Blackhawks Season Preview: Patrick Kane, and the summer that changes everything
The Chicago Blackhawks can handle change. They've built an empire with it. But what happens when there's no promise that things will ever be the same?
Patrick Kane is one of the faces of the Blackhawks and the NHL, and also the subject of an ongoing criminal investigation into an alleged sexual assault at his summer home outside Buffalo.
It's a harrowing and truly unfortunate situation. And it's one that dwarfs his exceptional talent, as well as his importance to the franchise, the league, and, really, anything that will happen on a sheet of ice this season. Period.
But many rungs below real life, there's hockey. And right or dead wrong, Kane will be practicing it, playing it, profiting off it, and using it as an escape throughout training camp. And perhaps all season.
Last summer, it was Kane sitting, this time beaming, before the media with sponsorship logos strewn in with that of the Blackhawks' on the backdrop, as he, the team, and captain Jonathan Toews joyously celebrated dueling contract extensions priced at $84 million.
It was a proud moment for the organization. They had effectively knighted the two players largely responsible for restoring glory to a club that really didn't have too much to trumpet. They had made them Blackhawks for life.
No kidding.
And while that promise - their allegiance - was challenged this summer, it was reinforced Thursday on the campus of Notre Dame when the team's managerial hierarchy joined Kane, this time solemn, as he delivered a brief statement to the media that included an apology and declaration of innocence.
As such, the situation remains clear as mud. But we do now know that the Blackhawks are willing to stand beside Kane at the risk of scorn, and accept the societal, financial, and on-ice repercussions associated with backing a hockey player facing such series allegations.
This season, when Chicago will attempt to defend its Stanley Cup for the first time in franchise history, there were concerns - ones of much less consequence - that predate the alleged incident.
And for the sake of this hockey preview, let's touch on them.
With Kane and Toews increasing their share of the salary cap by $8.4 million, or about 12 percent, the Blackhawks were faced with their most daunting post-championship restoration project yet. They sacrificed Brandon Saad, Patrick Sharp, and Kris Versteeg via trade, and let Brad Richards, Antoine Vermette, and Johnny Oduya walk.
It's really anyone's guess whether the latest return shipment, made up of Artem Anisimov, Marko Dano, Trevor Daley, and Artemi Panarin, can continue to help yield wins and banners, and be the next wave of ancillary talent to successfully supplement the dynastic core. But that's the thing about the Blackhawks: they always seem to make it work.
Only this time, with Kane, perseverance may be their downfall.
Projected Depth Chart
| LW | C | RW |
|---|---|---|
| Bryan Bickell | Jonathan Toews | Marian Hossa |
| Marko Dano | Teuvo Teravainen | Patrick Kane |
| Artemi Panarin | Artem Anisimov | Andrew Shaw |
| Andrew Desjardins | Marcus Kruger | Ryan Garbutt |
| Viktor Tikhonov |
| LD | RD |
|---|---|
| Duncan Keith | Brent Seabrook |
| Trevor Daley | Niklas Hjalmarsson |
| Trevor van Riemsdyk | David Rundblad |
| G |
|---|
| Corey Crawford |
| Scott Darling |
X-Factor
Every band has a forgotten member. For the Blackhawks, it's goaltender Corey Crawford.
With two Stanley Cups, and never enough respect, Crawford was quietly brilliant (despite his first-round hiccup versus the Nashville Predators) for a Blackhawks team that, frankly, didn't score enough last season.
He spearheaded the top crease in the Western Conference in terms of save percentage, and a group that finished only fractionally behind the Carey Price-led Montreal Canadiens.
Better than 70 percent of his starts were considered "quality," which was the best among full-time goaltenders. And he did it in the face of more than 30 shots per game, which, like the team's total scoring output, finished in the bottom half of the league.
Player to Watch
The Blackhawks brought back talent in return, but in order to recoup the scoring of Saad and Sharp, Teuvo Teravainen, in what will be his first full season, will have to play a major role.
Teravainen, the former 18th overall pick, scored just 10 goals last season in a rookie campaign split nearly evenly between the NHL and AHL. But by the end of the year - in the midst of a breakout playoff - it was obvious he belonged in the top flight, and that he was to play a major role very soon.
He's penciled in as the No. 2 center right now, but with Andrew Shaw's experience and ability to move up and around the lineup, Teravainen will have to prove he can fulfill the responsibilities of an NHL pivot quickly to secure a pair of elite linemates.