When the Blackhawks practice, most of the team wears red or black jerseys. Occasionally, coach Joel Quenneville will have a few players wear white.
And similar to wearing white after Labor Day _ you don't want to if you can help it.
It's usually a sign that somebody is in the bottom of the lineup rotation. There were no white jerseys at Friday's practice, but there were a few out at Thursday's session. It was a surprise to see who was wearing one of them _ versatile veteran forward Andrew Desjardins _ given all the young prospects that are still here fighting for roster spots.
It seemed a given going into the season that Desjardins, 30, would have a secure place given his cap-friendly contract of $800,000 per season and his solid play for the Hawks since they traded for him in March of 2015.
Desjardins wasn't sweating having to wear the white jersey, however.
"I'm not trying to read between the lines, not trying to be a psychic," Desjardins said. "I'm not trying to think about trying to pick apart what they're thinking. I just have to concentrate on what I'm doing and what my tasks are and do them to the best of my ability."
Quenneville would not go so far as to say Desjardins had a spot on the team _ he said Desjardins is "in the mix" _ but he did also offer praise for Desjardins.
"The decision is probably not clear for us right now exactly who's going to be here and who's not," Quenneville said. "But the one thing is you appreciate the way he competes. He's coming off a really good game (on Tuesday) and he gives us some versatility in all three forward positions. He can kill penalties. We like the way he competes and he's got some physicality to his game."
With those attributes Desjardins would seem to have the inside track on some of the greener forwards.
He is ideally suited for a bottom six defensive-minded role and has shown the ability to control top team's scoring threats in the past. His 72.9 percent defensive zone start rate at even strength last season, according to Hockeyreference.com, is proof of that. That was second on the team behind center Marcus Kruger.
He is one of the players Quenneville can trust on the penalty kill, which is not always an easy thing to earn.
Desjardins said having so many young players in camp has added a dose of energy. He also knows it means he has to be at his best.
"I think you always feel (competition) in my role or in my position," Desjardins said. "It's a constant competition.
"I don't think there's ever a time to feel too, not comfortable, but too lackadaisical about the situation."
You can't afford to during life on the bubble.
