Chicago Blackhawks’ 10 Burning Questions Heading Into Training Camp

How will Connor Murphy mesh with his fellow defensemen?

Trading Niklas Hjalmarsson to the Arizona Coyotes this summer for Connor Murphy and Laurent Dauphin was a move to try and make the Blackhawks a bit more youthful. It also gave the ‘Hawks a little extra contract control, with Murphy having three more years left on his contract than Hjalmarsson.

But there is no denying the Blackhawks will miss the services of Hammer with his strong defensive game, shot blocks and great positioning.

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What remains to be seen is what the ‘Hawks will be getting in Murphy, who has shown some potential in his few years in the league, albeit on a pretty bad team in Arizona. While his stats will not win over any skeptical fan, watching Murphy play shows he could develop into a reliable top-four defenseman.

How Murphy is able to mesh with his new teammates and on his new team is something every fan should be interested in. The state of the Blackhawks defense is possibly the worst it has been in 10 years, and Murphy coming in and being able to succeed will help to mend that hole and have fans breathing a sigh of relief.

Can Murphy succeed on a better team in Chicago and with his new teammates? We can only hope, because if he struggles, that blue line looks absolutely atrocious.

What will the defensive pairings look like after camp?

Speaking of that possibly atrocious blue line, NHL Network recently tried to predict the Blackhawks’ defensive pairings for the 2017-18 season and the image set Blackhawks Twitter on fire.

Seeing Michal Rozsival listed in a starting slot for the 2017-18 Blackhawks is sure to cause all sorts of reactions usually associated with having a seizure, but the fact is it is not very clear what the Blackhawks’ defensive pairings are going to look like in 2017-18.

We know Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook and Murphy are already slotted in as starters on this team, and Michal Kempny seems to be the next closest to a sure thing. But who else will make up the other two defensive slots?

Gustav Forsling, Jan Rutta, Rozsival and Jordan Oesterle will all be in the mix at Blackhawks camp trying to make the case for a roster spot. But also don’t be surprised to see a move very early in the 2017-18 season by general manager Stan Bowman. Cody Franson’s name was rumored a while back. Could Bowman be waiting for some money to clear up after placing Marian Hossa on the long-term injured reserve?

Whatever the case may be and regardless of who may or may not be added, it is safe to say that every Blackhawks fan is very interested in what the blue line will look like come opening night. Blackhawks camp will be the first chance to see all of these players on the ice together.

Will Patrick Kane be able to produce without Artemi Panarin?

There is zero doubt that Patrick Kane loved playing with Panarin on his line. If the smiles and Harlem Globetrotter style of play were not evidence enough, Kane had two incredibly successful years with Panarin, scoring 106 and 89 points in the two seasons they played together. He even won the Hart Memorial Trophy for league MVP with Panarin on his line.

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But with Panarin gone, will Kane continue to be as dynamic? Well, the fact is Kane is one of the few elite scorers in the league and has had success with and without Panarin. While the 1.29 points per game in 2015-16 and 1.09 PPG in 2016-17 were two of the three highest totals of his career, he still managed 1.05, 1.00 and 1.17 PPG in the three years before Panarin even arrived.

Kane finds ways to score from everywhere on the ice and with anyone on the ice. The question of if he will still be able to produce is answered with a resounding yes. The underlying questions of if he will still be eclipsing over a point per game and who will be on the line with him remain to be answered.

Blackhawks camp will be our first chance to see Kane playing without Panarin on his line for quite a while. It will be very interesting to see how the winger looks, who is slotted with him and if his offseason workouts have made him an even stronger player on the ice.

Are Nick Schmaltz and Ryan Hartman ready to take it to the next level?

Nick Schmaltz had an up-and-down 2016-17 season that saw him sent back to Rockford after starting the year with the Blackhawks, only to return a renewed player. He finished the year with 28 points and was a spark in the dreary winter months of January and February that helped the team get on a hot streak.

If Schmaltz can take the short success he started having in 2016-17 and lengthen it out to a full season, he will be a huge asset for the Blackhawks’ roster. Schmaltz’s speed and drive with the puck are something the ‘Hawks could really use full time in their lineup, and his cheap contract makes him an incredibly useful asset. Schmaltz starting the year off right in camp and finding success with his linemates could be essential to the team having a great 2017-18 campaign.

Likewise, Ryan Hartman had a fairly strong 2017-18 season. He finished with 19 goals and 31 total points and was able to bring some edge and offense to the ‘Hawks. If Hartman can take that success and build on it even more, he can help the ‘Hawks even out their lines and scoring, making them a hard matchup for any opponent.

Hartman will also be playing in a contract year in 2017-18, so the success he finds on the ice could result in a better payday for the forward — only more incentive for him to find success early and often this season.

If Schmaltz and Hartman can take the next step with the team, just as players like Saad and Andrew Shaw did before them, they could be the pieces that transform the Blackhawks from good to dangerous.

How does Patrick Sharp look coming off his hip surgery?

Patrick Sharp returned to the Blackhawks on a very affordable deal that will cap at $1 million if he manages to make all of his bonuses. It is the kind of deal that can pay dividends for a cap-strapped team like the ‘Hawks, but is very cheap for a reason.

Sharp suffered multiple injuries last season, most notably a major concussion and a hip injury that required surgery. While early reports from the team indicate Sharp is already skating and looks good on the ice, we will need to see Sharp playing full speed and against competition to get a full idea of how he is healing.

If Sharp is able to come back from the hip injury and play near the form he was at in his last years with the ‘Hawks before leaving for Dallas, he will be a solid and affordable asset for the team.

But if Sharp is unable to perform and play at a decent level after his injuries and surgery, the ‘Hawks may struggle to find the net regularly in the 2017-18 season. Let’s just say that while a contract coming in at $1 million is worth the risk, we won’t be happy to see any money being given out to Sharp if he can’t keep up on the ice and is taking a roster spot from a young player who could develop in his place. Sharp needs to get healthy and remain healthy throughout the season.

Will Jonathan Toews and Brandon Saad return to form?

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We have mentioned many times on Blackhawk Up that Jonathan Toews has not been the same player since Saad left town. While the move to bring Saad back has been generally met with excitement (once the dust settled and the loss of The Breadman reached a grieving stage of acceptance), much of the talk has been that this move is going to make Toews, and therefore the whole team, better.

Toews was just listed as the 12th-best center in hockey by NHL Network, a ranking that could be seen as justified right now, but is far too low for ‘Hawks fans to accept Toews playing at.

If Toews is not able to reignite some energy and excitement on offense with Saad rejoining the team, there is an even bigger question to be asked about Toews’ decline and future with the team.

I fully expect Saad and Toews to work well together (along with Richard Panik on the top line), but what if that chemistry is not quite the same and the pair doesn’t find the magic playing together again? At the risk of trading away one of the most dynamic scorers in the game to reacquire Saad, this line needs to work out for the Blackhawks to be successful.

We will start to see how Toews and Saad look back together throughout training camp and early in the regular season. Hopefully everything goes according to plan.

Will any youngsters surprise?

While there was not a ton of buzz coming out of the Blackhawks’ prospect camp for players that may crack the opening night roster in October, the ‘Hawks certainly have some young prospects with a good amount of talent and a roster with a few spots of uncertainty.

Could a player like Alex DeBrincat or Alexandre Fortin find himself a roster spot when the 2017-18 season begins? While it certainly seems like a long shot from an outside perspective, the ‘Hawks have been making moves all summer to become younger and faster.

Could a younger player find his way into the lineup to gain valuable experience throughout the regular season while also providing a spark and a little extra speed in the lineup? It is always a possibility, even if a slim one.

It will be very interesting to see how some youngsters invited to training camp perform and if any of them can shine when playing alongside the veterans. Keep an eye out to see if anything special starts happening at camp, as the ‘Hawks would probably love nothing more than to find the answer to a lineup void through their affordable youngsters.

How hot are Stan Bowman and Joel Quenneville’s seats?

We will probably not be able to answer this question through camp alone, but throughout the summer fans and writers alike have speculated if Quenneville and Bowman are on the hot seat if the ‘Hawks cannot perform well this coming season.

There was plenty of talk when Bowman fired assistant coach Mike Kitchen, a friend and trusted assistant of Coach Q. Are there ripples in the relationship between Bowman and Q? Is this the first sign of bigger moves to come with the coaching staff and the front office?

While we may not be able to get any closer to an answer in training camp, keep an ear open to interviews from both Bowman and Quenneville during camp and pay attention to any roster moves and lineup changes that you see. Are both men moving forward in the same direction and with a similar plan? Does there seem to be any animosity from Quenneville over the team that has been built for him?

Next: Toews Falls in Rankings

It will certainly be hard to get a full answer (if even any kind of clue) from camp alone, but there is no doubt that entering into training camp and the 2017-18 season there are some questions on the long-term status of these two men.