Narratives surrounding the Blackhawks next season.

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Joshua Deeds
August 8, 2023 (0:11)

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Looking ahead to the upcoming season, the Chicago Blackhawks have made some minor roster improvements.

Their biggest additions are Taylor Hall and Connor Bedard, who could potentially bring a new dynamic to the team.

Although Bedard is a promising player and likely to become a future NHL all-star, it's important to keep expectations realistic.

"Everybody knows who he is and sees him and he's going to have the No. 1 pairing against him," Blackhawks coach Luke Richardson said. "But a guy who has the drive like he does, I think that's going to push him to be even better. I'm not really afraid of what he's going to go up against but definitely there are going to be adjustments for him. The coaching staff will do everything we can to prepare him for that, but internal conversations with players and peers who have that experience, like Nick and Taylor and Corey, will go a long way."

He'll need to make adjustments to his game in order to succeed at the professional level.

One major gap in the team's leadership is the absence of a captain since Jonathan Toews' retirement.

While Connor Murphy currently wears an alternate captain's patch and has been with the Blackhawks the longest, Seth Jones could also be a strong candidate for the role due to his long-term contract, post-season experience, and alternate captaincy during home games.

Chicago general manager Kyle Davidson said he wasn't concerned about that.

"We're going to leave it up to him," he said. "We'll see how he does, how he comes into training camp. He had a long year, a long couple of years in juniors. So hopefully he has a good summer where he continues to build his body, continued to grow into his frame and he's ready for that full pro hockey season (in Chicago)."

Kevin Korchinski is facing a unique situation as he navigates the CHL and NHL's agreement prohibiting U20 players from joining the AHL. If he doesn't make the team after training camp, he'll be sent back to the Seattle Thunderbirds instead of being sent down to Rockford. However, Kyle Davidson, the team's general manager, doesn't see it as a major issue and will leave the decision up to Korchinski.

As Seen On: nhl.com