Defenseman Duncan Keith is expecting to play in Chicago’s season opener against St. Louis Blues on October 12, as he works his way back from a knee injury.

The 33-year-old had surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee last October, missing four weeks before returning to the lineup. He ultimately played in 67 games for the Blackhawks last season, scoring nine goals and 43 points, but suffered some further discomfort in the knee over the summer.

Keith ultimately took the decision to rest the injury, pulling out of Team Canada’s World Cup of Hockey squad in late August to be replaced by Jay Bouwmeester.

He has been taking part in the Blackhawks training camp as part of his rehabilitation and logged nearly twenty minutes of ice time during Tuesday’s preseason game against Detroit, his first taste of action since Chicago were eliminated from the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs by St. Louis.

“I haven’t played a game in a long time, like a lot of guys [have], so I’m just going to keep it simple and I’ll just get that feeling back again,” Keith told NHL.com’s Brian Hedger ahead of Tuesday’s game. “It’s just one of those things now where it’s going to be just focusing on maintaining my health and doing everything I can to make sure I’m feeling as good as I can to play.”

Selected in the second round (54th overall) by Chicago in 2002, Keith has featured in 833 career NHL games for the franchise, winning three Stanley Cups, two Olympic gold medals and two Norris Trophies.

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Bob McKenzie of TSN reported on Thursday that the Chicago Blackhawks have engaged the Edmonton Oilers in trade discussions for right-winger Nail Yakupov. McKenzie added that no deal is imminent and that the Blackhawks are still interested in filling any holes in their lineup from within.

Chicago could still have interest in adding Yakupov, but the two teams reportedly have not spoken on the matter recently.

The Oilers selected Yakupov first overall back in the 2012 NHL Draft, though he didn’t make his league debut until January 2013. He is coming off a relatively disappointing 2015-2016 campaign during which he scored just eight goals and dished out 15 assists in 60 games. For his career, Yakupov has scored 50 goals with 61 assists in 252 NHL games.

He signed a two-year contract extension worth $5 million in April 2015.

Edmonton has been among the league’s worst teams over the last several years and their 10-year playoff drought is currently the longest in the NHL. In potentially acquiring the up-and-comer, the Blackhawks would be hoping that Yakupov’s relative lack of production to this point has been due somewhat to having been a part of a poor team.

Mark Spector of Sportsnet added that if a deal were to come down, the Blackhawks would send prospects to the Oilers and ask Edmonton to eat some of Yakupov’s $2.5 million salary for the upcoming season.

Chicago was forced to trade promising young center Andrew Shaw to the Montreal Canadiens earlier in the summer due in large part to a lack of available salary cap space. The Blackhawks are looking to replace the 14 goals and 20 assists that Shaw provided last season.

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While on Vancouver’s TSN 1040 Thursday afternoon, NHL Insider Bob McKenzie followed up on his tweets from 90 minutes earlier regarding the possibility of a Nail Yakupov trade brewing between the Edmonton Oilers and Chicago Blackhawks.

How close does he think the Blackhawks are to consummating a deal for Yakupov?

“There was a report out of Chicago today that suggested – the website report, though not mainstream media, per say – that suggested the deal was done. That is was being worked on and should close very quickly here.

“I investigated that and my best information, which I always allow for the possibility of it being wrong, is that there’s nothing imminent from the Chicago Blackhawks with regards to a trade for Nail Yakupov.

“But what I did find out was that there has been interest on the part of the Hawks in Nail Yakupov, and there were trade conversations between general manager Stan Bowman and general manager Peter Chiarelli awhile ago. That there hasn’t been anything recently as in the last number of days. That’s not to say something couldn’t get revived, but in specific response to a very specific report that this trade was happening, I don’t believe that to be the case.

“I think what the Hawks are doing right now is they want to see how some of their kids fare by the time camp is over. And they do have interest in Yakupov, but it’s a difficult deal to do because Edmonton would need to eat a significant chunk of the money. So we’ll see. It may be something that could potentially get revisited and might one day happen, but I don’t anticipate that – per the report – that it’s going to happen as laid out in that today.”

Dreger: Trade market for Oilers’ Yakupov has been weak

McKenzie was then asked if, from people with whom he’s spoken, if Yakupov can be rehabilitated as a player or if he’s a pick –like Magnus Paajarvi – that may never reach the acclaim he once had.

“Well, I think even when St. Louis got Magnus Paajarvi, they thought there was a rehabilitation factor there,” noted McKenzie. “He’s just a fringe player for them. He’s in their Top 14 right now, but just barely. And he has become a fringe NHLer after the anticipation was so much more.

“Yakupov is that much more interesting because he’s a No. 1 overall pick, and you get the feeling that Todd McLellan…”

It was at this point that McKenzie’s cell phone reception cut out for a few seconds.

“… Peter Chiarelli has also been really clear and adamant that while (Yakupov) may not have the success we thought he was going to have when he was taken No. 1 overall by the Oilers, he may still enjoy success in the National Hockey League, relative as that may be, and that we’re not going to give him away for nothing.

“So they’re not just going to eat up all the money and take a bag of pucks and say get rid of you. But I’m sure that the price tag can’t be enormous either.”

Dreger: Rivals see Oilers as ‘a team that matters this year’

Does McKenzie see Chicago as a good fit for Yakupov with players that could get him the puck and help him to realize more of that potential?

“Yeah, you never know,” said McKenzie. “I know he plays the right side, but what if you were to throw him on the left wing with Anisimov and Kane. Two Russians and a guy that plays like a Russian sometimes, and makes almost any line he’s on instantly better. And I’m talking, of course, about Patrick Kane.

“But right now, the Blackhawks want to see – they’re still sorting things through. They’ve got four young guys. Tyler Motte, who’s probably, if I had to guess, might open the season on the left side of Marcus Kruger and Marian Hossa on a good two-way third line. They’ve got Vincent Hinostroza and Ryan Hartman – two guys that have played in the minors for the last couple of years. Hinostroza is small and fast. Hartman’s sort of an Andrew Shaw redux, if you will. A gritty guy that plays the game and is pretty smart and makes things happen. And then they’ve got Nick Schmaltz up, first-round pick from 2014 who’s a first-year pro, who’s more of a pure offensive guy.

“Those four guys are basically competing for three spots and how they all shake out remains to be seen. But Joel Quenneville looks like he kind of wants to try Jonathan Toews with Richard Panik up front, and see who that left-winger is. It could be any one of those guys we just mentioned. And he’s got Anisimov and Kane and one of those left-wingers. And then he’s got Kruger and Hossa and probably Tyler Motte from that group. And then figure out his fourth line and spares and stuff.

“So there might be a spot for Yakupov there under the right set of circumstances, but I think the Hawks first want to see how Hinostroza, Hartman, Schmaltz and Motte work out first.”

Source: TSN 1040/ Transcript: Nichols

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One of the most frequently neglected aspects of player evaluation is opportunity. Where a player actually lines up and who they skate with has a massive impact on their ability to produce.

For two-way studs, this isn’t much of a problem. No one is going to come down on Jonathan Toews for ‘only’ scoring 58 points in a season because of what he does in the neutral and defensive zones.

For a wing like Nail Yakupov, though, skating on a bad team’s third line won’t ever lead to success. That’s where the former first-overall draft pick spent a majority of the 2015-16 campaign, and it showed in his numbers. He only found the back of the net eight times and, at one point, went 16 consecutive contests without a goal.

That’s what happens when you give a goal-scoring wing like Yakupov a center like Mark Letestu — a fine checking forward in his own right, but he’s not the sort of passer that is needed here. Not when Edmonton is wanting Yakupov to score between 20 and 30 goals while only seeing 14:13 of ice time on average per night.

Now it sounds like Yakupov has fallen even farther down the depth chart. Earlier this week, Jim Matheson reported that the forward could start the season watching from the press box. And it’s tough to score goals from the press box while wearing a suit and tie. That’s where he’s at with the Oilers, however. Even if he ends up playing, he’s not going to have the opportunities he needs in Edmonton.

Which is what makes the recent Yakupov-to-Chicago trade scenario such an interesting one. Keep in mind that Bob McKenzie has said that nothing is imminent between the Blackhawks and Oilers, but this is a player Chicago has shown interest in before. They are going to (wisely) wait to see how their younger players perform in the coming days, but they could end up with a hole on the right side.

Patrick Kane will continue to be the team’s go-to wing for the foreseeable future, but there’s a bit of a talent drop off after him. While in his prime, Marian Hossa was one of the top two-way forwards in the game. At the age of 37, his best years are behind him — at least when it comes to scoring goals at the NHL level. Hossa will notch his 500th early this season, but he’s no longer the high-end scoring threat he once was. He knows his role is changing, and Chicago doesn’t have any no-brainer options when it comes to who to skate with Toews.

Ryan Hartman doesn’t seem to be the sort of impact forward the ‘Hawks would want in their top six. The spot seems to be Hossa’s by default going into opening night, but it’s easy to see where Yakupov would fit in with the roster. Hossa could skate on the third unit with someone like Marcus Kruger, giving Chicago an outstanding bottom six to work with. Meanwhile, the Oilers’ potential cast away could line up with one of the best two-way centers in the NHL in Toews.

The Oilers asked Yakupov to play a checking role last season, but that’s isn’t his meal ticket. It never was and never will be. He was selected so high because of his scoring prowess and creativity in the offensive zone — something that hasn’t been on display frequently in Edmonton over the last two seasons.

This has led to the trade market for Yakupov being characterized as weak. Just how weak? It sounds like the forward could be snatched up for as little as a single draft pick. Not a first- or second-round pick either. The Oilers want to trade this player and are willing to move him at a pretty deep discount.

Unlike a lot of the options available to the Blackhawks should they decide to upgrade at right wing, Yakupov’s cap hit isn’t unreasonable. He’ll hit the cap for $2.5 million this season and will be a restricted free agent next summer. If Darren Dreger is correct when saying that the Oilers aren’t looking for more than a third-round pick, this seems like a low risk/high reward sort of gamble for the ‘Hawks.

It may be risky, but not as risky as starting the season with an aging Hossa or Hartman competing for top-line minutes. By most accounts, Yakupov is a hard-working player and is well liked by teammates. Edmonton hasn’t exactly been the incubator needed to coax a goal-scorer out of the forward, but there’s a totally different environment in place in Chicago. More importantly, the 24-year-old would be given the opportunity to play with impact forwards who can get him the puck and cover up his weaknesses.

Maybe this particular trace scenario isn’t imminent, but it certainly is interesting. There’s a bit of smoke on this front and it’s a situation that should be worth keeping an eye on as October rolls into November. If Yakupov is still sitting in the press box and Chicago’s need for wing depth becomes apparent, we could very well see this unfold.

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Last year, depth forward Andrew Desjardins recorded a career high eight goals and 13 total points in 70 regular season games with the Chicago Blackhawks.

This year, though, he’s going to have to sit out the start of the season, instead of trying to get a head start on his contributions again.

It was confirmed on Monday morning by Tracey Myers of CSN that Desjardins is out four to six weeks with a lower body injury, putting his regular season debut with the Central Division’s Blackhawks somewhere around mid to late November. Myers gave no details regarding the type of lower body injury.

Undrafted at the NHL level, the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds alumnus first went pro back in 2007, skating with the now-defunct Laredo Bucks of the now-defunct CHL. Since then, he’s spent nearly his entire career with the San Jose Sharks, either as a depth forward or a minor leaguer in their AHL system, and with the Blackhawks. He’s recorded a career 362 NHL games, putting up 23 goals and 63 points in the process.

As a fourth liner, the loss of Desjardins from Chicago’s active roster isn’t the worst thing for the club – but as a cap-strapped team, they likely don’t want to see too many players out with short-term injuries (if out with injuries at all).

The Blackhawks will open their 2016-17 season on Wednesday, October 12th, when they face off against the St. Louis Blues at home at the United Center.

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After a disappointing start to the season with the loss to the St. Louis Blues on opening night for the league the Chicago Blackhawks will be seeing the return of defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson.

Hjalmarsson, 29, was unable to suit up for the Blackhawks earlier this week due to serving out the remainder of a suspension for a high hit during the preseason match up with the Blues (he was fined and suspended for the rest of the preseason schedule along with game one of the regular season).

Chicago fell 5-2 in the opener and now look to rebound. Part of the rebound is fitting Hjalmarsson back into the clubs line up. The penalty kill specialist left a hole in the unit as three of the goals allowed came while the Blackhawks were on the penalty kill.

Players that could see themselves sitting tonight as Chicago is set to take on the Nashville Predators this evening include: Michal Kempny, Gustav Forsling, or even Trevor van Riemsdyk.

With Riemsdyk being the veteran out of the options with 100+ NHL games, his performance on Wednesday of being assessed four penalty minutes, ending the game a minus-1 and having 23 shifts within 16:06 minutes of ice time the 25-year old defender could be the odd man out.

Kempny, 26, has impressed many over training camp and made his NHL debut in Wednesday night’s loss. The Czech blue liner ended the game a minus-2 but had more shifts and time on ice than Riemsdyk with 24 shifts over 18:44 minutes.

Forsling, 20, also made his NHL debut in the game and while held off the scoreboard he had 20 shifts in 15:29 and registered a shot and no penalty time.

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For the first time in the Joel Quenneville era, the Chicago Blackhawks have opened the season 0-2-0. They lost their season opener Wednesday night at home to the St. Louis Blues 5-2, before falling on Friday night in Nashville, 3-2.

Since taking over in 2008-09, the Blackhawks have made the Postseason every season that Quenneville has been at the helm. Only once have they failed to hit the 95-point mark, and that is due to the lockout season, in which they went 36-7-5 and went on to win the Stanley Cup.

Success with Chicago and Quenneville have been synonymous: he’s won three Stanley Cups (2010, 2013, 2015) against three different opponents. Their loss in the first round to St. Louis last season was the first time they hadn’t reached the conference quarterfinals since he took over. In the Postseason with Chicago, he owns a .610 winning percentage, while managing to keep the core of his All-Star roster both in tact and at the top of their game.

A former first-round pick of the Toronto Maple Leafs (21st overall) himself in the 1978 NHL Draft, Quenneville had a decade-long career that mainly featured time with the Hartford Whalers as a defenseman.

From 1996-2002, Quenneville was always the bridesmaid and never the bride when the head coach of the St. Louis Blues. He went to seven consecutive conference quarterfinals, getting as close as losing in the conference finals in 2000-01 to Colorado. Only once in his 18-year coaching career that he has been allowed to finish the season, has his team not made the playoffs.

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Few athletes in modern sports embody the word longevity better than Marian Hossa. At the age of 37, he’s among the oldest players in the National Hockey League, joining Mark Streit, Matt Cullen, Zdeno Chara and Jaromir Jagr as one of the game’s elder statesmen.

Given the way Hossa has inexplicably flown under the radar, it’d be easy to forget how long he’s been around. So here’s some perspective: On Oct. 1, 1997, the day he made his debut with the Ottawa Senators, Auston Matthews turned two weeks old.

Indeed, Hossa has enjoyed a lengthy and remarkably successful tenure in the NHL. His next regular season goal will be the 500th of his career; he has two Stanley Cup championship rings, is one of 83 players to record 1,000 regular season points and, in this writer’s opinion, deserves to be in the Professional Hockey Hall of Fame.

But Father Time spares no one — not even the man Chicagoans refer to as a “demigod.” Hossa’s skills are undoubtedly waning, and after last season, when he amassed a career-low 13 goals in 64 contests, the Slovak was left to ponder why he didn’t execute like he did in the past.

“I’m not sure why I was not as effective as before,” Hossa told the Chicago Sun-Times in September. “If I knew exactly, I’d be really working on that. But I don’t have an answer for that.”

He may not have a concrete answer, but Hossa understands it may be the simplest explanation of all.

“It could also be the age,” he added. “There are lots of guys who [have] great numbers, and when they hit a certain [age], the numbers slowly go down. Everybody’s game is going to decline at some point.”

Hossa’s right, but that doesn’t mean his downward trend will continue.

19 April 2016: St. Louis Blues Goalie Brian Elliott (1) blocks a shot from Chicago Blackhawks Right Wing Marian Hossa (81). (Photo by Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire)

For almost his entire career, Hossa’s shooting percentage rested in the low teens; in 2014-15, however, it plummeted to 8.9, and last season, it fell to 6.8. He dealt with injury troubles in 2015-16, and his shot doesn’t have the zip it once had, but he hasn’t decayed enough physically to justify such a steep tumble.

In fact, last year, he generated more shot attempts per hour and shots per hour than every other Blackhawk who skated in 500-plus minutes in all situations. Not all shots are created equal, of course, but it’s encouraging to know he’s still firing the puck at a high clip.

For what it’s worth, Corsica’s model expected him to notch 42 goals in the last two campaigns (146 games), seven more than he actually scored.

So part of the aforementioned dip could be chalked up to bad breaks. Considering the likelihood of regression, it wouldn’t be stunning if Hossa experienced a healthy uptick in production. He’s already off to a promising start: Hossa earned an assist in each of Chicago’s first two games, and registered six shots on net in the process.

Still, expectations should be tame.

Aging curves tell us not to expect a renaissance campaign from anyone nearing 40. And while Hossa eventually moved to his usual spot on Jonathan Toews’ line on Friday, he started the night alongside Marcus Kruger, who scored his first goal in 47 appearances. Hossa tallied the primary helper, naturally.

Hossa and Kruger might stick together for a while, even though Joel Quenneville makes use of his line blender more than most coaches. Quenneville liked the way those two performed during the 2016 playoffs, saying, “I thought [Hossa] did well playing with Krugs; a little bit more of a checking role and still feel he can score and provide defense as well.” 

That last point is key. Because even though it’s hard to predict what Hossa will do on offense, the Blackhawks can count on him to excel in all three zones. 

This well-rounded ability is clear on tape. He’s still quick. He still backchecks hard. He still outmuscles players in the corners and behind the cage. He still lifts opponents’ sticks with ease so he can swipe away the puck. And when comes to defending a one-on-one situation, there aren’t many forwards who are better at neutralizing a rush than him.

These skills are visible in the numbers, too, thanks to Domenic Galamini’s HERO Chart:

Hossa’s shot suppression metrics aren’t as impressive as they once were, but he’s still a defensive stalwart. And he still drives possession better than most.

“[A]s long as I can keep skating with the young guys, I think I can bring lots to the team, especially defensively or penalty-killing,” Hossa said. “Obviously, talking to Coach Q, he wants to use me more in that department.”

Considering all the different factors at hand — aging, health, supporting cast, role, puck luck, etc. — it wouldn’t be surprising if Hossa rebounds in 2016-17, nor would it be shocking if his numbers continue to weaken. But if he can avoid any big injuries and remain a two-way threat, odds are he’ll be a valuable member of a team with Cup aspirations.

And that’s more than most players in their late 30s could ever say.

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The Chicago Blackhawks have debuted first round pick Nick Schmaltz in their lineup during their first three games of the 2016-17 season – and that’s all it took for the forward to record his first career NHL goal.

Schmaltz scored for the Blackhawks to officially get on the scoreboard during Chicago’s Saturday evening game against the Nashville Predators, putting the team up 1-0 in the first period against their divisional rivals. This was both his first goal at the pro level and his first point.

Drafted 20th overall by Chicago in 2014, the 20-year-old Schmaltz made the decision to go pro this summer following his second successful season of NCAA hockey with the University of North Dakota. He walked away from collegiate hockey with a career 16 goals and 72 points through two seasons – and clearly, it was a good call.

Schmaltz’s goal was more than just a personal milestone, though.

The Blackhawks have started out their 2016-17 campaign with a 0-2-0 record, which marks the first time under head coach Joel Quenneville that the club has lost their first two games of the regular season. As a result, Schmaltz putting the team up against Nashville – while still early in the game against the Predators – marks a potential win for the club that seems to be struggling to find their footing this fall.

At the moment, the Blackhawks are up 2-0 over the Predators.

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Two games is a foolishly small sample size of ammunition with which to formulate conclusions, but based on the early returns for Connor McDavid and Auston Matthews, it’s easy to proclaim that the next wave of NHL superstar centers has arrived with a bang.

Matthews stunned the hockey world with his four-goal performance against the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday, and then he endeared himself to every coach when he took full blame for the Senators’ winning goal in overtime.

The second of his four goals was just ridiculous.

McDavid opened with two goals and an assist in a win over Calgary, and then followed up with a goal and two assists in another win over the Flames.

Following Saturday’s action, McDavid was first in the NHL in points with six, and Matthews was tied for first in goals with four. We have a feeling we’re going to be writing similar sentences for the next 10 years.

It’s too bad Jack Eichel is hurt or the top three centers of the past two drafts could be in full flower.

PUTRID PENALTY KILL

The Blackhawks’ penalty killing woes went from a dumpster fire against St. Louis to a full-blown landfill fire against Nashville. Chicago goalie Corey Crawford had not allowed an even-strength goal through two games, yet the Blackhawks were 0-2 for the first time since the 2007-08 season, before Saturday’s win over Nashville.

The Blues scored three power-play goals against Crawford in five chances Wednesday (St. Louis also scored two empty-net goals in a 5-2 win) and Nashville converted three times in six chances in a 3-2 win on Friday, before cashing in on one of two chances on Saturday.

“Yeah, it was definitely the gaping hole in our game,” captain Jonathan Toews told CSN Chicago after Friday’s game. “Across the board we had a much better effort and even if we do get the penalty kills that we didn’t get tonight, it still takes a lot of energy out of your game. So we have to smarten up and find ways to stay out of the box.”

The penalty kill is generally a barometer of how well a team defends. It has also been a barometer for the Blackhawks’ postseason chances.

In the Blackhawks’ Cup winning years of 2009-10, 2012-13 and 2014-15, their PK ranked fourth (85.3 percent), third (87.2) and 10th (83.4) in the NHL, respectively.

The non-Cup years were a different story. In 2010-11, it ranked 25th at 79.2 percent; in 2011-12, it ranked 27th at 78.1 percent; in 2013-14, it ranked 19th at 81.5; and in 2015-16 it ranked 22nd at 80.3 percent.

After three games this season, the Blackhawks’ PK ranks 29th in the NHL at 46.1 percent, having allowed seven goals in 15 chances. San Jose is the only team behind the Hawks at 33.3 percent, but the Sharks have only been shorthanded three times in two games.

(Photo by Jeanine Leech/Icon Sportswire)

TOO MANY INJURIES

Aside from the young guns that are lighting up the league, the biggest early storyline this season is the rash of injuries befalling big-name players.

Penguins center Sidney Crosby is out indefinitely with at least his third concussion, Penguins goalie Matt Murray is still out with a broken hand, Sabres center Jack Eichel could miss six to eight weeks with a high ankle sprain, Kings goalie Jonathan Quick is out long-term with what looks like a groin injury, Kings forward Marian Gaborik is out eight weeks with a foot injury, Panthers forward Jonathan Huberdeau is out 3-4 months with a leg injury, Jets forward Evander Kane will miss “weeks” after cracking three ribs in Thursday’s opener, Bruins center Patrice Bergeron is out with a lower-body injury, Coyotes forward Jamie McGinn may miss the team’s six-game road trip with an upper-body injury, and Canadiens goalie Carey Price is on IR with a severe case of the flu.

It’s not an ideal scenario for the league to have so many big names missing early-season games, but at least it’s not the postseason.

LOOSE PUCKS

— If you’re looking for a preview of what the direction-less Vancouver Canucks’ season might look like, this own goal by Loui Eriksson might do the trick. Vancouver still beat Calgary in a shootout, but the perplexing moves this team has made the past two seasons don’t portend playoffs or a meaningful rebuild.

— Colorado hung on for a wild, 6-5 win over Central Division favorite Dallas on Saturday in the Avalanche’s season opener at Pepsi Center in Denver. If Colorado gets it going this season under new coach Jared Bednar (while escaping the incapable tutelage of Patrick Roy), the Central Division is going to be one heck of a dogfight with all seven teams in the mix. The Avs won the division title three seasons ago.

— Calgary was expected to challenge for a playoff spot this season, but the Flames aren’t helping themselves with a rough early start against what were two Pacific Division non-playoff teams last season. The Flames have already dropped two games to Edmonton and they lost again Saturday in Vancouver.

— On the flip side, the offseason defections of David Backes, Troy Brouwer and Brian Elliott do not appear to have impacted St. Louis at all. The Blues looked faster, deeper and hungrier than ever during this 3-0 start that includes wins over Chicago, Minnesota, and the New York Rangers — three playoff teams from a year ago. If this Nail Yakupov gamble pays off, the Blues just might take another step forward. Now about that Kevin Shattenkirk conundrum…

Follow Craig Morgan on Twitter

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Each week at Five on the Fly we’ll preview at five developing storylines for the NHL’s upcoming week.

1. Let the Auston Matthews vs. Patrick Laine Rivalry Begin

All eyes will be focused on Winnipeg’s MTS Centre on Wednesday, when the top two picks in the 2016 NHL draft go head to head (one of just two games that night). Neither rookie needs any introduction—hockey fans are well-versed on the talents of Auston Matthews and Patrick Laine. And neither player needs any motivation to prove themselves.

“I don’t need a rivalry, I just have to play as good as I can,” Laine said before Winnipeg’s home opener last week, when asked about Matthews. “That’s my job and I’m going to focus on that.”

Laine’s words run counter to what the Finn was saying before the draft, when he tabbed himself as a player that is every bit as good if not better than Matthews. “Toronto has a tough decision to make,” he said at the NHL Scouting combine.

Matthews has been relatively low-key about the idea of having to measure up against anyone from his draft class. “I don’t think about the comparison so much,” he said. “I control what I can control.”

What neither rookie has been low-key about is proving that they are ready for prime time in the NHL. Matthews became the first player in NHL history to score four goals in a mind-blowing debut against Ottawa, while Laine was instrumental in Winnipeg’s comeback from 4-1 down against Carolina in its home opener.

2. Concussed Crosby must bide his time

Sidney Crosby shocked the hockey world by announcing that he’d suffered the third concussion of his career before the Penguins opened their season last week, and the hockey world has entered concussion purgatory where there are only questions—never answers.

The 29-year old two-time Hart Trophy winner has been in the most dominant form of his career during the six-month span that saw him lead the Pens to the Stanley Cup then captain Team Canada to the World Cup title. The news is a big blow for Crosby and the Penguins, who must now begin their Cup defense without the straw that stirs their drink.

Thankfully, Crosby has quickly returned to practice and seems to be skating with vigor and eager to return.

The good news for Pittsburgh fans is that the team is deep, well-coached and talented. They started with back-to-back wins over Washington and Anaheim and should be able to hold their own in the standings if Crosby needs a month. Or two. Or three. But it won’t be easy for the Pens this week as they’ll face Colorado, Montreal, San Jose and Nashville in a six-night span.

In the meantime, all we can do is wait for Crosby to return.

3. Carolina Knows No Home

The Carolina Hurricanes are a really exciting team. They’ve got youth, skill and some phenomenal talents like Jeff Skinner, Tuevo Teravainen, Noah Hanifin, Victor Rask and Justin Faulk, and if it weren’t for their goaltending situation they’d probably be a hot pick to nab an Eastern Conference playoff spot.

But all is not perfect in Carolina.

The team is facing the challenge of having to play four more road games before finally making it to PNC Arena for an Oct. 28 home debut, and to make matters worse, they’ve blown three-goal leads in each of their first two games.

The road can be a lonely place for a hockey team, but when you’re getting your confidence shattered like the ‘Canes have done in their first two outings at Winnipeg and Vancouver, it can be especially lonely. With games at Edmonton, Calgary and Philadelphia this week, Carolina needs to find a way to snatch some points or it could find itself quickly behind the 8-ball in the standings before it has played its first home game.

4. Young Blackhawks Hoping to Find their Way

Salary cap casualties have forced the Blackhawks to get young in a hurry this season, and this is a team that is very much trying to learn on the fly as the 2016-17 season begins.

Nick Schmaltz, Tyler Motte, Adam Hartman and Vinnie Hinostroza are the rookie forwards who coach Joel Quenneville wants to see accelerated development out of, but there is no magic potion with young, inexperienced players.

There were some shaky moments as the Hawks dropped to 0-2 with losses against the Blues and Predators last week, but Chicago rebounded to win their home opener as many of the rookies benefitted from more time along premier players.

Schmaltz played big minutes next to Marian Hossa and picked up his first career goal on Saturday, while Hinostroza was lining with Jonathan Toews and Richard Panik, which was Chicago’s best possession unit during Saturday’s win. Credit to Quenneville for realizing that pairing Schmaltz and Hinostroza with Jordin Tootoo was not a good idea after one uninspiring game. The quick adjustment should help Chicago’s kids become a bigger part of the team’s offense, something this squad badly needs.

Chicago will look to continue to develop their youth on the fly as they face the Flyers, Blue Jackets and Leafs this week.

5. Trending: 2 Lines to Watch

Chris Kreider is off to a fast start for the Rangers. Paired with Russian rookie Pavel Buchnevich and newly acquired Mika Zibanejad (1-3–4), the 25-year-old has two goals and two assists in four games. Krieder, a 20-goal scorer in each of the last two seasons, has a Rangers-best 14 shots in the team’s two games.

Jonathan Marchessault has filled in for injured Jonathan Huberdeau nicely in Florida to help Jaromir Jagr and Aleksander Barkov not miss a beat. Check out these 5-on-5 Corsi numbers from the line during Saturday’s night’s 4-1 win over Detroit.

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Marian Hossa reached a significant milestone in the Chicago Blackhawks’ home game against the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday, becoming the 44th player in NHL history to score 500 goals when he tallied during a power play at 5:04 of the second period.

It was the first goal of the season for Hossa, who joined Chicago legend Stan Mikita (541_ and Peter Bondra (503) as the only Slovakian-born players to hit the plateau. The 37-year-old also became the fifth to score No. 500 as a member of the Blackhawks, a feat also accomplished by Mikita, Bondra, Bobby Hull and Michel Goulet.

Hossa is the fourth active member of the 500-goal club, joining Jaromir Jagr (749) of the Florida Panthers, Jarome Iginla (612) of the Colorado Avalanche and Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin (525). Jagr ranks third on the all-time list behind Wayne Gretzky (894) and Gordie Howe (801).

The milestone goal was the 15th scored by Hossa against Philadelphia in his career. He has victimized Florida the most, netting 32 tallies versus the Panthers.

Selected by Ottawa with the 12th overall pick in the 1997 draft, Hossa made his debut with the Senators in 1997-98, recording one assist in seven games. He began his goal-scoring spree the following season, netting 15 in 60 contests before rattling off 12 consecutive 20-goal campaigns – recording at least 24 in each.

Hossa has reached the 40-goal mark three times, scoring a career-high 45 with Ottawa in 2002-03. He also has collected 593 assists in 1,240 games with the Senators, Atlanta Thrashers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Detroit Red Wings and Blackhawks.

A three-time Stanley Cup champion and five-time All-Star, Hossa has registered 52 goals and 97 assists in 201 career playoff games.

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What an era it has been for the Chicago Blackhawks organization earning three Stanley Cup championships in today’s game is no easy feat. Neither is not missing a game in five seasons.

Current Blackhawks defenseman Brian Campbell is dealing with a new situation for him, being a game time scratch and missing his first game in what comes down to five seasons of play.

Campbell, 37, has not missed a game due to injury, illness, nor being a healthy scratch since March 20, 2011. During that time, he has played in all 82 games of a season four times and appeared in all 48 contests during the season that shall not be named lockout-shortened season of 2012-13.

All five seasons of ironmanesque game time for Campbell came with playing for the Florida Panthers.

Now back with the Blackhawks, it looks as though the depth of the system in Chicago may see the defenseman sitting for a game after playing in the first four matchups this season.

In 1006 career games and one Stanley Cup Championship to his name, one of the biggest achievements of his career may also be the most underrated achievements with his iron man streak of games played, most of which came with the Panthers organization.

UPDATE: Despite early speculation, it appears that Campbell won’t be scratched after all.

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This season, Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk has recorded zero points and four penalty minutes in two games for the Central Division club.

Now, though, he’ll be out for a period of time – and therefore unable to potentially improve upon those numbers.

Blackhawks head coach Joel Quenneville reported that van Riemsdyk would be out ‘for a bit’ following the team’s 3-2 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday night, during which the 25-year-old blue liner played in just over nine minutes of ice time before failing to skate out again.

A native of Middletown, New Jersey, the undrafted defenseman earned an NHL deal with Chicago following his successful NCAA career with the University of New Hampshire – during which he put up an impressive 23 points in 26 games his senior year from the blue line.

Upon going pro in 2014, the defenseman split his rookie season between the Blackhawks and their AHL affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs – although he wasn’t able to complete a full season’s worth of games until last year due to a handful of injuries his rookie campaign. Last season, though, he put up three goals and 14 points playing in a full 82-game regular season – and the hope was that this year, he’d be able to produce even more.

At the moment, it’s unclear what’s wrong with van Riemsdyk, as he simply seemed shaken after running a post during a play that saw him crash the net.

The Blackhawks will next play tomorrow evening, when they look to improve upon their current 2-3-0 record while facing the Toronto Maple Leafs.

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Edmonton Oilers goaltender Cam Talbot, Chicago’s Artem Anisimov and Red Wings defenseman Mike Green have been named the NHL’s “Three Stars” for the week ending October 23.

Talbot went 3-0-0 for the Oilers with a 0.970 save percentage and 1.00 goals-against average during the week, making 31-saves to shut out the Winnipeg Jets in Sunday’s Heritage Classic following strong performances against Carolina (31 saves) and St. Louis (34 saves) earlier in the week.

The 29-year-old is now 5-1-0 to begin the new season, starting all six of Edmonton’s games so far as the Oilers have propelled themselves to the top of the Pacific Division.

A former member of the New York Rangers, Talbot recently became father to twins, whose appearance on social media may have made just as many headlines after Sunday’s game:

Second star Anisimov led the NHL with four goals and seven points to help Chicago pick up two wins from their three games during the seven day span.

He started the week with a pair of goals and four points to help the Blackhawks rout Philadelphia 7-4 on October 18, his third career four point night. Anisimov followed it up with an assist in the 3-2 loss to Columbus three days later, finishing the week with another brace against Toronto on Saturday night.

Former Capitals defenseman Green helped Detroit go a perfect 4-0-0 from October 17 to 23, recording a hat trick against the Senators in a 5-1 win to become the first Red Wings blue liner to achieve the feat since Nicklas Lidstrom in 2010.

The 31-year-old followed the performance up with assistS against the Rangers and Predators on October 19 and 21 respectively, but was held off the score sheet by the Sharks on Saturday.

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The Chicago Blackhawks penalty kill used to give other teams fits, not so much this season.

In fact, it has been so disastrous that teams are much more likely to try and draw every penalty they can. What’s worse is that more often than not opponents have been able to capitalize on the man advantage.

While there is still plenty of time to right the ship, the penalty kill is certainly a cause for concern. To put things in perspective, the Blackhawks are killing penalties 46.15 percent as of this morning, while the rest of the league is averaging 81 percent.

For those of you keeping score at home, that number puts the Blackhawks dead last, and if it’s not corrected in short order, it could jeopardize their chances of even making the wild card.

No matter how magical Patrick Kane, Artemi Panarin, and Artem Anisimov’s line is, or how unexpectedly great Richard Panik has been to start the season, that’s nearly impossible to overcome. In fact, unless all four lines start scoring at the same clip as the “Bread and Butter” line, the focus will remain firmly on the PK until they find some way to stop the bleeding.

The Blackhawks are averaging 3.71 penalties per game, which is far too many with a leaky PK. There was a bright side in Monday night’s overtime loss, Tyler Motte’s four-minute penalty was successfully killed, but they are going to have to put together a stretch of successful penalty kills for that to be anything more than a footnote in the current narrative.

So the question is what can they do to fix it?

Lock It Down

First and foremost, stop taking so many unnecessary penalties (please note: this sentiment is best delivered at a yell).

If there isn’t an immediate scoring threat, there is no reason to be committing penalties all over the ice. This one is pretty straight forward: if you stay out of the box, you stay out of PK trouble.

The Blackhawks still need to be better, in the event that they have to commit a penalty to stop a breakaway but they don’t need to keep giving up undisciplined penalties to ‘practice’ the PK.  At the rate they are going, the netminders might be staging an intervention and ask that they just let the other teams take their shots on the breakaway.

It doesn’t help matters that Jonathan Toews is currently leading the team in penalty minutes (9).

See-Shaw Effect

Andrew Shaw was known for taking some boneheaded penalties over the course of his career in Chicago, but when he was on the ice, he was able to muscle opposing players away from the crease or at the very least draw their focus enough to limit their effectiveness.

Unfortunately, that is one thing that is missing on the current roster. If the other team is going to have a man advantage, they simply can not be allowed to camp out in front of Corey Crawford (or Scott Darling) waiting to tip in a shot from the point.

This is where Shaw is missed the most; his net front presence was a tremendous asset whether he was screening for his linemates, or clearing the crease for his netminder. However, the fact remains Shaw is not here and someone is going to have to step into that hole and start helping the netminders by pushing the screen out or at the very least opening up the line of sight so that Crawford or Darling have half a chance of seeing the pucks coming their way.

Lane Closure

Over the course of the Blackhawks’ seven games, the Blackhawks have been a bit off the mark in terms of closing off the shooting lanes on the kill. They are putting bodies on the player, but that doesn’t stop them from firing a shot on net, and if the opposition is camped at the net more often than not it’s going to find a way behind the netminder.

Not only are they giving up some prime real estate around the net, making Crawford’s job more difficult, but they are also giving teams way too much room entering the zone. Part of what made the Blackhawks penalty kill so dominant a few years ago was that they made teams battle to move through the neutral zone and forced the opposition to follow the path they dictated as they entered the zone by closing off the lane up the middle.

Currently, opponents are being given a lot of freedom to get to the middle of the ice, leaving all four defenders hovering around the potential shooter instead of in front of him. That trend makes it harder for the penalty killers to block shots, deflect pucks, or screen the shooter or passer.

So far, the aggressive pressure that has been the hallmark of the Blackhawks penalty kill has faltered and the issue is going to continue as long as the opposing players are given all the room in the world to set up at the top of the zone for a pass, or a hard shot that lands within striking distance of their linemate sitting in Crawford’s lap.

Return to Form

The good news is that the Blackhawks can make a few adjustments and correct course, and they have a solid veteran presence to help convey the changes that need to be made.

The bad news is that the usual suspects are not performing as well (including Tyler Motte, Jonathan Toews, and Artem Anisimov who have contributed 27 of the Blackhawks 64 penalty minutes in the first seven games), but Dennis Rasmussen could be looking to earn a bigger role on the penalty kill as he has been quite effective in a very small sample size.

As always, when you have the kind of roster turnover that the Blackhawks have had in recent years, growing pains are to be expected but the time for excuses have come and gone. The Blackhawks are undoubtedly prioritizing the penalty kill as they hit the ice whether it be in practice or game play. The kill is cause for a lot of concern across the board, and the topic that is at the forefront of every coach, player, fan and beat writer in Chicago.

If they can’t figure it out quickly, Stan Bowman may get a little more active early in the season.

Positive Signs

While the penalty kill has been getting much of the spotlight, there have been two things that have been providing a bit of a welcomed distraction.

Richard Panik has been having a great start to his season, and currently, leads the league with six goals (and is tied for second with eight points). Of course, this is a very small sample size, but considering he is tied with rookie sensation Auston Matthews, and above last season’s standout rookie Connor McDavid it’s pretty impressive for a guy who was projected to land in the bottom six. For the time being, he has been making his case to stay on the top line with one of the top two-way pivots in the game in Toews.

Artem Anisimov is also having a great start as he currently is second in the league in points with nine. While he has still floundered on the faceoff dot, with an abysmal 35 percent success rate, and he has already almost matched his penalty minutes totals over the last two seasons, he has also been the lynchpin once again centering the line with Patrick Kane and Artemi Panarin.

While his production almost makes you want to overlook the flaws in his game, both of those stats absolutely must be corrected. Especially the penalties since the kill has some very obvious holes at the moment.

While the penalty kill has been seriously cringe-worthy, at least we know that the magic of the Bread and Butter line was no fluke. And the Blackhawks finally have some secondary production with 16 players contributing at least a point thus far this season.

The Blackhawks are going to need all of these positives to carry forward, but all of that will be a non-issue if they can’t resurrect their penalty kill because at the moment it is on life support.

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DALLAS — The Dallas Stars offense finally woke up in a 6-2 win against the St. Louis Blues this past Thursday.

The Stars went hard to the net, they scored a couple gritty goals, and their best players stepped up.

Now Dallas will test that same formula against one of the NHL’s best goalies when the Chicago Blackhawks visit the American Airlines Center on Saturday.

Corey Crawford shutout the Colorado Avalanche in a 4-0 victory this past Thursday. He made 38 saves, and Stars defenseman Johnny Oduya — a former teammate — said in order to beat the Stanley Cup winning goalie, you have to make him uncomfortable.

“It’s like playing any good goalie, the classic term is trying to get in front of him and disturb him as much as possible,” Oduya said. “Obviously you throw a lot of pucks in their for bounces. It’s tough to beat goalies like him straight up now a days. If we can get some commotion around the net and maybe some bounces, that’s what we have to do.”

However, Crawford doesn’t get uncomfortable very often, as shown by his dominant start to this season. Through nine games he has a 5-3-1 record, a 2.01 goals against average and 0.936 save percentage.

The 31-year-old has been particularly stingy in his last five starts. Crawford hasn’t allowed more than two goals in a game during that stretch, while he’s posted a pair of shutouts and had a 0.935 save percentage or higher in each performance.

It’s been needed as the Blackhawks have gotten out to slow starts and the goalie has been tested in the first period.

“I think you want to make sure you get better starts, we’ve been sloppy in certain areas early in games and it leads to chances and momentum going their way,” Chicago head coach Joel Quenneville said. “And Corey’s been excellent for us during this stretch, so that keeps us in the game and that gives us a chance to win it.”

Quenneville admitted that it’s not a sustainable model. Chicago needs to start quicker and can’t rely on Crawford for a free pass every night, but seeing the Stanley Cup winning goalie make at least 29 saves in each of his last five games helps the Blackhawks breathe a sigh of relief.

“He’s been really great, absolutely fantastic goaltender,” defenseman Gustav Forsling said. “He’s a really good talker out there, and he helps out and makes you more comfortable to know you have him back there.”

His numbers and impact on his teammates have helped put Crawford into early Vezina Trophy conversations, an award given to the league’s best goaltender. The Blackhawks know that, and they want to start playing better hockey in front of the goalie.

“It gives you a lot,” Ryan Hartman said. “It does give you confidence and makes you battle for him, since you know he’s battling for us. You just try to keep it out of our end as much as possible, but we know we’ve got a guy making saves. If he does his job well it’s always easier on us.”

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DALLAS — Artem Anisimov isn’t the player you’d expect to lead the NHL in points.

The Russian had 42 points last season for the Chicago Blackhawks, which was a strong showing alongside the likes of Patrick Kane and Artemi Panarin. But they weren’t the kind of numbers that would indicate he’d jump out to an early lead in the NHL points race during the 2016-17 season.

But through 12 games Anisimov has 15 points and is riding a 10-game point streak. He was held pointless in the first two games of the season, but that feels like a distant memory after Chicago defeated the Dallas Stars 3-2 on Saturday and extended a five-game win streak.

Part of Anisimov’s success comes from his surroundings.

With the Blackhawks reuniting superstars Jonathan Toews and Kane on the top line, the second line hasn’t drawn as much attention. Anisimov has also been getting opportunities on the power play, where he’s fed off the Blackhawks’ offensive catalysts.

But the 28-year-old deserves some credit for his success. Particularly in front of the net, where he’s turned into a nice pivot point for the Blackhawks power play.

That’s what happened when he set up Kane’s game-winning goal on Saturday. After he whiffed on a shot, Anisimov was able to recover and make a pass to Kane near the left post for a goal that Dallas Stars coach Lindy Ruff said, “anyone could score after a pass like that.”

“It was a great play by (Anisimov) at the net finally came out on the weak side there,” Toews said. “We’ve had some timely goals and been playing well at 5-on-5 and that’s been carrying over into our special teams.”

Chicago goalie Corey Crawford is familiar with Anisimov’s net-front work from practice, and he is well aware how much of a hassle the Russian can be.

“It makes all the difference in the world. When you have a guy in front screening the goalie, I think it’s a way different game as a goalie when you have someone there … he has a lot of skill around the net and that was a good play there,” Crawford said.

Anisimov won’t be able to maintain his current point-producing pace, it’s not sustainable. But he does give the Blackhawks another weapon in one of the NHL’s toughest divisions.

The best thing for Chicago? They’re only going to get better.

The Blackhawks may have won five straight, but they haven’t played flawless hockey. Saturday’s game featured a couple lucky breaks, while the team has admitted it needs to be better in all three zones.

“I don’t think anyone realizes we’re on a little streak like that,” Toews said. “We’re just focusing on trying to improve every single day. Know that every day, whether we win or not, we always look to the things we want to improve on.”

It create an interesting rematch on Sunday, where the Stars and Blackhawks will have a chance to counter and adjust — similar to a playoff series.

“I thought tonight was a little bit better of a game for us all around, and we can still improve. It’s good to win these games and know we can get better,” Kane said.

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The Chicago Blackhawks have announced that the club has forward Alexander DeBrincat to a three-year, entry-level contract.

DeBrincat, 18, was selected by the Blackhawks in the second round, 39th overall, in the 2016 NHL Draft in Buffalo this past June.

The 5-foot-7, 170-pound forward leads the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) with 17 goals and is currently second in the league with 35 points and is willing 59.2 percent of his face-offs in 14 games played with the Erie Otters this season.

During the 2015-16 campaign DeBrincat posted his second straight 51-goal season. One of three OHL players since 1997-98 with 50-goal season (Tyler Toffoli and Norman Milley). He was the 2015 OHL Rookie of the Year after scoring 51 goals and 53 assists for 104 points in his first season with Erie.

A small player that is known for being a sniper and having a strong skill set on the ice, he can often be underestimated due to his size but shies away from no one. In his first OHL season he amassed 73 penalty minutes while maintaining a plus-59 rating.

A native of Farmington Hills, Michigan, has amassed 119 goals and 121 assists for 240 career OHL points in 142 games.

Earned a bronze medal at the 2016 IIHF World Junior Championship with Team USA. In five tournament games played he scored one goal and had 25 penalty minutes while keeping a positive plus/minus.

Before joining the Erie Otters BeBrincat spent the 2013-14 season at Lake Forest Academy and played with the Victory Honda program before that.

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The Chicago Blackhawks have seen rookie forward Tyler Motte put up three goals and six points through his first 13 regular season NHL games this year, filling in nicely as supplementary offense for the Central Division club.

Now, though, they’re expected to lose him for the next two to three weeks.

It was reported on Tuesday by Scott Powers of the Athletic Chicago that Motte, who is currently in his first NHL season with the Blackhawks, will be out for a while with a leg injury suffered on Sunday. The forward crashed into the boards while playing the Dallas Stars – and while it was initially believed that his injury wasn’t serious, it looks like he’ll be missing a bit of time.

Drafted 121st overall by the Blackhawks in 2013, Motte – a native of St. Clair, Michigan – skated with the NCAA’s University of Michigan for three years before going pro last season in Chicago’s system. He spent five regular season games at the end of his third campaign with Michigan skating for the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs, then appeared in four postseason games for the farm club as well.

After scoring in his NHL debut (via an assist), the undersized 21-year-old forward has looked like a smart, inexpensive addition to Chicago’s lineup as the club continues running out of cap space. Hopefully, he won’t be out for too long in total.

The Blackhawks currently sit on a 9-3-1 record to sit first in the Central Division.

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