Blackhawks training camp opens tomorrow! The Jeff Blashill Era begins with a crowded camp roster full of young players hoping to impress the new coaching staff and win an NHL roster spot. There are also a lot of veterans hoping to see improvement from themselves and the team in the standings. And all of that leads to plenty of questions that need to be answered before the Blackhawks get the regular season party started in Florida in a few short weeks.
The youth movement beginning in earnest means there will be players in Rockford that will show they deserve a spot in the Blackhawks/ NHL lineup eventually. There are other young players who will fight to keep a roster spot. And there will be trades.
Here are the biggest three questions the Blackhawks need to answer before boarding a plane to face the defending Stanley Cup champions.
David Banks-Imagn ImagesWho are Connor Bedard’s linemates?
For two seasons, the entire hockey world has been screaming at the clouds that the Blackhawks need to help Bedard improve and get closer to reaching his ceiling. I’ll hit the pause button first with the idea of him being the best version of Connor Bedard because… he’s 20 years old. History tells us he’s still a couple years away from realizing that.
But the reality remains: Bedard needs more help.
Last year, Bedard spent at least 200 minutes of 5-on-5 time on the ice with five returning forwards. Here’s the Corsi For with each of those forwards (excluding the departed Philipp Kurashev):
Ryan Donato — 420:55 TOI with Bedard — 43.07 Tyler Bertuzzi — 366:58 — 42.02 Ilya Mikheyev — 276:04 — 44.23 Frank Nazar — 253:22 — 41.39 Teuvo Teräväinen — 229:31 — 47.07Donato had a career-year with 31 goals, while Bertuzzi finished tied with Bedard for second on the team with 23 goals. However, the highest Shots For percentage while on the ice with Bedard is also the highest Corsi For: Teräväinen (49.78) Indeed, the only forwards with whom the Blackhawks Shots For percentage was over 50 while skating with Bedard were Oliver Moore and Landon Slaggert in much smaller sample sizes.
Teräväinen being more of a set-up guy who’s also defensively responsible — and with whom the numbers support better offense driving — feels like a good idea. The other wing? We’ll have to wait and see. But this is a critical question for the new coaches to answer.
Daniel Bartel-Imagn ImagesWhat is the blue line for opening night?
I wrote about how young the Blackhawks’ blue line could be to start this season. There are plenty of talented options here, which should lead to an intense training camp to win minutes in Chicago in October and beyond.
We know Alex Vlasic and Connor Murphy will be there. And I think most of us are assuming Sam Rinzel will be there. That leaves three spots up for grabs with a lot of young skaters hoping to win a job.
The biggest question(s) to start the season is whether Artyom Levshunov and/or Kevin Korchinski is ready for prime time. If only one of them makes the roster, they’ll likely get to run the second power play unit with Rinzel on the top group. If they both make the roster… I’m going to go off the board a bit and advocate now for maybe both of them being on the second unit together. That could be kinda fun, eh?
Murphy is entering the final year of his contract and has been thru a lot in Chicago. Whether he finishes his contract in Chicago is something they likely won’t be answered until after the trade deadline dust settles. But Ethan Del Mastro, Nolan Allan, Louis Crevier and (maybe?) Wyatt Kaiser are all in the mix. Veteran Matt Grzelcyk being in camp on a PTO is also an intriguing option added to the mix late.
Ron Chenoy-Imagn ImagesHow do they handle three goalies on the roster?
As of the publishing of the Blackhawks’ initial camp roster, it feels like this might be somewhat settled. Spencer Knight‘s three-year extension means he’ll be in Chicago for four more years. Arvid Söderblom signed a two-year extension earlier this summer, giving the Blackhawks some continuity. And there’s good depth in Rockford, which is nice.
But Laurent Brossoit is still on the payroll, albeit starting camp with an injured designation again to start this season. If he’s medically unable to play this year, that makes the decisions a little easier. If he does come back, he’ll want a chance to re-establish himself. There’s only one net. And three goaltenders is a crowd.
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