Happy New Year!
Bye bye, 2020. Hello 2021.
Let's ring in the new year and have a prelude to the long-awaited new season with a list of 21 questions that are likely Blackhawks storylines to follow in the coming months.
Although it's not hard to fathom why many fans may write off the 2021 season and say it's over before it started, there is still much to keep an eye on and look forward to.
In no particular order of significance:
1. When will Jonathan Toews regain full health and feel comfortable enough to return to the lineup?
2. Will Dylan Strome re-sign with Chicago -- and if so -- will he be retained as a top 6 center or traded?
3. Once Kirby Dach returns from his wrist injury, will he rise to the level that fans were looking forward to?
4. Similar to Strome, will Alex Nylander be re-signed or traded once healthy as his ELC is set to expire?
5. How will Patrick Kane and Duncan Keith lead their respective cohorts with the forward ranks and blueline corps?
6. Will Alex DeBrincat rebound to goal production equivalent to at least a 30-goal -- if not a 40-goal -- clip?
7. Will Dominik Kubalik be able to avoid a sophomore slump and turn in an encore performance?
8. Will Andrew Shaw stay healthy all season and contribute at a level that matches his reputation?
9. Will Carl Soderberg prove he can provide primary offense and line up against other teams' best players?
10. Are Lucas Wallmark and Mattias Janmark able to inject the work ethic and competitiveness that Stan Bowman was attracted to?
11. Can Brent Seabrook bounce back as a solid defensive defenseman after finally getting multiple surgeries?
12. Will Nikita Zadorov be a physical, hard-hitting force without sacrificing reliable, shut-down defense?
13. Can Adam Boqvist start to break out with his offensive flow while still committing to defensive growth?
14. Is Ian Mitchell the real deal as a sure-fire, immediate- impact young D-man who could be the next Keith?
15. Which goalies will step up to be the starter and backup this season and hopefully beyond?
16. Which prospects will crack the active roster out of camp?
17. Who will be assigned to the taxi squad?
18. Which veterans as well as players on one-year contracts will be traded by the TDL?
19. Will any of the core waive their NMCs and request a trade?
20. Will the team consistently play the game that aligns with the team's professed identity of strong work ethic and compete level?
21. Will Jeremy Colliton be effective at managing the lineup and relationships with individual players?
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Training camp opens on Sunday with off-ice activities. On-ice practice begins on Monday.
Each camp roster can include up to 36 skaters and an unlimited number of goaltenders.
Here's an educated guess of who could be on the camp roster:
Centers (4)
* David Kampf
* Brandon Pirri
* Carl Soderberg
* Lucas Wallmark
Wingers (18)
* Andrei Altybarmakyan
* Evan Barratt
* Ryan Carpenter
* Matej Chalupa
* Alex DeBrincat
* MacKenzie Entwistle
* Brandon Hagel
* Matthew Highmore
* Mattias Janmark
* Reese Johnson
* Patrick Kane
* Dominik Kubalik
* Philipp Kurashev
* John Quenneville
* Andrew Shaw
* Tim Soderlund
* Pius Suter
* Mikael Hakkarainen
Defensemen (14)
* Nicolas Beaudin
* Adam Boqvist
* Lucas Carlsson
* Calvin de Haan
* Wyatt Kalynuk
* Duncan Keith
* Chad Krys
* Anton Lindholm
* Ian Mitchell
* Connor Murphy
* Alec Regula
* Brent Seabrook
* Nick Seeler
* Nikita Zadorov
Goalies (5)
* Collin Delia
* Kevin Lankinen
* Cale Morris
* Malcolm Subban
* Matt Tomkins
Dylan Strome would be on the camp roster but he has still yet to sign a new contract. This would also assume he isn’t immediately traded if he does re-sign within the next two weeks.
Also, Michel Teply would be worth consideration yet he is at the WJC so his availability to attend camp may not align depending on how the Czech Republic team fares in the tourney.
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See you on the boards!
Chicago Blackhawks Blogger • 
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