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It's just scrimmages at training camp, but the early returns on Marko Dano, Artemi Panarin and a bulked up Teuvo Teravainen are good news for a team that's needed just that for the last several weeks.
What a nice change of pace from the relative ugliness of last week's press conference. And I will touch on that situation, as it is relevant to the team going forward, in a moment.
Back to the ice.
Dano is playing with Jonathan Toews and Marian Hossa, so definitely he has been put in position to succeed. Again, playing against lesser Blackhawk lines, he's been lighting it up with with a hat trick in Saturday's scrimmage and a couple of 3-on-3 goals. Really, this should come as no surprise as he was really strong down the stretch, with lesser linemates playing for Columbus, last season.
So maybe, meh, he's a replacement of sorts for Brandon Saad. A lot of NHL personnel people felt Stan Bowman made a bit of a steal in getting Dano, along with Artem Anisimov, for Saad. So, box checked, maybe.
As far as Panarin, he's looked strong, playing with countryman and former KHL teammate Viktor Tikhonov and Teravainen. His speed, awareness and puck skill are evident. This also, as an early return, is great. But a lot remains to be seen.
Finally Teravainen, who appears to have added a few pounds in the offseason. To me, of the three players I mentioned at the start of the blog, he might be the most important. Because if he can make it this year as a center on an offensive line, then that is a line making, mismatch weapon for Joel Quenneville, taking a lot of pressure off of Toews, Anisimov and Marcus Kruger.
A possibility I mentioned here several weeks ago, the Hawks went ahead and re-signed Michal Rozsival to a league minimum deal. This is interesting because, along with PTOs offered to Jan Hejda and Lubomir Visnofsky, it signals a couple of things.
First, that the Hawks are serious about veteran defensive depth—the way a team that's serious about winning a Cup should be.
Anyone thinking a Cup repeat—hard enough to do by itself—was going to happen with a blue line 5-7 of Trevor Van Riemsdyk, David Rundblad and Erik Gustafsson, was probably deep into the frontier of wishful thinking.
I have no idea what kind of off-ice relationship Rozsival has with Hejda, but you have to think there is one based on their relative ages, shared nationality and international playing experience (at the very least).
Sure, it could shake out a variety of ways, but in all likelihood, 5-7 on the Hawk defense is going to be a couple of veterans (including Rozsival) and a youngster, with another player or two on speed dial in Rockford.
Rozsival is allegedly still battling some residual pain from his ankle injury in the second round of the playoffs. But clearly, the Hawks plan to have him in the mix, most likely more so as the season progresses.
See, we went almost a whole blog without discussing Kane. And now to touch on that briefly.
What's become evident is no one really knows for sure what went on at Kane's mansion that fateful night, or has since in the legal machinery of Western New York.
What appears to be happening though is pattern that will eventually lead to an out of court resolution of some kind. I won't even say "a settlement." And if there is one, that will likely never be publicly "proven."
As for Kane's hockey future, I've heard quite a bit on that of late, and some of it is conflicting. But there are aspects of that which have been quite consistent. And would come as a shock or unpleasantry to some, so I will, in the interest of just moving forward and focusing on hockey, keep that to myself.
I will repeat what I have said for several weeks now, which is: regardless of the outcome of any legal matter in the alleged incident, there is the larger issue of the pattern of these incidents, and certain circumstances, involving the same player.
It's great that it appears to be mostly "over," as far as a public spectacle. But to assume the Blackhawks, like some of their fans, will just forget it and move on is incorrect. The Blackhawks know most of you like to watch Patrick Kane play hockey. But the Blackhawks have a business to run—with many, many other considerations that can't be hamstrung by the unpredictability of one player and his "posse."
My strong sense has been that the Hawks would need to see a dramatic change in Kane—in terms of his attitude and his choices—in order to move on with him in a Hawk sweater. And for what it's worth, based on all I've heard, especially since least week, Kane is in a Hawk sweater. For now. But with my money, I wouldn't bet on it longterm.
Back to hockey. You can catch tomorrow night's preseason opener versus the Red Wings, and a lot more preseason action, by clicking here:
http://www.hockeystreams.com/ref/51981
I'll be back with more as I have it.
JJ