The Chicago Blackhawks had their first on-ice practice Monday at Fifth Third Arena, starting the week-and-a-half countdown to the season opener at Tampa Bay.
The Hawks have a lot to figure out over the next nine days.
Who will be the starting goaltender on opening night?
How will they make up for the losses of Kirby Dach and Jonathan Toews?
How many young players will make the roster, and which veterans will give up minutes or even a roster spot?
Some answers became apparent right away, and others will settle themselves as the Hawks draw closer to the Jan. 13 opener.
Here are six things we learned.
1. No Corey Crawford, no Jonathan Toews, no Brandon Saad. What kind of toll will that take?
All three are multiple Stanley Cup winners with the Hawks, but the team bid adieu to Crawford and Saad in the offseason to start the clock on their rebuild.
“Yeah, it’s different,” Patrick Kane said. “But you know, sometimes change is good and sometimes you have to make changes to make the next step.
“We’ll miss those guys obviously. I love being around Crawford. He’s a fun guy to be around. He was always in a good mood. Saader was a big part of a couple championships. Tazer, hopefully we can get him back as soon as possible. If not, then we want him to take care of himself. Just kind of roll with the punches right now.”
Toews revealed last week that he will miss all of training camp and possibly an indefinite number of games because of an unspecified illness.
“He’s been our captain for a long time,” Kane said. “He’s, no question, our biggest leader, so we’ll miss him for sure. That’s just the way it is. What are you going to do? It’s a situation where someone else is going to get a chance to step up and play some big minutes and play a big role.”
Coach Jeremy Colliton said the team remains supportive of Toews, but he resisted putting a timeline on the captain’s return.
“As far as when he’s coming back and all those things, it doesn’t really matter,” Colliton said. “We’re going to be of assistance as much as we can, and he knows we’re supporting him and when he comes back is not the top priority.”
2. Without Kirby Dach, Patrick Kane will play on a line with Dylan Strome and Alex DeBrincat.
One line from last season already has been scuttled by Jonathan Toews’ absence and Brandon Saad’s trade to the Avalanche. And the other top line was foiled by center Kirby Dach’s broken wrist, which likely will sideline him for the season.
“We probably would have seen a lot of time on the ice together this season,” Kane said of Dach. “It would have been fun to build that chemistry. … I feel bad for him. I think he was ready to take the next step.”
The Hawks came to terms Sunday on a two-year deal with Strome despite an initial impasse due to Strome wanting a longer-term contract.
“I cut it pretty close, I guess,” Strome said. “You never want to miss any days of camp. You never want to be a guy who holds out.”
The Hawks will need Strome to center the line with Kane and DeBrincat. Kane said Strome and DeBrincat “have looked good in our skates, so I think they’re prepared, they want to take the next step as well.”
“Obviously nice for him to get a deal done,” Kane said of Strome. “I’m sure it’s a weight off his shoulders. I’m sure lines will change throughout the season, maybe even throughout training camp and throughout games. Us three have played together before, (so) I think we’ve developed some chemistry.”
DeBrincat has high hopes for himself and his linemates if they can play a 200-foot game.
“We have to focus on making smart decisions, not try to play with it too much,” he said. “Definitely in the D-zone, if we can bear down there, we’ll get a lot of offensive chances. Having Kane and Stromer on my line, there’s going to be a lot of plays to be open. Hopefully we can move around and score some goals.”
Coach Jeremy Colliton thinks Strome can improve on last season’s uneven production, and recent developments will give him ample opportunity.
“It was certainly unfortunate to lose Kirby and Toews, but it wasn’t set in stone that we would play Strome on the wing,” Colliton said. “But in the situation we’re in, obviously it’s more than likely he will play center, and he has some pretty good wingers to play with.”
3. Carl Soderberg and Brent Seabrook were among the inactives.
According to the Hawks, Soderberg has an issue with his immigration documentation and will join the team later. The Hawks signed the veteran forward on Dec. 26 after losing Kirby Dach and Alex Nylander to injuries.
Also sitting out was Seabrook, who opted out of this summer’s postseason because he felt he wasn’t physically ready for a playoff run. He, center Evan Barratt and forward Pius Suter were declared “unfit to participate.”
Defensemen Duncan Keith and Connor Murphy sat out the first group of skaters at practice but were on the active roster of 22 forwards and 14 defensemen.
The Hawks also invited five goaltenders. Collin Delia, Malcolm Subban and Kevin Lankinen are the top contenders to replace Corey Crawford. Matthew Tomkins and Cale Morris round out the group.
4. The Blackhawks want to go young — but not too young.
The Hawks waived veteran fourth-liner Zack Smith on Monday to make room for younger types such as Lucas Wallmark.
Other young players and prospects to watch include Pius Suter, Brandon Hagel, Matej Chalupa, Wyatt Kalynuk, Michael Krutil and Ian Mitchell.
The Hawks are rebuilding, but Jeremy Colliton cautioned against going overboard with the youth movement.
“We’re not going to play 22 rookies,” he said. “We’re not going to play 22 guys under 25. It’s going to be a mix, and part of that mix we’re trying to give our young players an opportunity to succeed by surrounding them with guys of quality.
“We’re going to need some help from our veteran guys. But if guys are ready, then they’re going to get in and get a chance. We’ll know when we see it.”
5. The Blackhawks are ready for the Tampa Bay Rays — er, Lightning.
Blame the baseball-style schedule if you forget. The Hawks open the season Jan. 13 in Tampa, Fla., at 7 p.m. on NBC Sports Chicago. Two days later, they face the defending Stanley Cup champion Lightning on their ice again.
Then it’s off to play the Florida Panthers for two games. Skipping ahead to March, the Hawks host three games over four days against the Lightning. Pretty soon they’re going to change periods to innings.
The NHL structured the schedule — teams will play eight games each against only the seven other teams in their reconfigured divisions — to cut down on travel because of COVID-19 restrictions.
Patrick Kane likes that side benefit.
“It seems like our hours are way down on the travel, so that will be nice,” he said. “I like playing different teams, but I guess for this year that’s just the way it is.
“It will be nice to maybe make a little note internally that maybe you want to beat that team two out of three, take a series from them.”
Jeremy Colliton said this new wrinkle “allows you to zero in on teams and prepare.”
“In the season, when you’re playing a different team every night, you’re a bit limited in how much information you want to give the players,” Colliton said. “You can’t do as much, whereas in the playoffs or when you do play the same team multiple times in a short period, you can do more tactically and adjusting to teams. And as a coach, that’s fun.”
6. The Blackhawks are rebuilding, but they’re still optimistic.
Westgate Superbook gives the Hawks 200-1 odds to win the Stanley Cup — same as the dreadful Detroit Red Wings.
You won’t find much faith in the Hawks’ chances to make the playoffs elsewhere, but the Hawks are undaunted.
“As a player, you want to win now. You want to compete now,” Patrick Kane said. “And I think we can do that with this group. I think we can surprise some people.”
Jeremy Colliton said the team has displayed the right attitude and work ethic so far.
“That’s Day 1, but we have to keep that mentality, be excited about the opportunity we have and prove that we’re more than what people say,” he said. “That little chip on our shoulder is something we can use.”