Blackhawks training camp battles provide plenty of intrigue

Training camp is here, and the long, boring offseason is in the rearview mirror! The Chicago Blackhawks are gathering for their physicals today before hitting the ice for the first time under Jeff Blashill bright and early tomorrow morning.

After taking a look at the training camp roster, it is pretty clear that the position battles will be intense. With few open roster spots, the competition will be fierce, and a slow start in camp could be the difference between starting in the National Hockey League or the American Hockey League.

Forward Battle Comes Down to Three Spots

Most teams will carry two extra forwards during the season, so 14 in total. Thirty have been invited to camp, with a handful on AHL contracts or destined to go back to juniors this season.

Nine forwards are locks for the opening night roster: Connor Bedard, Tyler Bertuzzi, Andre Burakovsky, Jason Dickinson, Ryan Donato, Nick Foligno, Ilya Mikheyev, Frank Nazar, and Teuvo Teravainen. Sam Lafftery is almost certainly going to make the roster, at least as an extra forward.

If Lukas Reichel is still on the team come opening night, he’ll be on the NHL roster, unless he has a terrible training camp. General manager Kyle Davidson will likely not want to risk losing him on waivers to start the year. However, if Reichel wants to earn playing time, he must have an impressive training camp and preseason.

That leaves three open spots if Blashill carries 14 forwards to start the season. He’ll have some wiggle room for the type of player he wants at the bottom of his roster. If he wants a physical forward, Colton Dach should have the inside track. This is a make-or-break season for Dach. The former second-round pick needs to cement his spot now because next season will be even tougher with players like Anton Frondell, Sacha Boisvert, and Marek Vanacker. Dach’s biggest problem has been staying on the ice, so being healthy will be crucial if he wants to remain a long-term piece in Chicago.

Landon Slaggert is another option for a fourth-line/extra forward role. He has the speed to play at the top level, and you never have to question his effort. However, he needs to start producing more if he wants to stay in Chicago. He’s another player who could get passed up by the talented prospects coming over the next year or two, so that should light a fire under him.

Oliver Moore seems to be the guy the fans want to make the opening night roster. He brings so much speed to the lineup, but likely needs to fine-tune his overall game before becoming a full-time NHLer. Blashill might decide to go with Ryan Greene instead, who offers more of a complete 200-foot game, but isn’t as dynamic offensively as Moore. The only other forward with a realistic chance to make the opening night roster is Samuel Savoie. The second-year pro was beloved by his Rockford IceHogs teams for the game he brings on the ice and his personality off of it.

If I had to predict, Dach, Slaggert, and Greene are the three forwards who make the team out of camp. The first two games on the schedule are against the Florida Panthers and Boston Bruins, two veteran teams that play a heavier style of hockey. That trio suits those matchups better.

Defensive Group Has a Multitude of Possible Outcomes

The battle on the blue line is more wide open than up front. It’s easy to say that the only two players locked into an opening night spot are Connor Murphy and Alex Vlasic. After them, it’s wide open. Blashill will have plenty of options for his opening night defensive corps. He’s got a lot of size to choose from and different styles of play.

After Murphy and Vlasic, Sam Rinzel and Wyatt Kaiser are the next two defensemen with the best odds to break camp with the team. Nothing we saw from Rinzel during his nine-game stint last season or last week’s rookie camp suggests he isn’t ready to be an effective NHL player. I don’t think he will ever see the inside of the BMO Center in Rockford, and he will grow into being a top-pair defenseman in Chicago.

First and foremost, Kaiser needs to sign a new contract. He is still without one at the time this was published. He doesn’t have a ton of leverage because holding out only hurts him. For every day he misses, another young defenseman steps up and makes it harder for him to earn his spot. When Kaiser returned from Rockford last season, he looked like a different player. If he can carry his final 22 games of last season into this season, he will cement himself on the Blackhawks roster.

Artyom Levshunov and Kevin Korchinski will garner a lot of attention at training camp. Both were drafted very high in their respective years to be anchors of the blueline for years to come. Levshunov came into rookie camp with some added weight. He looked smooth and confident throughout the week. It might be time for him to experience his growing pains at the NHL level instead of heading back to Rockford.

Korchinski still has a very high ceiling. His year in the American Hockey League helped his development. I liked what I saw during the Calder Cup Playoffs against the Milwaukee Admirals. He didn’t shy away from the physical play and was a different maker during the most important time of the year. An impressive training camp could go a long way toward a breakout season.

Next on the list are two defensemen who seem attached to the hip, Nolan Allan and Ethan Del Mastro. They both play a stay-at-home style and add size and physicality to the back end. However, Del Mastro has shown a little more offensive upside and moves well for a bigger defender. Allan made the team out of training camp last season and experienced his ups and downs. Being paired with T.J. Brodie most nights didn’t exactly help. Del Mastro looked good during his late-season run in the NHL.

Then there is Louis Crevier, who is the ideal seventh defenseman for this team. If he makes the team and spends some nights watching from the pressbox, it won’t be the end of the world. That allows guys like Allan, Del Mastro, or Korchinski to get big AHL minutes if they aren’t ready to make the season. You don’t want one of those guys in Chicago just sitting and watching every night.

The final wild card is veteran Matt Grzelcyk, who is in camp on a professional tryout contract (PTO). He is coming off a career-best season with 39 assists and 40 points in 82 games for the Pittsburgh Penguins. He isn’t coming to training camp to block a young player, but rather to be an insurance policy in case one of them isn’t ready or if Kaiser isn’t available.

If I had to bet on which seven defensemen are breaking camp with the Blackhawks, I’d go with Murphy, Vlasic, Rinzel, Kaiser, Levshunov, Korchinski, and Crevier. If Kaiser is a holdout, slide Del Mastro into his spot.

Training camp will be an intriguing couple of weeks. We’ll get an idea of what kind of team Blashill and his staff want, while getting an extended look at some top prospects. It’s an exciting time, for sure, as we head into the long grind of an NHL season.