Chicago Blackhawks' Top Candidates For The First Line
Apr 23, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Blackhawks center Jonathan Toews (19) with the puck during the first period in game six of the first round of the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the St. Louis Blues at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports
During this preseason, the Chicago Blackhawks are looking to enhance their top line around center Jonathan Toews
While Jonathan Toews, Corey Crawford, and Marian Hossa have been taking a well-deserved break after the World Cup, the rest of the Chicago Blackhawks have been working hard in preparation for the regular season.
The young guns have been especially diligent, as they fight for open roster spots. According to head coach Joel Quenneville, there could be a position available on every forward line.
Preseason is a time for the coaches to take a look at their new talent, and see how it could potentially combine with their known talent. There have been a lot of questions we’ve been asking all summer.
One of those questions is how to bolster the top line. I think we can all agree that Toews is a given for the first line center position. But who will play alongside him? Let’s take a look at the top candidates so far.
Oct 1, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Blackhawks center Nick Schmaltz (8) and St. Louis Blues left wing Kenny Agostino (73) follow the puck during the first period of a preseason hockey game at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY SportsLeft wing
Left Wing
The Hawks struggled to find a replacement for Brandon Saad all of last season. A few people had some success there, such as Andrew Shaw and Andrew Ladd. But for the most part, the top line left wing position was a revolving door in ineffectiveness. It didn’t help the other two players on this line, Toews and Hossa, who both had relatively mediocre seasons.
So one of the first ways to bolster the offense this year would be to find someone who could be as effective as Saad on the left wing. Or at least someone that could consistently compliment Toews and Hossa (or whoever ends up playing on the right wing).
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After the first four exhibition games, there are a few candidates that have stood out to potentially fill this role. One of them is prospect Nick Schmaltz. Schmaltz has played in three of the four preseason games, lining up on the left side first line position for two of them.
This is what The Athletic’s Scott Powers has to say about Schmaltz. “Schmaltz creates, especially off the pass. He sees the ice differently than most and has quick hands which allow him to make quick decisions. There have been a number of times in the first two games where he’s opened up ice for his teammates with passes. He can do a lot with little room.”
Another prospect in contention for this position is Tyler Motte. He has also played on the left side for three matchups, on both the second and third lines. He didn’t impress too much in the first two games, but man did he make a statement on Saturday night! He came away with two goals, one of them being a short-handed goal.
Like Marcus Kruger, Motte prides himself on his defense, and loves to play on the penalty kill. This could make him quite valuable and viable for a spot in the lineup.
Apr 15, 2016; St. Louis, MO, USA; Chicago Blackhawks left wing Artemi Panarin (72) celebrates with Patrick Kane (88) after scoring the game-winning goal during the third period in game two of the first round of the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the St. Louis Blues at Scottrade Center. The Blackhawks won the game 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Billy Hurst-USA TODAY Sports
Finally, Coach Q rocked everyone’s world by separating Patrick Kane and Artemi Panarin on Saturday night. While Kane and Artem Anisimov played on the first line (with Schmaltz by the way), Panarin found himself on the second line.
Now, the popular opinion with all this is that Panarin could play on the first line with Toews to spread the offensive wealth. And I’m sure this is definitely something the coaching staff wants to explore. But whenever Panarin played with Toews last season, they didn’t seem to have much chemistry. Certainly not the instant chemistry that Kane and Panarin have, that’s for sure.
And these two proved it again on Saturday night. As soon as they were put together on a shift, they scored (Panarin with the goal, and Kane with the assist). In my opinion, if Coach Q can find any other options, he will continue to keep Kane and Panarin on the same line.
Oct 1, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Blackhawks left wing Richard Panik (14) and St. Louis Blues defenseman Petteri Lindbohm (48) battle for the puck during the first period of a preseason hockey game at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports
Right Wing
It has been mentioned over the summer that Richard Panik could potentially start this year on the top line. He ended last season there, with some success. He played on both the left and right side of Toews.
In these first preseason games, Panik has lined up twice on the right side, and once on the left. While not particularly standing out, he’s been solid and consistent, and has been given a substantial amount of ice time.
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The Chicago Tribune’s Chris Kuc recently wrote a story about Panik. In the article, he quotes what assistant coach Kevin Dineen had to say about Panik’s ability. “There’s a lot of potential there that he really hasn’t tapped into,” Dineen said. “A lot of our players smell opportunity here and are excited to try to take advantage of it. Richard is probably at the top of that list.”
I’ve slated Panik for the right side simply because that is where he’s spent the most time in these practice games. Although his natural position is that of left wing, and we all know anything could happen with Coach Q at the helm. But I would definitely watch for Panik to be an option on the first line. His experience and chemistry with Toews gives him the upper hand over some of the prospects.
Of course we certainly can’t forget about Marian Hossa. Hossa went to the finals with Team Europe in the World Cup, so he hasn’t reported for duty yet with the Chicago Blackhawks. But he should be around at some point later this week.
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Hossa saw his offensive production slump in a big way last season, leading many to believe his decline was eminent. As a matter of fact, he was demoted from the first line to the third line during last year’s playoffs against the St. Louis Blues.
But Hossa had a very strong World Cup, and his defensive contributions are as good as ever. He also has played on the right wing alongside Toews for a long time. They have a natural chemistry. Considering there might be a rookie on the left side of Toews, it might behoove the Chicago Blackhawks to stick with Hossa on the right side, at least for the beginning of the season.
There are two more preseason games, one on Tuesday and one on Saturday of this week. With Toews and Hossa coming back soon, we should get some more answers as to how the lineup will sort itself out. It will be interesting to see who will be on the top line to start the season.
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