The Chicago Blackhawks, by their standards, are coming off a long summer break. Last year’s first-round exit gave the non-World Cup players much needed time off.
Heading into this season will prove to be Joel Quenneville’s biggest challenge since he came to Chicago in 2008. When he first arrived his job was to take a team with a bright future and make them a Stanley Cup winner. He’s done that three times. This season he will rely on a youth movement again, but without top draft picks.
Chicago enters the season with forward depth being an unusual question mark. The core still remains with Johnathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Marian Hossa and Marcus Krueger. Last year Artemi Panarin showed he may be the next big thing offensively.
That is where the guarantees end and the questions start. The biggest problem to solve is who joins Toews on the top line? Quenneville seems to have broken up longtime partner Hossa and shifted him to the third line with Krueger. Richard Panik was given a chance during the playoffs and didn’t look out of place.
The rest of the choices would be of the youth variety. Nick Schmaltz, Tyler Motte and Alexandre Fortin have all surprised people during training camp.
Recently, the coach did hint last year’s most consistent line of Kane, Panarin and Artem Anisimov could be broken up. That could land Panarin on the top line with the captain and even Hossa potentially.
The defense, which was the previous issue, seems to be highly upgraded. Bringing back Brian Campbell at a huge discount – thanks to his wife – gives the Blackhawks a top four as good as anyone else in the league.
The final pairing of defense could be a roulette throughout the season. Michal Kempny coming over from the KHL in a very cap-friendly deal could be the best offseason signing for GM Stan Bowman. Expect to see him anchor the bottom pair with Trevor van Riemsdyk and Michal Rozsival splitting duties.
The one question nobody needs to ask is about the goaltending situation. Corey Crawford has worked his way into elite goalie conversations the past few seasons. After his best regular season, he was rewarded with a World Cup roster spot, and even started a game in round robin play. Critics has slowed down against him and along with backup Scott Darling give the Hawks much needed stability in the blue paint.
As always, the salary cap and Central Division give Chicago roadblocks. Many of the player moves will be predicated on what the team can afford on a daily basis to be cap complaint. Playing in the toughest division in the sport doesn’t help either.
Dallas will continue to improve and many feel could win the division. Nashville traded away their star in Shane Weber but got P.K. Subban in return. The Blues remain an enigma and it will be interesting to see if all their turnover and impending coaching change will help or hurt them compared to a season ago.
Heading into the season confidence for a Blackhawks return to the playoffs should remain high. A deep playoff run remains a huge possibility as well with the defense and goaltending strength. They are built for that type of run. If the forward depth shows up and the youth movement exceeds expectations, Quenneville could lift his fourth cup since 2010.
File photos by Lewis.Bleiman@prohockeynews.com
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