There’s plenty of discussions regarding the Blackhawks’ financial situation and the money tied up in either under-performing players or long contracts currently on the roster.

But along with Jonathan Toews, some of the Blackhawks’ most wisely spent money is being given to Patrick Sharp – and he proved it once again with another solid season.

The Handsome One underwent an emergency appendectomy in the offseason, welcomed his first child into the world Dec. 10 – then scored the next night against San Jose – missed eight games because of a broken wrist suffered against Detroit on Jan. 8, played through the break the rest of the season, and still finished with a team-leading 33 goals.

He may have had a rough playoff series, but what Blackhawk didn’t?

Sharp’s drama-filled season would’ve made for one hell of a documentary, overcoming injury and off-ice distractions (celebrations?) to be the team’s most productive offensive player. It’s no small task, and it may have gotten lost simply because he stayed so consistent throughout the season.

The only time Sharp slumped was in February as he adjusted to playing with that broken wrist mentioned earlier. He had nine goals and seven assists from March 4 in the regular season’s final 16 games, helping the ‘Hawks go 10-2-4 down the stretch.

Sharp finished with a team-high plus-28 rating that was good for seventh best in the NHL, and his eight game-winning goals also tied for seventh in the league. Both marks were career highs.

The playoffs? Well, that was a different story.

Sharp had only one goal – deflecting Brent Seabrook’s blast to tie up Game 2 with six seconds remaining – and that was it. Otherwise, he wasn’t heard from much. Given his stature on the team, it would’ve been nice to get more production from him, but we could sit here and say that about damn near everyone in that series.

Sharp’s offensive talent can’t be questioned, but his defense again came in spurts despite that gaudy plus-minus. Here’s a guy who finished fourth in the Selke voting in 2007-08, and just four years later – even the last two seasons, really – we’re discussing him as a defensive liability at times. Is he hesitant to be more physical and defensive minded due to his injuries following that season?

He missed 21 games in 2008-09 and eight games each of the past two seasons. Only Sharp will know the answer for why he’s become more of a one-way player than a two-way player, but that’s not to say he’s completely terrible in his own zone. It seems, though, the days of Sharp being discussed for a Selke trophy are long, long gone.

And I know I’m not the only one who can’t get over this, but the Blackhawks won a Stanley Cup with Sharp at center. At center. Sharp. At center. The ‘Hawks had many, many problems locking down that second-line spot, and the answer may have been on their roster all along. It’s been rumored Sharp simply doesn’t want to player there. But this is all a discussion for another day.

Bottom line, Sharp put up another fantastic offensive season despite playing through an episode of All My Children.

I think a grade of 3.5 Indians out of 4 is a nice solid ‘A’ for Sharp, which he deserves. Given all he dealt with, leading the team in goals scored and adding 36 assists with career highs in plus-minus and game-winning goals is a pretty solid accomplishment.

And Sharp is still going. He had a goal and four assists in Canada’s win at the world championships Monday.