Hits to the Blackhawks keep coming in rapid fire as it seems 2020 wants to get as much out of its system before 2021 arrives at the scene.
Jonathan Toews will be out for an indefinite amount of time with an undisclosed illness forcing him to miss at least training camp as well as the start of the season.
Yet, an unsubstantiated rumor claims Toews will be out 4-6 months just like Kirby Dach and Alex Nylander who are sidelined after surgeries within the past week.
With Toews, Dach, and Nylander out, the Hawks are down an entire line in the top 9. The Hawks also lose its captain who is an influence off the ice as much as on it.
Training camp starts on Sunday so there is little time to decide on how to deal with Toews’ absence when managing the losses of Dach and Nylander was enough.
At any rate, there is so much to dissect with this latest news of Toews being unavailable for an indeterminate amount of time, so let's break things down:
* Should someone new be brought in to replace Toews?
* How is the center depth recalibrated?
* How do the forward lines reshuffle?
* Does the youth movement speed up?
* Should cap savings be used if Toews goes on LTIR?
* Who wears the C?
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Should someone new be brought in to replace Toews?
If the reason is to find a facsimile of Toews as far as offensive production and Selke-caliber two-way play, then the answer is no. The cost would simply be too high.
Such a move would entail giving up the team's own futures during a time when it needs to acquire other teams' futures. That is a strict no-no during a youth movement.
Also, a new 1C who is at a similar level as Toews wouldn't be cheap and would cramp the salary cap. This, too, is unwise when trying to forge financial sustainability.
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How is the center depth recalibrated?
This depends on whether Dylan Strome is retained after being re-signed so there are at least two possible scenarios to recalibrate the depth at the center position.
One the one hand, if Strome is retained, he would be the 1C then Carl Soderberg, Lucas Wallmark, and David Kampf are the likely centers on the other three lines.
However, the 1C and 2C designations depend on who plays center for Patrick Kane. Strome could actually be the 2nd line pivot if Soderberg centers Kane's line.
Then on the other hand, if Strome is traded, Soderberg remains a center in the top 6 while Wallmark and Kampf continue to anchor the 3rd and 4th lines respectively.
Who then would take Strome's spot as the other top 6 center?
Brandon Pirri is an option. His offensive output wouldn't be at Strome's level. Additionally, both of them have a lot left to be desired as far as defensive reliability.
Another option is having Pius Suter take on the role. Though he is an NHL rookie, he has played center and wing at the elite pro level in Switzerland for five years.
A third option is bumping Wallmark up to 2C and have Ryan Carpenter join Kampf as the bottom 6 centers. Wallmark could hold his own but not produce points.
And a final option is matriculating rookie Philipp Kurashev ahead of schedule. He should ideally marinate more in the AHL but could graduate early out of necessity.
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How do the forward lines reshuffle?
The choices for centers will dictate the rest of the line combinations. As such, there are many permutations for how the forward lines get drawn up.
Putting Strome aside, the forwards who are capable of playing at a top 6 level are Kane, Alex DeBrincat, and Dominik Kubalik. Perhaps a healthy Andrew Shaw.
Spreading out the offensive firepower, having a defensive element, and finding complementary linemates are paramount for at least the 1st and 2nd lines.
With that in mind, Soderberg centering Kane and either DeBrincat or Kubalik may be viable. Soderberg is solid defensively and can produce at a 0.50 PPG clip.
On this line, Kane would be the playmaker, DeBrincat or Kubalik would be the shooter, and Soderberg would be the space creator given his strength and snarl.
The 2nd line would then have DeBrincat or Kubalik as the shooter but that is the only constant. It's trickier, though, determining the center and other winger.
Playmaking options for 2C would include Strome, Pirri, and Kurashev. Wallmark is a downgrade offensively but he would be reliable on draws and defensively.
The other winger on the 2nd line could also be a number of options such as Shaw, Suter, or Mattias Janmark. Suter may have the greatest offensive upside.
The bottom 6 lines are easier to chart out, especially the 4th line where Kampf and Matthew Highmore are fixtures. Add in Carpenter or Brandon Hagel. Done.
If there's a line that gets whoever is left over, it's the 3rd line. In other words, fill out lines 1, 2, and 4 first then see what chips remain to complete line 3.
For instance, the 3C is likely either Wallmark or Carpenter. Shaw, Suter, Janmark, and Hagel would then be in the mix to be the 3rd line wingers.
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Does the youth movement speed up?
Even though it seems like there could be a potential shift in gears for the franchise, staying the course with only those rookies who are NHL ready should be the plan.
Adam Boqvist evidently wasn't ready last year and should have spent the entire season in Rockford. This year, though, may be the start of his break out.
If Boqvist is paired with Nikita Zadorov who can help patrol the back end and protect him, then that could be the confidence boost needed to spread his wings.
So then as far as non-goalie rookies, the ones poised to crack the Hawks lineup are forwards Suter and Hagel plus blueliners Ian Mitchell and Lucas Carlsson.
Suter already has five seasons of pro experience. Hagel keeps rising to the occasion at each phase of his development. Both may have short growth curves.
Despite staying in college for one more season, Mitchell had the vote of confidence from Hawks player personnel staff to make the varsity team last season.
Carlsson should have been recalled ahead of Boqvist a season ago as he has excelled as the Hogs best all-around defender for two years. He's NHL ready.
Rookies who are next in line include Kurashev, MacKenzie Entwistle, and Nicolas Beaudin. However, each should continue to be Rockford starters in all situations.
Reese Johnson and Tim Soderlund up front and Chad Krys, Wyatt Kalynuk, and Alec Regula on the back end are the next wave but realistically next season or after.
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Should cap savings be used if Toews goes on LTIR?
If Toews is out for a length of time that puts him in the LTIR category, the Hawks should consider using the space resulting from his cap hit to gain futures.
Of course, Rocky Wirtz as team owner would need to agree to spend so he could close this window of opportunity on his own and make this a non-factor.
In the event Wirtz gives the green light, the Hawks could trade for other teams' bad contracts and obtain futures like 1st round picks and blue-chip prospects.
The price still needs to be right in terms of who the Hawks would have to give up. It doesn't make sense to part with coveted Chicago futures. Tread carefully.
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Who wears the C?
Nobody else should wear the captain's C except for Toews. It's doubtful that the captaincy is temporarily bestowed to someone else even if he is out the entire season.
If anything, the Hawks could possibly add one more alternate captain to the legion. Connor Murphy makes sense to join Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, and Kane.
Murphy has captained Team USA a few times for international tourneys with teams composed of pro players. He also wore the A in juniors with the Sarnia Sting.
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