The time is finally upon us! The Chicago Blackhawks will hit the ice on Tuesday, Oct. 10 for their first game of the 2023-24 season. This season marks the beginning of a new era for the organization, as Connor Bedard and a plethora of other talented young faces embark on their journeys toward NHL stardom.
Related – Blackhawks’ Lines & Pairings Predictions: Pre-Training Camp
Before training camp and the preseason began, I presented a depth chart of sorts for the forward lines and defensive pairings. Today we’ll revisit that, looking at what stayed the same, and what changed based on strong showings from certain players during camp. We’ll also give some predictions of changes yet to come.
Blackhawks’ Pre-Training Camp Lines & Pairings Predictions
This was our starting point before camp began:
Taylor Hall-Connor Bedard-Taylor Raddysh
Lukas Reichel-Andreas Athanasiou-Philipp Kurashev
Ryan Donato-Jason Dickinson-Tyler Johnson
Nick Foligno-Cole Guttman-Corey Perry
Alex Vlasic-Seth Jones
Isaak Phillips-Connor Murphy
Filip Roos-Jarred Tinordi
Extras: Colin Blackwell(F), Boris Katchouk(F), Nikita Zaitsev(D)
Odd men out: Reese Johnson(F), MacKenzie Entwistle(F), Wyatt Kaiser(D), Kevin Korchinski(D)
Blackhawks Forward Line Adjustments
Barring any last-minute changes, this is what we’ll likely see on opening night against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Hall-Bedard-Donato
T. Johnson-Reichel-Raddysh
Katchouk-Guttman-Athanasiou
Foligno-Dickinson-Perry
Extras: Entwistle, R. Johnson
Injured: Blackwell, Kurashev, Colton Dach
Odd Man Out: Joey Anderson
Let’s first discuss the adjustments on the forward lines.
First Line
There was never really any question whether Bedard would make the team. It was more so about who he would play with on a line. We all predicted Hall and Bedard were going to start together on the top line. There’s common talent and speed there, and they both think the game with a high hockey IQ. The question was who would line up on the right side? I was pushing for the Taylor-Connor-Taylor line, with Raddysh on the right wing. He did spend one preseason contest playing with Bedard, although that was also the game the Hawks lost 6-1 to the Detroit Red Wings.
T. Johnson also got a few spins on the top line, but it’s Donato who seems to have cemented this spot for now. The 27-year-old has a reputation for being a hard-working, versatile player that can have an impact playing up or down in the lineup. He can add some grit and sandpaper to balance out the pure skill of the other two; plus he has a sneaky offensive side as well.
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It was Donato who sprung Hall for a breakaway goal with a heads-up shovel pass in the Blackhawks 5th exhibition game versus the Minnesota Wild. He also added six shots on goal. In his last two seasons with the Seattle Kraken, Donato tallied 16 and then 14 goals. Not too shabby.
Second Line
Disclaimer: I believe the official second line will eventually comprise Kurashev, Reichel, and Athanasiou. This trio makes perfect sense. They developed chemistry as a line at the end of last season, and this carried over to training camp as well. The only difference from earlier predictions is Reichel playing the center position while Athanasiou is on the left side. All three can play center, so they can change that up accordingly.
The glitch here is that Kurashev is dealing with a wrist injury and he’s not expected back for the first few games of the season. It looks like head coach Luke Richardson likes the look of T. Johnson and Raddysh together, because they were both moved up to the second line for Monday’s practice before opening night. These two were initially on the third line with Guttmann, so look for that to be a option moving forward.
Third Line
Guttman was predicted to make the team above others who aren’t waiver exempt, and he lived up to expectations in camp. In three preseason games, he won 58% of his faceoffs, and was just a work horse out on the ice. Johnson, Guttman and Raddysh seem to gel well, and could be a solid third line with a threat to score every time they’re on the ice.
But with Kurashev injured, Katchouk seems to be the beneficiary of injuries. He and Athanasiou will line up on both sides of Guttman. The second and third lines might see some rotation throughout the upcoming 5-game road trip, or until Kurashev is available again.
Fourth Line
Enter the veteran grind line! Foligno and Perry are grizzled veterans at 35 and 38 years old, respectively. They play a hard-nosed game, and are also both very smart and crafty on the ice.
Dickinson is extremely responsible defensively; plus he has some history playing with Perry in Dallas. This trio will make a very intimidating and effective shutdown line.
Extras, Injured & Odd Man Out
We now know that Entwistle, Katchouk and R. Johnson made the team. They benefitted from Blackwell (see below) and Kurashev starting the season on injured reserve. Entwistle and Katchouk had the best camps of all the bubble players, but it might be hard for them to jump over the other depth players. Their fates could rely on injuries. R. Johnson certainly brings a lot of grit, but Perry and Foligno can pretty much handle that now. Plus, Johnson doesn’t have much offense to his game. My guess is that he will be the odd man out when Kurashev is ready to return.
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Unfortunately, Blackwell is still recovering from sports hernia surgery he had in March. His original timeline was 12 weeks, but it still doesn’t feel right. It’s a tough break for the 30-year-old; he might not have a spot once he’s healthy.
Anderson was really always slated for the Rockford IceHogs, unless he had a phenomenal camp (which he didn’t). I didn’t even have Dach listed in the original predictions, but the 20-year-old impressed. Said Coach Richardson,
Luke Richardson, when asked about Blackhawks' roster battles, gives high praise to Colton Dach.
— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) October 6, 2023
"You have a young guy like Dach. [He] had a great rookie camp, has continued on through this camp…
He’s one of the first waves coming through here. If you don’t prepare and…
Dach was out of practice on Monday with a right ankle injury, which now explains why he didn’t get sent down to the IceHogs. Hopefully Dach will be better soon, and make a big impact in Rockford this season. I wouldn’t be surprised if he gets a few games with the big club at some point.
Blackhawks Defensive Pairing Adjustments
We move on to the defensive pairings, which are going to be very intriguing this season. This is most definitely a development year for the blue line, with a handful of veterans mentoring numerous youngsters. Here’s the projected lineup for opening night.
Vlasic-Jones
Korchinski-Murphy
Tinordi-Kaiser
Extra: Zaitsev
Odd men out: Phillips, Roos
The Young Guns With the Veterans
First off, congratulations are in order to Vlasic, Kaiser and Korchinski for making the team! None were a sure thing, but they earned their way and it will be fun to watch their development. Based upon the last few games of the preseason, it appears Vlasic will line up with Jones and Korchinski with Murphy. Kaiser played on the top defensive pairing with Jones at the beginning of camp, and then on his off side (the right side) on the third pairing towards the end of camp. For now, I see him in that spot until a shakeup may be needed.
Korchinski was the biggest X-factor with the defensive corps. After all, this 7th overall, 2022 draft pick is only 19 years old. Because of Canadian Hockey League rules, he’s not eligible for the AHL. He either stays in the NHL or goes back to his WHL team, the Seattle Thunderbirds. The conundrum is whether he’s truly ready for the NHL, or if he will struggle, therefore losing confidence and affecting his development.
Well, apparently the coaching staff feels he’s earned at least a try out. More than nine games burns his entry level contract, so he could just be around for the short term. I could see the Blackhawks taking him on the 5-game road trip with them, but if he struggles they can send him to Seattle. Or, they could burn his ELC and then send him to the World Juniors in December for a nice confidence boost. I personally don’t see him being with the team long term this season.
Extras & Odd Men Out
The 31-year-old Zaitsev didn’t have a very good camp, which is why I have him as the extra. But he and Tinordi (also 31) will probably be part of a rotation. After all, having a couple veteran depth defensemen potentially as your seventh guy is better than having to regularly sit a younger player. Although, the youngsters will also have times when they require a break for development and learning purposes.
Phillips was the true odd man out here. He’s played well enough to be in the NHL. Many feel he deserves a spot over Zaitsev. But we all must be patient. I think Phillips will get his shot, depending on what the organization decides about Korchinski. He would also be the first D-man called up in the case of an injury.
Finally, I was way wrong predicting Roos would make the final roster. The 24-year-old performed admirably in 17 games last season for the Blackhawks. I thought his age and experience might give him a leg up. But the competition was stiff in camp, and Roos was assigned to the IceHogs relatively early, on Oct. 2.
All in all, it’s not a bad defensive group. Sure, they will have their troubles and there will be growing pains. But the ceiling is high, and fans should be excited for the future.
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After a fruitful preseason, the starting forward lines and defensive pairings are set for Blackhawks’ opening night. There will obviously be changes throughout the season. Adjustments are always needed as the season evolves, and injuries happen. There will also probably be a lot of movement back and forth between Rockford and Chicago in the name of development.
This looks like a much more talented group than last season. They could possibly make some noise. We’ll just have to see what the season brings. From here on out, the season counts!
