The end of September is upon us, and with each passing day, the first Blackhawks regular season game draws nearer. This year, the Hawks open the season up in the United Center, hosting those pesky St. Louis Blues. Nothing like starting the year playing a division rival who gave us an early exit from the playoffs last year! It seems like the Blackhawks go into every season thinking Stanley Cup or bust, and with players like Toews, Kane, Keith, Seabrook, and Crawford a Stanley Cup is within the realm of possibility. However, there are still some concerns about the Blackhawks roster entering the season.

Who is going to fill out the first line?

The left wing position next to Jonathon Toews last year was a revolving door, with everyone and their brother getting a chance to fill the massive hole left by Brandon Saad. There are also some questions about who is going to be on the right wing, as Hossa seems to have lost a step, putting up 33 points in 64 games. These factors took a toll on Toews, who only put up 58 points last year, his third lowest ever. Like a great leader, he has obviously taken full responsibility for his low production, and the low production of his teammates, on himself. Nearly two weeks out of the start of the regular season, we still don’t know who will be playing with Toews. Hossa spent some time on the third line at the end of last season next to Kruger and he looked pretty good there, and Q has talked about moving him there fulltime, which might be good for Hockey’s elder statesman. Panik played up with Toews when Hossa was on another line, and he may possibly be the starting right wing this year. However, Panik plays a similar game to Hossa, and if he really elevates his game this year we could see Panik next to Toews all year. That leaves a question as to who will be playing on the other side of Toews. The Hawks struck out in their attempts to find a left wing to play next to Toews in the offseason, so someone in house will need to play there. Some names being thrown around are Vincent Hinostroza, Nick Schmaltz, Tyler Motte, and some of the other young players on our roster. The last option, is the nuclear option. Put Kane up on Toews right wing. This option is rarely seen, and really only used in the playoffs when the Blackhawks are desperate for a goal. However, I don’t think this is very likely or smart, as that second line of Panarin-Anisimov-Kane last year was absolutely fantastic and shouldn’t be separated. It will be interesting to see who plays with Toews this year, but the success of the Hawks may hinge on this line.

How will the defense be?

The Hawks had a really soft blue line last year, and often relied upon Crawford to bail them out and win games. Hopefully Crawford plays as well this year, and he likely will, but the defense needs to play much better if the Hawks want another Stanley Cup. Stan Bowman addressed this issue during the offseason, adding former Blackhawk Brian Campbell, who took a huge pay cut to wear a Blackhawks jersey again. He also added Michal Kempny to an entry level contract from the KHL, similar to how we picked up Panarin. Both of these players are likely to start on opening night, and certainly add to the defensive depth that the Hawks so badly needed. Brian Campbell, one of the players the Hawks added this summer to address their blue line depth issues is 37 years old. That adds to the aging defensive core the Hawks now have. Seabrook is 31, Keith is 33, Rozsival is 38, and Hjalmarsson is 29. The other two likely members of the defense are Michal Kempny (27) and Trevor van Riemsdyk (25). The Blackhawks blue liners are thus pretty old, and quickly aging. Keith, Seabrook, Hjalmarsson, and Campbell all play at a very high level. However, being a little older means they might not be as durable as they once were, and a significant injury to any one of those players could spell trouble for the defensive corps.

Will the kids be alright?

It is no secret that Coach Q loves his experienced and veteran players. It takes a lot for a young player to prove himself to Q and make the starting lineup. On the other hand, it is incredibly easy for a young player to end up in Q’s doghouse. This year, Q will have to rely on young players like never before. Anisimov, Desjardin, Hossa, Kane, Kruger, Panarin, and Toews are really the only locks to be on the opening day roster. That leaves 5 forward positions to be filled by young players who haven’t spent more than 50 games playing for the Blackhawks. The training camp which is currently underway is where most of these new, young faces will try and make a name for themselves. Some of the players who have a good shot of being on the opening night roster include Baun, Panik, Kero, Schmaltz, Hartman, Hinostroza, Rasmussen, Motte, and Tootoo. No matter what the opening lineup is like, it will certainly include a lot of young players. This will require Q to put an unusual amount of faith in these players, because we can’t just rely on a couple of lines. Also, some of these young players will have to come on strong and play well if we have any hope of making a run at The Cup. With the number of young forwards we have, some of them will certainly be able to slot into the lineup and play well, but it may take some time to find those players and the optimal lineup.