Projecting The 2022-2023 Chicago Blackhawk Opening Night Lineup

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Michael
September 17, 2022 (11:19)

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The Chicago Blackhawks are going to see quite a lot of new faces this season. Players like Peter Mrazek, Andreas Athanasiou, and Max Domi will wearing the Chicago sweater for the first time. On the other hand, the Blackhawks also lost quite a few players as well. Guys like Alex DeBrincat, Dylan Strome, Dominik Kubalik, and Kirby Dach will all be on new squads this upcoming season. So with all of this movement on the roster, the lines will be looking quite different on opening night for the Blackhawks when they take on the defending Stanley Cup Champions the Colorado Avalanche for their first game this season.

Most of the major changes will be coming on the forward lines. Losing not one, but two guys who spent time on the top line is always hard to recover from. The big question surrounding forwards is Lukas Reichel. One has to think the front office will want him at the NHL level for at least a small amount of the NHL season. So depending on where he is at, will determine the lines for the Blackhawks. Here are some line options for the Blackhawks with and without Reichel.

Athanasiou-Toews-Kane
Raddysh-Reichel-Domi
Kurashev-T. Johnson-Entwistle
Katchouk-Lafferty-Blackwell

If there is no Lukas Reichel, throw Reese Johnson in there at 3rd or 4th line center, bump everyone else up at center a line and call it good.

Defensive pairings will also look a little different for the Blackhawks this upcoming season. However, some of the departures on the defensive side may have been for the betterment of the team in the long run. For example, after all of the frustration and head scratching he cause, most Blackhawks fans were probably happy to see a guy like Erik Gustafson go. With his departure, as well as Calvin de Haan, here's what the defensive pairings could look like for the Blackhawks this season.

McCabe-S. Jones
C. Jones-Murphy
Mitchell-J. Johnson

Really, the top pair is probably the only guarantee to start the season. You could argue that the other 4 are interchangeable, based off who seems to click together the best as the season progresses.

There's also a good chance we will see quite a few prospects on the defensive side get some experience at the NHL level, should the front office decide to go in that direction. Guys like Alex Vlasic, Alec Regula, and Isaak Phillips who all saw a little bit of NHL time last season. You can expect them to get as much NHL time, probably (hopefully) more.

And then in net, safe to assume Peter Mrazek will come in and be the guy to take over as starter. He by far has the most experience out of all the goalies currently on the roster. As far as backup goalie, either Alex Stalock or Arvid Soderblom will be in that spot. Soderblom probably has a bit more experience, however, he didn't really impress in time at the NHL level, so Stalock certainly has a shot at it.

In all honesty, not a whole lot to look forward to on the ice for the Blackhawks. this not a playoff team, simple as that. As fans, we can only hope to maybe get a small glimpse of the future by getting a good look at some prospects and how they perform at the NHL level.