As has happened when they’ve won the Stanley Cup before, the champion Chicago Blackhawks had an off-season with some change to maneuver around the salary cap.
Shortly after winning their third Cup in six years, the Blackhawks were forced into some roster renovation that saw fan favourites Patrick Sharp and Brandon Saad shipped out of town.
There’s still plenty of talent to go around, but 2015-16 is shaping up to be Chicago’s most challenging season since 2010-11 when it last went through a major roster shakeup.
Head coach: Joel Quenneville
GM: Stan Bowman
Team payroll: $71.06 million against $71.4 million salary cap
Last season record: 48-28-6 (102 points, 3rd in Central)
Goals for: 220
Goals against: 186
PP: 17.6 per cent (20th in NHL)
PK: 83.4 per cent (10th in the NHL)
Corsi for per 60: 60.3 (via stats.hockeyanalysis.com)
Key acquisitions: Artem Anisimov, Marko Dano, Jeremy Morin, Ryan Garbutt, Trevor Daley, Viktor Tikhonov, Artemi Panarin
Key departures: Patrick Sharp, Johnny Oduya, Brandon Saad, Brad Richards, Antoine Vermette, Antti Raanta, Kimmo Timonen, Dan Carcillo
Rookies to Watch
Artemi Panarin: The Blackhawks have high hopes for Panarin after signing him as a free agent this summer. The 23-year-old is slight (5-foot-11, 170 pounds) but incredibly skilled and is coming off a season in which he finished fifth in KHL scoring with 26 goals and 62 points in 54 games while also leading SKA St. Petersburg to a Gagarin Cup championship.
Highlight of 2014-15: There is no shortage of highlights when you win a Stanley Cup, but for the Blackhawks nothing tops watching 16-year veteran Kimmo Timonen go out as a champion after nearly having his career ended due to blood clots prior to the start of the season.
Pre-season grades
FORWARDS
The Blackhawks have some question marks up front after losing Sharp and Saad, along with veterans Brad Richards and Antoine Vermette. To fill the void the Blackhawks are banking on big steps forward from promising 20-year-olds Teuvo Teravainen and Marko Dano. Both displayed flashes of their high-end potential last season, and they will need to do it on a more consistent basis in their sophomore years.
Artem Anisimov, while never a big point producer, is a two-way centre with size who should slot in nicely behind Jonathan Toews. Another dark horse is Viktor Tikhonov, who is returning to the NHL after rounding out his game in the KHL. Tikhonov, the grandson of the legendary Soviet coach with the same name, is a good defensive centre who was a first-round pick of the Coyotes in 2008. He was also teammates with Panarin in St. Petersburg, so it will be interesting to see if the two can develop some early chemistry in Chicago. The Blackhawks are still a well-rounded group up front. GRADE: B
DEFENCE
The Blackhawks will ice almost the same defensive group as last season, with the lone change being Trevor Daley replacing Johnny Oduya on the second paring with Niklas Hjalmarsson. Both bring different elements to the table, but ultimately it shouldn’t affect Chicago’s bottom line.
It will also be interesting to monitor the progress of Trevor van Riemsdyk and David Rundblad, who were both trending in the right direction a year ago. The one area of concern for the Blackhawks is a lack of depth, although they do have some options with Ville Pokka and Viktor Svedberg waiting in the wings. But with Keith and Seabrook doing the heavy lifting, the Blackhawks are in good shape on the back end going into the season. GRADE: A-
GOALTENDING
The Chicago Blackhawks are set up nicely in goal with Corey Crawford coming off his best full season as a pro. Even if he regresses to his career average .917 save percentage – the league average last season was .915 – goaltending shouldn’t be a concern for the Blackhawks. Having Scott Darling as the backup certainly helps, as the towering netminder was spectacular when called upon last season. GRADE: A-
The Blackhawks will have a successful season if… Injuries don’t hit hard. Fortunately for Chicago, the team’s top players have been remarkably durable, with Toews, Hossa, Keith and Seabrook missing a combined three games last season. The Blackhawks will need their studs healthy to once again carry them through the gauntlet that is the Western Conference.
The Blackhawks will have a disappointing season if… Their new crop of young players stumble. Growing pains are to be expected, but the Blackhawks need offence and they will be counting on their kids to pick up the slack. While there is less concern for Teravainen and Dano, the adjustment period could be steeper for KHL exports Panarin and Tikhonov.