Blackhawks: All the newcomers playing on the team this year

The Chicago Blackhawks have a game to play!

The Blackhawks open their season on Wednesday night against the Colorado Avalanche, but before that matchup let’s highlight the newcomers on the roster and what fans should expect from them.

Here is the complete lineup for the Blackhawks going into the first game of the season:

Alex DeBrincat – Tyler Johnson – Patrick Kane

Dominik Kubalik – Jonathan Toews – Philipp Kurashev

Henrik Borgstrom – Kirby Dach – Brandon Hagel 

Jujhar Khaira – Mackenzie Entwistle – Ryan Carpenter 

Calvin de Haan – Seth Jones 

Jake McCabe – Connor Murphy 

Riley Stillman – Ian Mitchell 

Marc-Andre Fleury 

Kevin Lankinen 

Not a bad lineup in my opinion, and it is one that features a lot of new guys. When fans go to games for the first few weeks of the season they might be asking who that guy is on the ice, so here is a little profile on all the newcomers to this team:

Tyler Johnson:

Johnson came over in a trade with the Tampa Bay Lightning. He might not have been a top-six guy in Tampa Bay, but that is more of a testimony of how deep that lineup is. He is going to be a big part of the team this season, and with a size similar to DeBrincat, he is a fun offensive addition to the team.

Henrik Borgstrom:

Henrik Borgstrom was traded to the Blackhawks last season, but this will be the first time he gets a chance at cracking the Hawks lineup. Borgstrom did not work out in Florida, hopefully, Chicago will be a better fit as Borgstrom has proven he can play a lot of different positions of this team if they need him.

Jujhar Khaira:

The big guy. Khaira was signed this offseason having recently played for the Edmonton Oilers. Khaira is six foot four and can be a great physical addition to this team. On the fourth line with guys like Mackenzie Entwistle and Ryan Carpenter, Khaira is going to be a part of a line that is going to be tough to play against, and I cannot wait to watch it play out all season long.

Seth Jones:

Seth Jones was the biggest addition of the offseason. The future face of the blue line and longest contract with the team has a lot to prove this season. Whether or not he was worth the amount of money they are giving him, and the price they had to pay to bring him to the team, those are questions he will have to prove this season. Jones has spent time with the Blue Jackets and Predators in the past, with his most recent playoff success being the 2019 sweep of the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Jake McCabe:

Jake McCabe joins the Blackhawks as the next shutdown defenseman similar to Oduya during the golden era of Hawks hockey in 2012-16. McCabe is a good defensive defenseman who can unite with Connor Murphy to make in my mind one of the best shutdown units in the league. Having previously played with the Buffalo Sabres, this will be his first time playing on a hockey team trying to make the postseason.  

Marc-Andre Fleury:

Last and certainly not least is the goalie, Marc-Andre Fleury! Fleury joined the Blackhawks this offseason in one of the weirdest trades in NHL history. A former Vegas Golden Knight and Pittsburgh Penguin, it is so strange to see Fleury in Chicago. Hopefully the Vezina Trophy winner and three-time Stanley Cup Champion can leave Chicago in a few seasons with some more hardware to his name.

The first game of the season cannot come soon enough, and all of these guys are going to be in the lineup to cheer on.