Chicago Blackhawks’ Ideal Lines, Pairings, Goalies In Toews/Kane Era

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Players have come and gone from the Chicago Blackhawks in the last 10 years, but which ones would you most like to have on your team in the Jonathan Toews/Patrick Kane era?

It’s near impossible to keep a core group together for a long time in today’s NHL. That the Chicago Blackhawks succeeded for roughly six years with the group of Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Patrick Sharp, Marian Hossa, Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook and Niklas Hjalmarsson was a huge reason for the team’s three Stanley Cup victories in that span.

And that core eventually evolved as time went on. Guys like Corey Crawford and Marcus Kruger became key pieces as well. Of course, time, injuries, age and the salary cap cause players to come and go — sometimes more quickly than we’d like.

I went back and looked at each Blackhawks roster since Toews and Kane broke into the league — the 2007-08 season. Familiar names fill the ledgers, along with some guys who have been forgotten about, or who were with the team only a short while.

Today, I’m going to take a look at the roster I’d pick for the Blackhawks in the Toews/Kane era. Now, this isn’t going to be made based entirely on how guys performed with the Blackhawks. That would force out some really good players who struggled in Chicago, whether it be because they weren’t used properly or they were on the back end of their career.

Before we jump into the lines, pairings and goaltenders I’ve selected, some quick honorable mentions in each category.

Honorable mentions

Forwards — Bryan Bickell, Troy Brouwer, Phillip Danault, Michael Frolik, Martin Lapointe, Tuomo Ruutu, Kris Versteeg

Defensemen — Dustin Byfuglien, Trevor Daley, Christian Ehrhoff, Brent Sopel

Goaltenders — Scott Darling, Antti Niemi, Antti Raanta

Lapointe and Ruutu were part of some bad Blackhawks teams before former owner Bill Wirtz died. They weren’t goal-scoring machines by any means, but both could’ve been serviceable bottom-six guys on this list.

Some fans long for the days of Byfuglien standing in front of the net, but you have to remember one thing: He wouldn’t be doing that as a defenseman. That’s his position, so that’s how I have to judge his inclusion on this list. And he didn’t make the cut as a blueliner (though I don’t know he would have as a forward, either).

Darling had a great run in Chicago, too, but his body of work doesn’t live up to that of the two netminders I selected. And this fantasy team isn’t carrying three goalies.

So, let’s get to the ultimate Toews/Kane era Blackhawks lineup as chosen by yours truly.

ANAHEIM, CA – MAY 25: (L-R) Jonathan Toews /

First line

Brandon Saad-Jonathan Toews-Marian Hossa

Why mess with something that was never broken? The Blackhawks had to during the 2015 offseason when Saad’s contract demands were too weighty. With Hossa sidelined possibly forever with a nasty skin condition, this line might never get together again.

But it was a thing of beauty during the short time it was together. This was never more true than in the 2015 postseason. Ahead of it, coach Joel Quenneville‘s blender landed on this combination. Even the possibility of playing Toews with Kane couldn’t overshadow what this trio produced.

Toews potted 21 points, finishing behind only Kane in scoring for the playoffs. Hossa contributed 17 points, while Saad had 11 — eight coming in the form of goals. It’s unfortunate Q didn’t find this combination until the point he did. We could’ve had a few regular seasons of a truly dominant top line to lead the Blackhawks.

Second line

Artemi Panarin–Artem Anisimov-Patrick Kane

Same idea with this second line as far as not trying to fix something that isn’t broken. Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman was on the right side of the deal that sent Panarin to Columbus this offseason, but there’s no doubting he was the most thrilling linemate Kane has had in the Windy City.

While the two became a bit predictable toward the end of the 2016-17 season, they put on quite a show in their short time together. And Anisimov was the near-perfect center for them. Although he struggled at winning faceoffs, he could cover for the two defensively and run his large frame to the net to get dirty goals.

It’s true Kane could produce great numbers playing alongside anyone, but he seemed extremely comfortable with Panarin — and vice versa. And Anisimov was having a career season offensively in 2016-17 before suffering an injury late in the regular season. I couldn’t find a reason to break up this second line when putting together this team.

Third line

Andrew Ladd–Brad Richards–Martin Havlat

Now we’re heading into territory of guys being mixed and matched based on overall accomplishments. That creates this unique line that represents multiple points of the Toews/Kane era in Chicago.

Havlat was the established star brought in to serve as the team’s offensive leader while Toews and Kane adapted to the NHL. His first two seasons in Chicago were injury-marred, but he broke out in 2008-09 with a career-high 77 regular-season points before posting 15 more in the playoffs, including the overtime game-winner in the series opener against Calgary. He finished with 594 points in 790 regular-season contests.

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Ladd was also around during the first seasons of Toews and Kane. He had come from Carolina, where he won the Stanley Cup in 2006. He was never the biggest star in Chicago, but he was certainly a solid role player when the Blackhawks won the Cup in 2010. He maxed out at 49 points in the regular season before being shifted to Atlanta in 2010.

Ladd became the team’s captain as the Thrashers transitioned to being the Winnipeg Jets and hit a career-best 62 points in 2014-15. His return to Chicago in 2016 was certainly disappointing, but I like to think more about the 497 points in 847 regular-season games than that failed experiment.

Richards was on the back end of his career when he got to Chicago, taking a major pay cut at one more shot at the Stanley Cup. It worked out, and Richards was the best regular center Kane had until Anisimov showed up.

While Richards was really just a short-term solution in Chicago, you have to remember he’s a former Lady Byng and Conn Smythe winner who finished his NHL career with 932 points in 1,126 regular-season games. Why wouldn’t you take a guy like that on a fantasy team like this?

Fourth line

Teuvo Teravainen-Marcus Kruger-Robert Lang

So this line is … interesting, I’ll admit. Some of you probably don’t know who its right wing is (I had forgotten about him).

Let’s start with the more recent guys. Teravainen is the young Finnish star the Blackhawks had to package with Bryan Bickell in a 2015 trade to get the latter’s cap hit off the books. It was really disappointing to see Teuvo go before he had a chance to really break out in Chicago.

He has just 82 points in his NHL career (regular season), but we all saw the talent and vision Teuvo had on the ice — especially during the 2015 postseason. I think it’d be wrong to leave Teuvo off this fantasy team, as he really seems to be growing into his own now as an NHL player.

There’s no way I could leave Kruger off this team, either. He was just so impressive as a defensive center in Chicago, serving in the underappreciated but totally vital role through two Stanley Cup wins. I don’t know that the Blackhawks are guaranteed either one without his abilities.

And then there’s Lang. He spent one season in Chicago (2007-08) and was in his late 30s by the time it came around. But he posted an entirely solid 54 points in 76 games for the forgettable first squad Toews and Kane were on. And he finished with 703 points in 989 regular-season games playing for eight NHL teams.

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Lang is listed as a center, but since he’s a right-handed shot and I didn’t have room for another center — but also wanted him in the starting lineup for this fantasy team — I slotted him in here. I have no idea how this line would perform on the ice or what it’s true function would be, but … there you go.

Press-box line

Dave Bolland–Antoine Vermette–Andrew Shaw

The ultimate irritation line, perhaps? There’s a decent bit of offensive capability here — Bolland always seemed to come up with big goals (2013 Stanley Cup Final Game 6, for example), Vermette is a point shy of 500 for his career and Shaw can actually put the puck in the net when he isn’t acting ridiculous.

But what this line would really be is one to annoy the opponent into submission — or into the penalty box. Bolland was nicknamed “The Rat” in Chicago, and Shaw was much like him in that regard. Vermette has a bit of a feisty side himself, shown when he randomly whacked a referee with his stick last season.

If you’re looking for a “fire” line, this would be your trio.

TORONTO, ON – JANUARY 15: Duncan Keith /

First pairing

Duncan Keith-Brent Seabrook

Take out the Keith and Seabrook of the last two seasons and you have a pairing that could be among the better ones in fantasy lineup history. The two were partners in crime during their early years in Chicago. They were up with the team before Toews and Kane, and they saw some really bad outfits before Rocky Wirtz took over.

Their exploits are well known at this point. Keith is the iron man who does it all. He’s the guy who lost teeth during a playoff game, swallowing some of them, but continued to play. He’s a three-time Stanley Cup champion, two-time Norris Trophy winner and one-time Conn Smythe recipient.

For a long time, the Blackhawks went as Keith went. That may still be true, but perhaps not to the extent it was when he was younger. Still, he’s a guy with 511 regular-season points in 913 games and 63 playoff points in 123 games. He’s a lock to have his number retired down the road.

Second pairing

Niklas Hjalmarsson-Johnny Oduya

Again, you just have to go with what you know. You won’t get thrown a bunch of numbers with these guys, much like with Kruger on the offensive side. But you know how important the two Swedes were during Chicago’s Cup runs in 2013 and 2015.

The shutdown defensive pairing was hard to beat for the three full seasons it was together. They couldn’t rekindle that magic when Oduya returned this year, but they had already cemented a legacy in Chicago well before 2017.

Neither guy was the fastest or the strongest on the ice, but they always knew where the other one was, and they constantly made the smart play or the sacrificial play to pull up the Blackhawks in trying times.

They were true Nos. 3 and 4 defensemen while Keith and Seabrook were in their prime. And Hjammer wound up looking like a No. 1 defenseman last season. It’s too bad we couldn’t have had a younger Oduya who came up through the system with Hjammer. The two could have made for the most ridiculously successful defensive defenseman combo in team history.

Third pairing

Nick Leddy-Brian Campbell

I’ll let Campbell play on his off side to get him in this lineup. And again, we’re not talking about the most recent version of him. There’s plenty of positives from the rest of his career to earn him inclusion on this list.

Campbell played all 82 regular-season games in seven of his 17 NHL seasons. In one of those, he played 83 games due to a midseason trade. He was a one-time Lady Byng winner who was getting Norris Trophy consideration in his mid 30s. Campbell finished with 504 points in 1,082 regular-season games.

Now, pairing Leddy with Campbell would make for quite a mobile pairing. Leddy is a guy who can quarterback a powerplay and skate out of trouble, while Campbell likes to move up and contribute offensively.

Leddy is a guy the Blackhawks gave up on too quickly. He was shipped to the New York Islanders in 2014 and is becoming a star there. He’s seen his regular-season point total increase from 31 to 37 to 40 to 46 over the last four seasons. He’s exactly the kind of defenseman the Blackhawks need right now, and they did have him. Until they didn’t.

Press-box defenseman

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Kimmo Timonen

No, I’m absolutely not including Timonen based on his 2015 stint in Chicago. That was terrible. But before he was a 40-year-old coming off blood clots in his legs, Timonen was a really solid NHL defenseman for 15 seasons between Nashville and Philadelphia.

Timonen received Norris Trophy consideration at age 37. He topped 40 points eight times and surpassed 30 points in all but three seasons (plus the 2016 stint). He averaged fewer than 20 minutes of ice time only in his rookie and final seasons.

Why wouldn’t you want to have a guy like that on your roster?

Goaltenders

Corey Crawford-Nikolai Khabibulin

You knew Crow would be my starting goaltender. I’ve written enough about my support for him to fill a small bookshelf. But he deserves that, and he deserves the starting nod on this team.

Crow is a two-time Cup winner and a two-time Jennings Trophy winner who should also be a one-time Conn Smythe recipient (in 2013). He’s been the Blackhawks’ rock since the 2010-11 season, winning 30 or more games each year outside the lockout-shortened campaign. He also has 48 playoff wins in 85 starts.

Crow constantly takes a beating from parts of his own fan base and is left off national lists of praise (latest example here). But it just seems to motivate him more. And if the Blackhawks didn’t have him, like Kruger, it’s hard to say they win either of the latter two Cups.

Khabibulin struggled during his last stint in Chicago, and while he didn’t bring home hardware with the Blackhawks, he’s a pretty impressive backup goalie to have on this team.

Next: Why Butcher Should Be A Blackhawk

The Bulin Wall won the Stanley Cup with Tampa Bay in 2004 and posted 333 regular-season wins in his career. That included a 91-80-25 mark in his time with Chicago, played entirely in his mid 30s or later. Khabibulin doesn’t have the greatest numbers ever, but he has more to go on than a lot of the other choices for this spot.

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