Pius Suter at center could make things easier for the Blackhawks

The Chicago Blackhawks need to have everyone move around the lineup to fill some holes on the roster.

Pius Suter has not played an NHL game yet with the Blackhawks, yet he already seems to find himself in the top six as the second-line center. Suter is more of a winger, but desperate times call for desperate measures.

Losing Toews and Dach costs the team their top two centermen. Luckily the ‘Hawks still have Dylan Strome ready to take a big step forward this season, but the second line center position is a hole that needs to be filled.

As of right now, it looks like newcomer Pius Suter, who signed this offseason with the Blackhawks, has the best bet to fill the position. There are several players on this roster that can take faceoffs.

Shaw, Carpenter, Wallmark, and Kampf are all capable centermen in their own rights. However, due to the skill that Suter has shown us, as he is a year removed from putting up 30 goals and 23 assists with the ZSC Lions last season, I would like to see Suter in the position.

More from Blackhawk Up

• Blackhawks: Three Noticeable Improvements in Comeback Win vs Blues
• Blackhawks: Key Takeaways from 3-2 win over the Blues
• Blackhawks: Grading Connor Murphy and a position comparison
• Blackhawks: Shuffling the lines to try and spark offense at 5 on 5
• These Lineup Changes could Solve the Blackhawks’ Scoring Problem

It might be possible that after five or ten games, the ‘Hawks could try Andrew Shaw at center as well, but seeing as he is just coming back from a concussion, throwing him into the lineup as the second-line center might be a lot on the two-time Stanley Cup Champion.

With Suter in as the second-line center, here is an expected lineup via dailyfaceoff.com

Alex DeBrincat – Dylan Strome – Patrick Kane 

Dominik Kubalik – Pius Suter – Andrew Shaw 

Mattias Janmark – Lucas Wallmark – Brandon Pirri 

Matthew Highmore – David Kampf – Ryan Carpenter 

We will have to wait and see what the opening lineup looks like for Chicago’s game against Tampa Bay. In the meantime, here are a few first looks of Suter as a Blackhawk during training camp.

It is nice seeing Suter put the puck in the back of the net during training camp. Hopefully, we will be able to see him score some goals in the NHL this season!