The wait is over, and tonight we officially have hockey that matters once again. The Chicago Blackhawks look to get off on a good foot after a miserable preseason campaign. They open their season up against a familiar foe with a new look. The Kachina era has come to an end, and the birth of the Utah Hockey Club is here. I am excited to see how this team does now that they have an owner who isn’t afraid to spend money and has Stanley Cup aspirations sooner than later. For me, this is a good test to start the season for this new-look Hawks team. In franchise history, the team is 2-1-1 against teams playing in their first game, so let's hope they get that third win.
Utah is an up-and-coming team that has a great young core and now added some good veteran pieces. Last year they finished the year with 77 points, and they will be looking to be a factor in the wildcard battle this season. I don’t see them making the playoffs, but new city, new owner, and fans who are behind them 100% already, never say never because stranger things have happened before. They are going to look to new captain Clayton Keller to lead the offense once again this season; he finished last year with 76 points in 78 games, but he isn’t going to be coming alone. This team has a few exciting young guns on their offense, with Logan Cooley penciling in at the second line center, Dylan Guenther, who signed a big contract extension this summer, and Josh Doan, who had a great stint last year, putting up 9 goals in 11 games. The addition of Mikhail Sergachev on the back end just shows the time of being the butt of the joke is over and its time to get serious.
Project Line Up
Blackhawks lines in morning skate are the same as yesterday:
The Hawks goal this offseason was to take the next step, and finishing dead last was no longer acceptable. Kyle Davidson put his money where his mouth was and brought in NHL talent to play on this team after an injury-filled season last year forced a lot of players into the lineup that might not have been ready to be in that position. KD didn’t scare the rebuild plan by keeping all deals short, but he was able to buy the kids some time to play key minutes in Rockford that they wouldn’t get in Chicago. The most important thing he did was get Connor Bedard the help he deserved, and he will look to put up even bigger numbers than the 61 he got last year. This team is by no means a playoff team, but there is no doubt in my mind that this year is going to go better than last year. I would love for this team to reach the 70-75 point range, but realistically, I would be thrilled if they could get into the mid-60s. For this to happen they need to find seven more wins, and I don’t see why that can't happen.
The night is darkest before the dawn, and Hawks fans, we are still in the middle of the night, but if you look hard enough, you can see the dawn isn’t far off. Tonight is the next step to get to the dawn, and no matter how it goes, all I can say is how thrilled I am for hockey to finally be back.
Puck Drop is set for 9 p.m. with coverage on ESPN, so if you are like me and still can't get the Chicago Sports Network, we are in luck. As always, Let's Go Hawks!
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