Chicago Blackhawks' Early Opening Night Lineup Projection
Oct 4, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Blackhawks head coach Joel Quenneville sits with his players during the third period of a preseason game at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Caylor Arnold-USA TODAY Sports
The Chicago Blackhawks’ lineup, specifically at forward, is more in-flux than it has ever been under coach Joel Quenneville
The Chicago Blackhawks know some of the forwards they’ll ice on opening night against the St. Louis Blues. Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Artem Anisimov, Artemi Panarin, Marian Hossa and Marcus Kruger will be on the United Center’s playing surface, barring any injuries.
But after that, things are up in the air right now. Who will play on Toews’ wings on the top line? Will the second line of Panarin-Anisimov-Kane stay together? And who else is actually playing in the bottom six?
I’m here to try and answer these questions in some way. Finding good matches for Toews is certainly a pressing issue. Actually building two lines is also pretty important. This is especially true for a Blackhawks team that got little bottom-six scoring last season.
So what do we make of all the potential faces who could wear the Indian Head on Oct. 12?
Starting at the top
Let’s start with a list of names of those still around this preseason, those who could potentially be on the opening night roster and who weren’t named above.
Andrew Desjardins, Alexandre Fortin, Ryan Hartman, Vincent Hinostroza, Brandon Mashinter, Mark McNeill, Tyler Motte, Richard Panik, Dennis Rasmussen, Nick Schmaltz, Jordin Tootoo
Alright, that’s a starting point. So let’s say the second line of Panarin-Anisimov-Kane does indeed stay together, at least for opening night. And let’s also say coach Joel Quenneville feels most comfortable using Hossa on Toews’ right wing for at least this first game. And let’s add to that Kruger slotted to center the third line, which has been widely discussed.
So that puts us here:
?-Toews-Hossa
Panarin-Anisimov-Kane
?-Kruger-?
?-?-?
At least it’s a starting point. From here, let’s start by filling the top-line left wing spot. The natural left wings on the roster (AKA the guys listed at that position) are Desjardins, Fortin, Mashinter and Panik. Not the most awesome crop.
Desjardins and Mashinter are immediately out from that discussion. Panik has been widely brought up as a top-line option, but I get the feeling Q would rather let Panik try to slay bums in the bottom six. And while Fortin was seeing action with Anisimov and Kane on Tuesday, I’m not sure how comfortable Q would be rolling him out on the first line against a rugged St. Louis outfit.
So let’s go outside the listed-position box. The two guys I most easily get to are Schmaltz and Hartman. Now Schmaltz is clearly the more talented playmaker, and a guy who has seen action on the various wings throughout this preseason. Hartman is more in the mold of Andrew Shaw, who occupied the top-line left wing spot throughout the 2015-16 season.
I’m going to go with Schmaltz on the opening night roster for top-line left wing. I think Q has been impressed with what he’s seen from Schmaltz and would like to put some speed and playmaking ability up with Toews while Hossa occupies a slightly more defensive-minded forward role (though it’s not like he can’t finish scoring chances, too).
Oct 4, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Blackhawks left wing Alexandre Fortin (82) attempts a shot during the first period of the game against Detroit Red Wings during a preseason game at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Caylor Arnold-USA TODAY Sports
Now, let’s go to the bottom six
So here’s where we are with our projected lineup after the Schmaltz decision:
Schmaltz-Toews-Hossa
Panarin-Anisimov-Kane
?-Kruger-?
?-?-?
And the guys we have to choose from are:
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Andrew Desjardins, Alexandre Fortin, Ryan Hartman, Vincent Hinostroza, Brandon Mashinter, Mark McNeill, Tyler Motte, Richard Panik, Dennis Rasmussen, Jordin Tootoo
Let’s start with the obvious: One of Tootoo or Mashinter will take the ice on Oct. 12. I honestly don’t think it will be both, the way Q has rolled out his lineups this preseason. And at this point, I’d say Tootoo gets the early call. So we’ll slot him at fourth-line right wing.
Now, even though Kruger is a defensive-minded forward, we’d like to surround him with some guys capable of producing offense. We really don’t want to have two bottom lines that serve a defensive purpose and/or just float around.
I would love to see Fortin on Kruger’s left wing. The two connected for the Blackhawks’ fifth goal Tuesday against Detroit, and I think Fortin is responsible enough on the ice to play with Kruger. Fortin is tenacious on the puck in all zones, so as long as he doesn’t put himself out of position trying to steal said puck, he’d be a good partner for Kruger.
On the right side … yeah. This is a tough call. You can pick between Desjardins, Hinostroza, Motte and Panik here. I’m going to go with Panik for the opener.
Even though Motte is a better playmaker, Hinostroza offers more speed and Desjardins has played with Kruger quite a bit in the past, I think you’d like to get a power forward on this defense-offense third line. Panik can do a bit making plays but is better at finishing them off, and he’s a capable defender as well.
Feb 28, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Blackhawks left wing Dennis Rasmussen (70) celebrates scoring a goal during the third period against the Washington Capitals at the United Center. Chicago won 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports
That leaves just two spots on the bottom six
Let’s get to our updated lineup:
Schmaltz-Toews-Hossa
Panarin-Anisimov-Kane
Fortin-Kruger-Panik
?-?-Tootoo
And our remaining names up for the remaining spots:
Andrew Desjardins, Ryan Hartman, Vincent Hinostroza, Brandon Mashinter, Mark McNeill, Tyler Motte, Dennis Rasmussen
This is exactly why I wish the Blackhawks would shelve the idea of forcing an “enforcer” into their lineup. My hope would be Tootoo rides the bench and Mashinter goes back to Rockford to let offensively-capable guys take the ice. I know this won’t happen.
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So now you’ve got a mess to sift through here. Let’s say we need four more forwards — two for opening night, and two for the press box. The Blackhawks could roll with eight defensemen, which would mean we’d only need three more forwards, but I’m going to treat this as if the Blackhawks carry seven defensemen into opening night.
I’m going to rule out Mashinter for a spot in the opening night lineup, but I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see him in the press box. I think Q really likes Hartman because he’s so much like Shaw, but I don’t know that Hartman has played close to well enough to earn a roster spot. That could still land him in the press box, so I’m giving one of those spots to a Mashinter-Hartman pick’em.
I also don’t think the Blackhawks will keep McNeill around for the regular season. He hasn’t done much to separate himself from others in training camp. I’m not sure what this means for McNeill’s future with the organization, but that’s another issue entirely.
So now we’re down to this list for two on-ice spots and one press-box spot:
Andrew Desjardins, Vincent Hinostroza, Tyler Motte, Dennis Rasmussen
My first thought would be the Blackhawks send Motte to Rockford for more conditioning and give him a crack at the main roster later during the regular season. While he’s been solid in the preseason, I don’t think he’s shown quite as much as Schmaltz, and I don’t think the Blackhawks are as intent on rushing him from college to the NHL as they are with Schmaltz.
So this leaves a hideous fourth line, to be sure. But Q has iced plenty of hideous lines (not just on the bottom six, either), so this isn’t a surprise. I think Desjardins will find the press box for the opener, as Hinostroza offers speed the Blackhawks have been missing — especially in the bottom six — and more offensive upside.
Oct 4, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Blackhawks center Nick Schmaltz (8) celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal during the second period of a preseason game against Detroit Red Wings at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Caylor Arnold-USA TODAY Sports
So how does this opening night lineup actually look?
Schmaltz-Toews-Hossa
Panarin-Anisimov-Kane
Fortin-Kruger-Panik
Hinostroza-Rasmussen-Tootoo
Press box: Desjardins, Mashinter/Hartman
Now, is this lineup optimal? Absolutely not. I think the Blackhawks can do better based on who is left on the camp roster. But based on watching Q create lineups since 2008, this is what I think he’s most likely to roll with against St. Louis.
It may not last past that one game, or it may last a while depending on the team’s level of success that day. The forwards are a work in progress, and this is just Step 1 — at least in my estimation.
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