I am not one to make any season-long declarations about anything regarding the Chicago Blackhawks after Day One of training camp. One of the more solid bits of information we got from the first day of practice are some forward groups and lines from the first day of drills and scrimmages. Line combinations that I’m certain will change by this time next week.
But what can we make of the notable groups out of the gate? Where does a player like Frank Nazar fit? How will Lukas Reichel be utilized? Who will play with Connor Bedard in his second-year? All of these questions and more after the first two hours of training camp.
Taylor Hall-Connor Bedard-Tyler Bertuzzi
This essentially feels like Connor Bedard and two new additions. Taylor Hall played just ten games last season after coming to Chicago in a trade with the Boston Bruins along with Nick Foligno. Hall and Bedard were expected to be joined at the hip last year wherever they were playing, but with Hall missing almost the entire season, Bedard had to make do without a fellow former No. 1 pick on his wing. This season, with Hall presumably back to full health, that connection can be tried yet again heading into the 2024-25 season with free agent signing Tyler Bertuzzi on the right side. Hall and Bedard can control the offensive production while Bertuzzi can be a more physical presence who also has 20+ goal potential and brings an edge along the boards, in the corners, and in front of the net.
Lukas Reichel-Philipp Kurashev-Teuvo Teravainen
A big group of “what ifs” make up the second line to start off the season for the Blackhawks. Lukas Reichel is looking to find the form that he had at the end of the 2022-23 season that showed flashes of his offensive creativity at the NHL level. He’ll look to reclaim that form alongside Philipp Kurashev, who was slotted down the middle on Thursday, a player that Reichel flashed chemistry with during that end of 2022-23 season. Kurashev broke out over the past season and a half for Chicago as a solid top-six wing option who has an effective game at both ends of the ice. The question becomes, can he do it without playing with Connor Bedard? Luckily for Kurashev, he’ll have Teuvo Teravainen to play alongside that also has a similar skill set. Aside from Reichel’s defensive game, this feels like a trio of copy and paste players in all three spots.
Nick Foligno-Jason Dickinson-Ilya Mikheyev
An effective defensive line for the third pair seems to be in the plans for Blackhawks head coach Luke Richardson, at least for the first day of camp. Jason Dickinson scored 22 goals last season and earned some recognition in the Selke Award voting process. While he could likely do well in a second-line role, he’s best served playing a more defensive role down the middle, but can also pot a dozen or so goals at the same time. Foligno should no longer need to play in the top-six of the forwards group this season, and that’s probably a welcomed change from last season. He’s a hard-working player that is going to be physical and effective in the defensive zone. His 37 points last season also proved that he still can produce in a bottom-six role, even for a guy heading into his 18th NHL season. Ilya Mikheyev brings straight-line speed to the ice that rivals that of Andreas Athanasiou and Dickinson. If he can rediscover his form from the 2021-22 season with the Toronto Maple Leafs that saw him score 21 goals and produce at a 50-point pace over an 82-game season, he could become an under-the-radar steal for the Blackhawks in a third-line role. All three of these guys also figure to be primary penalty-killers in the forwards group.
Pat Maroon-Andreas Athanasiou-Craig Smith
Hard to make a lot of sense out of this group in a “fourth-line” role. Pat Maroon and Craig Smith, both new additions to the squad this season, fit that role. But adding in Andreas Athanasiou, a guy who missed a significant portion of the season last year after putting up 20 goals in the 2022-23 season, down the middle in a bottom-six group feels like a misfit. His speed obviously carries the line, but Maroon and Smith both figure to lack the foot speed to keep up and could disrupt the flow of the line. Again, this could and likely will be a trio that doesn’t spend much time together as the roster number dwindle down the longer training camp and the preseason go.
Nick Lardis-Frank Nazar-Colton Dach
Talk about a tantalizing group of young forwards. Frank Nazar and Colton Dach are fighting for NHL roster spots while Nick Lardis is headed back to the OHL to play with the Brantford Bulldogs this season. But for the time-being, this is an exciting mix of young players and a small glimpse into the future of the Blackhawks. Lardis is a goal-scorer in the OHL, but how much of that will eventually translate to the professional level? Nazar is a playmaker and effective at both ends of the ice, but he’s making his mark in his first training camp with the Blackhawks, so his battle to get into and stay in the NHL is still an uphill one. Colton Dach played incredibly physical during the Tom Kurvers Showcase and seems to know the role he will have to play to make the NHL roster soon. Can he, as well as Nazar, do it consistently? That is the biggest question right now.
Landon Slaggert-Ryan Donato-Joey Anderson
These three guys are versatile, hard-working, and accepting of their roles. This group could very likely become a fourth-line group in the NHL either to start the year or at some point down the road. In a less likely scenario, because I cannot imagine Ryan Donato making his way to the AHL with the Rockford IceHogs, this would be a dominant top-line in the minor leagues. Slaggert is most likely headed to the IceHogs for more season at the professional level before getting another crack in the NHL, but I would not be surprised if his speed, aggressiveness on the forecheck, and maturity give him a better-than-not chance of actually being a day one NHL roster player. Donato is an NHL player, but where does he fit in and what does he do overtly well for this Blackhawks team? It is more likely that he is a regular roster player than either Maroon or Smith in my eyes, but on an expiring contract, I’m interested in what his future is in Chicago, if there is one. Same can be said for Joey Anderson. It’s more likely he ends up landing in Rockford and being a veteran leader and top-line producer in the AHL.
