Blackhawks Week Ahead: Schedule & Storylines – Roster Decisions, Moore’s Development & More

The Chicago Blackhawks finished their preseason schedule 2-2-0 after a 3-2 win over the St. Louis Blues on Saturday night. Even in the two losses, the team looked good, especially the young players.

Here’s what to look out for this week for the Hawks.

Roman Kantserov Deserves a Roster Spot

Roman Kantserov, the 44th overall pick of the 2023 NHL Draft to Chicago, has proven that he’s ready for an NHL roster spot after Saturday’s win.

He scored a sweet power-play goal to give Chicago a 3-0 lead and was skating really well on the second line with Teuvo Teravainen and Nick Lardis. Both the top two lines produced great chances against the Blues, including Anton Frondell opening the game with a goal.

Tyler Bertuzzi, who scored the majority of his goals on the power play last season, had a beautiful saucer pass that helped Kantserov get his first unofficial goal for the Hawks. With his success on the power play and the chemistry they showed, if Kantserov does get a spot on the roster, Bertuzzi, along with Patrick Kane, will be great setup men on the man advantage to help the 22-year-old adjust to NHL ice time.

When Chicago signed Artemi Panarin out of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) in 2015, it was right after the third Stanley Cup in six years, so the core at the time was nearing the end of its prime years. In Kantserov’s case, the core is only getting started.

There’s a lot of similarity between Panarin and Kantserov, such as them both being big goal scorers and having a high hockey IQ. Despite only being 5-foot-9, Kantserov is a great two-way forward who’s comfortable at both center and at wing. Assuming he’s on the same line as Kane, it’s a déjà vu moment for Hawks fans between him and a KHL star.

Oliver Moore Is Ahead of Schedule With His Development

Oliver Moore signed a five-year, $21.25 million contract extension on Sept. 24, and his development from the end of last season to now showed that it’s a deserving signing for the future of the Blackhawks.

Drafted 19th overall in the 2023 NHL Draft, Moore made his NHL debut at the end of the 2024-25 season on March 30. His skating is what makes him lethal on the ice.

With this contract, Chicago has Connor Bedard, Frank Nazar, Oliver Moore and Alex Vlasic locked until the end of the decade at the very least. The contract makes sense in the long run. If you have all four guys on the ice at the same time, good luck trying to defend all the speed and talent.

Since his debut, there has been a lack of offense surrounding Moore. After the final preseason game, because of how much promise the young core now has, his development is progressing quicker than expected. He has shown that he can fit anywhere in the lineup and is a great two-way forward. Hawks fans should be excited to see more of him at the United Center this season.

Schedule This Week

The Hawks were perfect on the penalty kill this preseason, something that was questionable after losing two key special teams players, Ilya Mikheyev and Jason Dickinson. If Chicago can play its opponents to their limit in its season-opening three-game road trip, that’s enough to say that this young core is ready to compete and become a surprise in how quickly it improved.