Blackhawks Have Decisions to Make with Crowded Forward Group
The Chicago Blackhawks will be headed into the 2024-25 season a much different team than they were last season. They elected not to re-sign numerous players whose contracts were up at the end of the 2023-24 campaign, while adding eight new faces via trade and free agency, including five forwards, two defensemen and one goaltender. The cumulative effect is a much-improved team, on paper at least, as the organization attempts to take the next step in their rebuild.
With five new forwards added to the mix, things are looking a little crowded up front. Management and the coaching staff see this as a way to foster healthy competition, and bring out the best in individual players as well as the group. No one’s spot is guaranteed; they’ll have to earn it. With that said, let’s discuss how things could play out in training camp, and who will fit where in the lineup.
Blackhawks’ Top-Six Forward Locks
We’ll get to actual line combinations a little bit closer to training camp, but for now I broke the forwards down into four different potential categories: top-six locks, bottom-six depth players, forwards on the fence for either the top-six or the bottom-six, and dark horse candidates to make the team. We start with those who are most likely to begin the season on the top two lines.
Connor Bedard, Tyler Bertuzzi, Taylor Hall, Philipp Kurashev, Teuvo Teravainen
Bedard is obviously the franchise cornerstone and slated as the top line center (although he also played wing at times last season) of the future. He’s the main reason the Blackhawks went out and obtained more talent, to support and elevate Bedard. The 19-year-old was by far the best player on the Blackhawks in his rookie season. You could see his frustration at times as he attempted to make things happen with less talented players.
Gosh bless that Bedard and Kurashev developed the chemistry they did as the season progressed, or it would have been even more difficult to watch. Kurashev had a breakout campaign last year, and I would expect him to start out this season playing alongside Bedard again. However, he’ll need to pick up right where he left off, because now there’s a lot more talent he’ll need to compete with.
Enter Teravainen and Bertuzzi, who both played in top-six roles with their respective former clubs, the Carolina Hurricanes and the Toronto Maple Leafs. These two veterans are basically shoo-ins to play on the top two lines.
As is Hall, who was injured most of the 2023-24 campaign. Like Teravainen and Bertuzzi this season, he was brought in last season to be Bedard’s running mate. As a former No. 1 overall pick himself, it made sense for him to bring Bedard along. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out that way. But I’m sure that same thought process remains now that he’s healthy.
Blackhawks’ Bottom-Six Forward Depth Players
Joey Anderson, Ryan Donato, Pat Maroon, Craig Smith
Anderson developed great chemistry as a shutdown third line with Jason Dickenson and the now departed Colin Blackwell last season. The 26-year-old carved out a niche for himself, as someone who’s hard to play against and can keep the puck out of his own team’s net. He led the Blackhawks with a plus-5 goal differential last season, and his five goals and 17 points is nothing to scoff at. Especially for a grinder.
Donato was tasked with top-six duties at times last season. But that was out of sheer need, due to a plethora of injuries and a roster that was sorely lacking in talent. Donato admirably did his part, and actually developed some decent chemistry with Bedard. But on an improved team he’s really best suited as a depth forward.
Newly acquired veterans Maroon and Smith bring some great experience to the table, as well as a bite to their game. But they should both be slated as depth players. While they’ll likely start on the opening night roster, I could see either of them getting bumped if their play isn’t up to snuff.
After all, it’s really no skin off the Blackhawks’ nose if these guys are healthy scratches. However, head coach Luke Richardson is known to be partial to his veterans. It will be interesting to see how this all plays out.
Blackhawks Forwards, Placement Undecided
Andreas Athanasiou, Jason Dickinson, Nick Foligno, Ilya Mikheyev, Lukas Reichel
There are a number of players that fall somewhere in the middle; they might earn a spot up in the top-six, or they might end up more as depth players. This is where things get interesting. Just where will these players fit in? You may have noticed I only listed five players as locks for the top-six. So, who will the sixth player be?
Athanasiou has that awesome speed he’s known for, and he’s played well with both Kurashev and Reichel in the past. He’s also decent at the center position. Yet, he’s been so inconsistent his entire career. Can he pull it together and parlay that into a spot in the top-six? Otherwise, I could see him relegated to the third, or even fourth line.
Reichel is definitely a conundrum, as Brooke pointed out in her recent piece. He had such a disappointing season last year, and now the competition is even stiffer. The 22-year-old isn’t waivers-exempt anymore this season, so I believe the Blackhawks will give him every chance to succeed out of the gate. Reichel is a finesse player that’s best suited on the top lines, but he’ll have to earn that right. Perhaps he’ll gel with one of the aforementioned more skilled players, and use that to his advantage.
Dickinson is self-admittedly of a shutdown, defensive forward by trade. But again, out of sheer necessity he was tasked with being more of a scoring player last season. He stepped up big time, blowing his previous career-highs out of the water with 22 goals and 35 points. He also had the highest shooting percentage on the team (17.5%), and led the team in faceoff wins (615).
Many have Dickinson penciled in as the second-line center to start the season, but he’d probably be playing to his strengths more farther down in the lineup. As hinted above, could Athanasiou take on the second-line center role? Or could a prospect perhaps seize this role (more on this in a minute)?
Foligno is another player that really should be a depth player, especially at this point in his career. Yet he played up with Bedard last season with surprising success. Will Coach Richardson want to revisit their familiarity with each other, and their mentor/mentee relationship? Despite these points, there are just so many more options now. I don’t see Foligno as a member of the top-six with this more talented roster.
Finally, we have the newcomer, Mikheyev. Similar to Athanasiou, Mikheyev is known for his speed. This wasn’t really a factor last season, but the Russian forward was also coming off an ACL injury. Even so, he played mostly on the top lines with the Canucks, oftentimes alongside Elias Pettersson. Simply stated, if Mikheyev is playing at his best, he could easily slot in on the top lines. But he could also get pushed out by other more talented players.
Dark Horse Forward Candidates to Make the Team
Colton Dach, Frank Nazar, Landon Slaggert
I would say Nazar is the most likely of these three to make the team. Many pundits have noted the Blackhawks didn’t address the second line center role in their offseason pickups, and Nazar has been dubbed as the future cornerstone center behind Bedard. He was selected by the Blackhawks 13th overall in the 2022 Draft, and he certainly impressed in his three-game NHL debut last season. He even pulled off the nearly impossible feat of scoring a goal on his first NHL shift and his first shot on goal.
Let’s not undermine the contributions of Slaggert, who registered a goal and four points in 16 NHL games at the tail end of the 2023-24 campaign. All this was after finishing off a successful collegiate hockey career at the University of Notre Dame. Slaggert proved he can be a solid depth player of the future, or perhaps the present, if he has a strong training camp.
The longshot on this list is Dach, who spent all last season with the Rockford IceHogs. Unfortunately, dealing with numerous injury issues didn’t help his cause. But when healthy, the 21-year-old was one of Rockford’s most promising players. He was also one of the last players cut at last year’s training camp. Might he be ready for the big leagues this time around?
Final Thoughts on the Blackhawks’ Forward Situation
While things might initially seem crowded, the Blackhawks are actually going into the season in a pretty good spot. Not including the dark horse candidates, there are currently 14 forwards in the mix. Teams typically allot 14 forwards to a roster spot at the beginning of the season.
But only 12 forwards suit up every night, so there will be plenty of competition for playing time. As they say in the hockey world, this is a good problem to have. Some might argue the Blackhawks picked up too many veterans and placeholders, and this will hold back the prospects. Yet if veterans such as Maroon, Smith or even someone like Donato have to sit because someone else deserves to play, I believe the Blackhawks will pull the trigger on that.
Besides, injuries will happen, and that will be an opportunity for a younger player to step up and gain some valuable experience with the big club. Furthermore, we certainly could see a few of the youngsters surprise the coaching staff and earn a spot out of camp.
It’s also important to remember the Blackhawks want to be patient with their prospects. A year or two of seasoning with the IceHogs is not a bad thing. As a matter of fact, there’s a plethora of young talent slated to play in Rockford. They could be a fun team to watch this season.
While we might have a good idea which players will start the season at forward with the Blackhawks, nothing is guaranteed. More talent and more competition will make for plenty of storylines during training camp and preseason.
Stay tuned for more on the Blackhawks’ 2024-25 defense, coming soon!
