Last season, the Chicago Blackhawks rode into the season with plenty of hype surrounding Connor Bedard. However, beyond the rookie sensation, who missed considerable time with a broken jaw, there weren't many high points in the campaign.
That all changed this summer when GM Kyle Davidson made a slew of offseason moves aimed at bolstering Chicago's roster.
The team still has a long way to go before positioning themselves as a postseason threat. Still, with the additions of Tyler Bertuzzi and Teuvo Teravainen, there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic about the season ahead if you're a Chicago Blackhawks fan.
There is still time for coach Luke Richardson to make changes to the team's roster before the 2024-25 season as players duke it out for a spot. The team's lines for the season ahead are expected to be as follows:
Note: Throughout training camp, Taylor Hall has played on the first line alongside Connor Bedard and Tyler Bertuzzi. However, ahead of the team's preseason opener, Teuvo Teravainen is expected to start on line one. Many are of the mindset that given Hall's questionable durability, Teravainen will start during the season.
Forwards
- L1: Teuvo Teravainen - Connor Bedard - Tyler Bertuzzi
- L2: Lukas Reichel - Philipp Kurashev - Taylor Hall
- L3: Nick Foligno - Jason Dickinson - Ilya Mikheyev
- L4: Andreas Athanasiou - Ryan Donato - Craig Smith
Defense
- L1: Alex Vlasic - Seth Jones
- L2: Kevin Korchinski - Connor Murphy
- L3: Alec Martinez - TJ Brodie
Goalies
- Petr Mrazek
- Luaren Brossoit
Looking at the Chicago Blackhawks incoming players and notable departures for the 2024-25 NHL season
Outgoing players: Mackenzie Entwistle, Colin Blackwell, Jaycob Megna, Nikita Zaitsev, Jarred Tinordi, Tyler Johnson, Reese Johnson, Taylor Raddysh, Anthony Beauvillier.
Incoming players: Tyler Bertuzzi, Teuvo Teravainen, Sam Lafferty, Ilya Mikheyev, Alec Martinez, Craig Smith, Laurent Brossoit, Pat Maroon, TJ Brodie.
After finishing last season with the worst record in the Central Division (23-53-6), GM Kyle Davidson has put the team in a good spot to make waves this season. While the Chicago Blackhawks lost a slew of outgoing players, those they acquired seem to be upgrades at their respective positions.
For example, the departures of Nikita Zaitsev, Jarred Tinordi and Jaycob Megna were countered by the additions of Alec Martinez and TJ Brodie.
In addition, with Laurent Brossoit set to back up Petr Mrazek, the team added a strong backup netminder who can start as needed while providing quality goaltending.
Of course, most notably, the team bolstered their forward unit with the additions of Tyler Bertuzzi and Teuvo Teravainen, who will both provide some much-needed firepower alongside Connor Bedard.
In addition, the team also notably selected young defenceman Artyom Levshunov with the second pick of the draft.
While Levshunov is expected to miss the start of the season with a foot injury, look for him to play on the team's defensive lines after the Blackhawks signed him rather than allow him to return to the NCAA.