 500 games? That sounds pretty good to him.
"It's pretty crazy," Saad said. "When it happens you kind of think how fast it goes by. It feels like it's pretty early on in the career and there's already 500 games. I think when you see the guys in the locker room with the milestones they reach it always give you the drive to keep moving forward. It's definitely something special."
