Projected Lineup
How will the Blackhawks lineup look like? Roster projections are with the help of Roster Resource. Italics mean the player is a new addition.
Forwards
Brandon Saad – Jonathan Toews – Alex DeBrincat
Victor Ejdsell – Nick Schmaltz – Patrick Kane
Dylan Sikura – Artem Anisimov – John Hayden
Chris Kunitz – Marcus Kruger – Matthew Highmore
Depth forwards: David Kampf, Jordan Schroeder
The worst kept secret in the NHL is Toews has been declining as far as his production. Adding DeBrincat to the top line should give him a much-needed boost. Combine that with a bounce back year from Saad and the top line might be pretty good.
Chicago’s left wing depth is really poor. Unless they put Anisimov at left wing, either Sikura or Ejdsell will be on the second line. Kane can drive his own line and Schmaltz quietly had a solid season, so the second line should be fine. But the Blackhawks need it to be great.
The third line is where the Hawks’ issues begin. These issues will be far more obvious if Anisimov is moved up to the second line. And the fourth line will struggle to produce.
Defensemen
Erik Gustaffson – Brent Seabrook
Brandon Manning – Jan Rutta
Depth options: Henri Jokiharju, Brandon Davidson
As bad as the Blackhawks forwards are, their defensemen are worse. Jokiharju will likely get a shot at the NHL roster, but I don’t see him making the Opening Night roster. No reason to rush a guy who will be spending his first professional season in North America.
Keith is still a solid defenseman, but he’s no longer a top pairing caliber defenseman. Seabrook was his most common partner last season, but to say they were ineffective together would be putting it nicely. Murphy and Keith, however, formed at least a competent pairing.
Gustaffson and Seabrook form an unimpressive second pairing. Though it’s worth noting they finished in the green as far as relative possession numbers together. The Blackhawks have to make life easier for Seabrook because his decline has started earlier than they anticipated.
Manning and Rutta aren’t anything to write home about. Davidson could steal a spot from one of them. And if Jokiharju makes the NHL roster, one has to believe Rutta could be the odd man out with Manning playing on his offside.
Goaltenders
Corey Crawford
Cam Ward
Good news – Crawford, if healthy, has proven himself capable of carrying the Blackhawks. He was having a Vezina caliber season before his injury in December. It’s far from a given that Crawford will be 100 percent healthy, but if he is, the Blackhawks have their magical eraser who can negate most of their defensive issues.
Bad news – Ward is not a reliable backup. GA Pct is a stat that compares goalies to their peers. 100 is considered average. Anything below 100 is above average. Above 100 is below average. It’s similar to wRC+ in baseball, except it’s reversed (above 100 is good and below 100 is bad).
The last time Ward has GA Pct of under 100? 2011-12. Ward is an upgrade over the backup goalie merry-go-round from last season, but not by much. And if Crawford gets injured and he has to be the starter, things could get very ugly.