The Toronto Maple Leafs head to the Windy City to take on the Blackhawks tomorrow, where they'll face a team that's different from the one they remember.
After an impending cap crunch, the Blackhawks once again had to make some tough decisions in the offseason, dealing Teuvo Teravainen to the Carolina Hurricanes, and parting ways in free agency with rentals Andrew Ladd, Tomas Fleischmann, and Dale Weise.
The Blackhawks were quieter in free agency, the only notable addition being the return of 37-year old blueliner Brian Campbell (a member of the 2010 Cup team) on a one-year victory lap deal. They otherwise are opting to build from within; this year's edition of the Hawks boasts quite the infusion of youth to surround its usual cast of core players.
To date, they've amassed a 2-2-0 record in four games that can only be described as high-scoring affairs. Most recently, they jumped out to a 4-0 lead against the Flyers only to watch it slip away (sound familiar?), before eventually winning 7-4 (I guess it doesn't sound familiar).
To help us break down the Chicago Blackhawks for you, we've brought in Robert Zeglinski of Second City Hockey to answer some of our questions.
(1) So, the Hawks are 2-2-0 so far, but the one thing I've noticed is that they've given up 15 goals in those games. I know it's early, but what's the problem here? Is it just a thin defense, or is goaltending struggling as well?
Yeah, it hasn't been ideal. It's a lot of meshing with the new guys and veterans developing chemistry together. All of this has translated to a penalty kill that's at 43 percent on the year. Basically, if you have a power play against the Hawks right now, you're probably going to score. No one seems to be aggressively confident or aware of their assignments, and teams like the Predators and Flyers have largely been able to set up perfect plays without much resistance. Chicago's also taken 19 penalties in four games, with a lot of the foundation guys like Toews and Hjalmarsson losing control, which has exacerbated these issues.
But with Corey Crawford in tow and new defensemen like Michal Kempny and Gustav Forsling as well as the return of Brian Campbell, the kill hopefully gets better once everyone's comfortable with each other and they stop taking stupid penalties. Every Cup team here has had a great kill after all. This isn't a concern right now, but if they're still struggling in January, then I'll be antsy.
(2) Looking at the Blackhawks roster, the one thing that sticks out is a lot of new faces. Which one do you think is the "player to watch"?
There's actually plenty to choose from now, much to the chagrin of Joel Quenneville. While the previously mentioned Kempny and Forsling have looked quite natural and smooth in early action, I'd keep an eye out on the rookie forward Nick Schmaltz.
Schmaltz hasn't really settled into a set spot in the lineup yet as Quenneville does his typical infuriating line blender but he's starting to come into his own. Schmaltz is Chicago's top prospect and the "guaranteed rate" Special Boy with Teuvo Teravainen in Carolina. Every game he seems to grow more comfortable as a two-way player who can make passes and instinctive plays very few guys will even attempt. Whether on the fourth line as a wing or in recent events, centering the third line with Marian Hossa, Schmaltz hasn't been phased.
He scored the first goal of his career against the Preds Saturday and seems only destined to blossom even more in both ends of the ice.
(3) Will Richard Panik continue to shoot 66% forever?
On a more serious note, Panik struggled to stick in Toronto; he was a 4th line player for 2014-15 and couldn't even crack the Leafs in 2015-16 on a roster that management designed to finish last. Now he's playing with Jonathan Toews. What's going on here? What has made him successful? Is it a case of Joel Quenneville seeing something other coaches haven't?
Excuse me, that's Blackhawks future first ballot Hall of Famer Richard Panik to you. If anything, 66 percent is actually low for a guy on pace for 82 goals. Please respect his sustainable dominance.
Anyways, his playing on the first line is both him being able to discover his game and in the fact the Blackhawks just don't have many options at forward. Chicago has to more or less fit square pegs into round holes while they experiment with their new lineup in the early season. It's worked out incredibly fortunately for them that Panik is growing into his increased role.
For all intensive purposes, he's a solid two way guy who wins the puck for Toews, has decent enough hands and has enough speed to work in tandem with his partner. Last year, Toews struggled without Brandon Saad, and while Panik is nowhere close to the level of Saad, he plays the same kind of game. That bodes well for him to stick up top. Quenneville is a quality motivator and player's coach if you buy into that sort of thing, too.
It's as much Panik becoming a legitimate player in a fresh setting as it his skill set just meshing well with Toews.
Trevor van Riemsdyk is a solid NHL defenseman, provided he's deployed in a very limited fashion on the bottom pair. He struggles immensely in his own end, sometimes can barely possess enough poise not to turnover the puck on a simple pass, and is caught flat-footed on opponent's rushes more often than not. While he does have some worthwhile instincts in the offensive zone, it doesn't fully mitigate his lapses in the other end. I sometimes feel as if he was blatantly falsely advertised as this fantastic puck moving defenseman.
Last year, the Hawks were forced to play him given the overall thin depth on their blue line, and it cost him. They played "TVR" top four minutes even while it was clear he couldn't handle the responsibility. In fact, he dragged down the possession numbers of every partner he played with except for Hjalmarsson.
This year, with the much improved and capable additions of Forsling, Kempny, and Campbell, as well as some other prospects in the system like Chad Krys, he's expendable. With their three defensive pairs rock solid and Cup-able, the Hawks badly need another veteran forward even if their young guys do develop. That's where TVR comes in on trades. It's the only logical asset they can offer. If say, someone did trade for him, Chicago would look for a 30-35 point depth scoring forward in a package with a third rounder coming back to you. Maybe in a new setting with less pressure he flourishes, but I wouldn't count on that.
So, what's the feeling with the Hawks this year? What is the expectation? Is it another Cup ring, or is this another of their infamous retooling seasons?
I'd like to point out, and still, St. Louis couldn't finish the ultimate job. I wasn't angered, it was actually quite humorous to me. As for the obvious cloud you referred to hanging over the team, well, that still hasn't faded away, especially for yours truly.
I would implore you to respect Panarin's rise from his Russian beer league as a 35-year old formerly with no life goals to NHL superstar. The guy's worked hard to get to this point even while he has started to wear extra padding for his back and dentures. I can't prove his age with any valid documents, but I do know he's come into his own hanging around his "fellow" youths. The bonding is all the more impressive given his irregular napping schedule and early bedtime following games. Finally, a place for him to fit in.