2016-17 Chicago Blackhawks Preview

By Kevin Schroeder
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Updated: October 11, 2016

The Blackhawks enter the 2016-17 season needing meaningful production from some young players. The good news coming out of the preseason is that there’s reason to believe they’ll get that production. So many young guys have made an impression that it’s going to make roster decisions quite difficult.

The team

The starting forwards are the Blackhawks actual lines. Andrew Desjardins is out 4-6 weeks, but he was on the bubble in the first place, so for now, I’m guessing he doesn’t make the roster. The defense is my guess since Hjalmarsson’s out for the opener. (click to enlarge)

Starters

Forwards

Jonathan Toews is back to lead the Blackhawks. For my money, nobody in the league plays a better 200-foot game than Tazer (Yes, Bruins fans, that includes Patrice Bergeron, though he is a very close 2nd.) and nobody provides better leadership. Last year, he played with a variety of linemates and struggled to really get going.

Richard Panik was a very nice surprise last year. Panik was acquired in a trade with Toronto, where he was playing in the AHL, for Jeremy Morin, who anyone with eyes could see the Hawks were going to trade at some point for somebody. Bowman does it again, ladies and gentlemen. The 25-year-old Slovak played all over the lineup and registered 8 points (6 G, 2 A) in 30 games. The stats may not show it, but on the ice, Panik has shown enough to merit getting a real chance in this spot. He’ll need to be more consistent to keep it, though.

Marian Hossa is beginning to slow down a bit, but is still a very nice power forward who plays a solid 200-foot game. He played with Toews nearly all of the time last season. Hossa’s next goal will be the 500th of his career.

Artem Anisimov came over from Columbus in the Brandon Saad trade last year and over the course of the 15-16 season, made me not miss Saad so much. Yes, Saad would have been nice to have alongside Toews, but Anisimov was the center Kane needed and once Kane finally had him, he had a career year. Anisimov’s got plenty of skill, but can also grind. Faceoffs need work, though. While he’s never been excellent in that department, last year, he was a career-low 44.16% at the dot.

Artemi Panarin was the NHL Rookie of the Year last year, after coming over from Russia. Panarin and Kane have tremendous chemistry and their games complement each other very well. He’ll have to avoid a sophomore slump, but I don’t see that being a problem. His ceiling remains “smaller Ovechkin,” given his ability to create offense and snipe for goals.

At Anisimov’s right will be Patrick Kane, coming off a career year that ended in him hoisting the Hart Trophy as the league’s most valuable player, as well as the Art Ross Trophy as the league’s leading scorer, becoming the league’s first American-born one. Kane was the best offensive player in the league a year ago, finding the back of the net time and time again and setting up others to do likewise. Few others can do what he can with the puck on his stick. He was a great fit with Panarin last year and should be again.

Tyler Motte comes to Chicago after an excellent season under legendary coach Red Berenson at the University of Michigan, where he was part of the “CCM line,” one of the greatest lines in recent history in college hockey. For my money, Motte was the second-best player in the country last year, only behind linemate Kyle Connor, now of the Winnipeg Jets. Motte’s only 5’9, but plays much bigger than he is. He plays a nice 200-foot game, skilled with the puck on his stick and able to create offense, but also a good defender. In addition, he’s able to kill penalties, which will not doubt endear him to Q. He’ll need to adjust to the NHL game and also to playing on the left side; he played on the right side at Michigan.

Marcus Kruger returns after signing a contract extension late last season. Kruger’s not the most dynamic offensive talent, but is a very good defensive forward and penalty killer.

Ryan Hartman is a forward in the Andrew Shaw mold. The former first-round draft pick has recorded one assist in eight games with the Hawks. With Shaw now in Montreal, the Hawks could look to him to provide some gritty play. It would be a mistake to expect him to be as good as Shaw at this point, though.

Vinnie Hinostroza was the leading scorer for the Rockford IceHogs last season. He can play any forward spot, but I prefer him on the wing, focusing a but more on creating plays. Hinsotroza’s played a few games with the Blackhawks and has been okay in his limited NHL experience. He played seven games with the Hawks last year and is still looking for his first NHL point.

Nick Schmaltz joins the Blackhawks after winning a national championship at North Dakota last year as part of the “CBS line.” Schmaltz should be able to play any forward spot, but my personal preference would be to have him at center. He’s a good all-around forward in the Jonathan Toews mold.

Jordin Tootoo comes to Chicago after playing with the New Jersey Devils a year ago. When he’s in, he’ll being toughness to the fourth line, but not a great deal more than that.

Defensemen

Duncan Keith is back wearing an A for the Blackhawks. A skilled defenseman on both ends of the ice, he’s in the discussion for the Norris Trophy year after year.

Niklas Hjalmarsson is quietly one of the best defensive defensemen in the league. He doesn’t light the lamp a ton, but he’s a consistent responsible blueliner. Any team would be lucky to have him.

Gustav Forsling played a very nice preseason and impressed Q enough to earn a spot on the roster. He’s got real potential as an offensive defenseman.

Brian Campbell returns to Chicago after signing with the Hawks in the off-season and giving the Hawks a significant discount in order to make that happen. Soup’s a quality veteran who’s still got something left in the tank, though his best days are certainly behind him. Still, after the defensive struggles the Hawks had last year, quality veteran depth is definitely welcomed.

Michal Kempny joins the Blackhawks after scoring 21 points (5 G, 16 A) in 59 games with Avangard Omsk of the KHL a year ago. That a guy of his skill level could end up in the Hawks’ third pair is very encouraging for the team’s defensive potential this year.

Brent Seabrook is the Hawks’ other alternate captain. He can impact the game on both ends of the ice and is quite good on the power play.

Goalie

Corey Crawford was the NHL’s leader in shutouts a year ago. He turned in a very fine year, though there were a few blips. Some of that can be attributed to defensive shakiness. He should be even better this year now that the Hawks have upgraded their back end.

Backups

Forwards

Dennis Rasmussen is a nice defensive forward who can kill penalties. When he’s in, expect to see him in the bottom six.

Defensemen

Trevor van Riemsdyk will be looked at to take that next step this year. I think his potential’s quite high, but with some very talented defensive prospects in the system, if he doesn’t start getting there quick, someone else could end up usurping the role.

Michal Rozsival is back for another year. He’s lost more than a step at this point in his career, though he’s still a capable defenseman. Veteran depth doesn’t hurt.

Goalie

Scott Darling was mostly solid when called upon a year ago. The defense didn’t always help him out last season. I’m hoping for an expanded role this year to take some of the burden off of Crawford.

Other guys we could see

Forwards

Andrew Desjardins is back with the Hawks franchise. Playing on a manageable contract, the veteran could provide nice bottom six forward depth.

Alexandre Fortin played a very nice preseason after being signed to a 3-year entry-level contract in September. Could he play in the NHL this year? Yeah, probably, but I would expect him to make a major impact at this point. So should he play in the NHL this year? I don’t think so. The Hawks have plenty of young guys with serious potential who can play this year. They don’t need to burn a year of Fortin’s ELC. He can play up to ten games in the NHL without that happening, so if you want to take a look – fine, but then he should go back to the QMJHL.

Brandon Mashinter can bring some size and toughness to the lineup, but that’s pretty much it. If we see him, it will be in a bottom six role.

Mark McNeill was the 18th-overall pick in the 2011 NHL draft, but has only played one game in the NHL. He’s played well enough in Rockford that he may be worth giving a chance.

Tanner Kero played 17 games with the Hawks last year and was good in Rockford. He’s an offensively-skilled center who may end up getting another chance in the NHL.

Kyle Baun plays a gritty, yet pretty skilled game. He’s played five games with the Hawks over the course of the last two years. We could see him in a bottom six role.

Defensemen

Ville Pokka had a very productive 2015-16 season in Rockford and would be more likely to get a look in the NHL this year if not for the Hawks’ defensive depth. He could be a good offensive defenseman.

Viktor Svedberg played 27 games for the Blackhawks last year and had more than a few biffs. His size makes him an intriguing player, but there seem to be more than a few guys ahead of him for good reason.

Erik Gustafsson played half the season in Chicago last year. While I think he’s got an awfully high ceiling, he’s far enough away at 24 that it’s fair to wonder if he can reach it. He needs to tighten up his play after making more than few errors last year.

Obligatory second-guessing

Here’s they way I would have gone (click to enlarge):

I get why Q is keeping Kane and Panarin together, but given what we saw last year with the other lines, I think the Hawks would be wise to split them up. Toews needs help on the top line. I like what I’ve seen from Panik thus far and think he’s definitely worth a look alongside Toews, but not if Hossa’s the other winger. Hossa’s still a quality player, but the Hawks need a more dynamic offensive player on that line. I’d put Panarin with Toews and have Panik on the right side of the top line. Yes, Panarin and Kane are a great combo, but I think there’s someone on the roster who would be an even better fit with Kane: Tyler Motte. What makes Motte such a great fit with Kaner is that Motte is quite skilled at getting to the right spot to score. Paired with someone like Kane, who can put the puck on his tape, Motte could find the back of the net quite frequently.

I thought Hinostroza – Schmaltz – Hossa could provide solid offense for the third line. The fourth line I picked was put together to be a little grittier and defend well. While Desi’s out, I would have Rasmussen in his spot.

I don’t love the line Q actually has Motte with. If he’s not going to play with Toews or Kane, I would at least put him with Nick Schmaltz. I wouldn’t dislike Ryan Hartman with those two, but I think I’d like Hinostroza there more. In that scenario, Motte could even play on his familiar right side. Marcus Kruger’s a very nice defensive bottom six center, but we’ve yet to see him do a whole lot to create offense.

The fourth line I just don’t get. I like Hinostroza and Schmaltz, but Tootoo really doesn’t bring much to that line. Either go Hinostroza – Schmaltz – Motte, Rasmussen – Kruger – Tootoo or bring up someone from Rockford (I’d go with either Baun or Kero (while Desi’s out)) to play on the fourth line and sit Tootoo. Hinostroza and Schmaltz can both give you offense. Tootoo is mostly there to hit people.

On defense, I think I would have sent Forsling back to Sweden for this year, but if Q thinks he can really play right now, I’m okay with it. My only qualm with the move is that it means either he or TvR will be sitting every night. The only other major thing I would have done differently on defense is put Keith and Seabs together. That’s an elite pairing, they played very well together, and the Hawks appear to have the defensive depth to make that work.

Expectations

The Hawks will be asking a lot of their young players, but I think they’re up to the task. It will be a battle in the Central division, but I think this is a playoff team. From there, dunno. I’m not going to count them out, because in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, anything can happen and the Hawks have outstanding leadership and a championship pedigree. That said, a Cup run this year seems pretty unlikely. However, the young guys have a ton of potential and showed me enough in the preseason to make me very confident in the future of the franchise. We could be looking at the next members of the Blackhawks core. And this is the point where I have to keep myself from comparing Schmaltz and Motte to Toews and Kane, even though the similarities are pretty amazing, right down to the players’ colleges. (Schmaltz and Toews both played at North Dakota. Kane didn’t play college hockey, but he did play with the U.S. National Team Developmental Program in Ann Arbor and there’s a good chance he would’ve ended up at Michigan had he not opted to play in the OHL.) Still, do not expect Schmaltz and Motte to be the next Toews and Kane. Do you hear me? As tempting as it may be, DO NOT do that thing. It is okay to get excited about the future, though. Only a few months ago, the window appeared to be beginning to close, but at a time when the core that won three Cups in six years is getting up there in years, the Hawks appear to have found some of the players that will keep the team a championship contender for years to come.

Twitter: @KSchroeder_312

E-mail: schroeder.giig@gmail.com