Chicago Blackhawks’ 10 Burning Questions Heading Into Training Camp

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.