With DeBrincat VERY In The Mix The Blackhawks Are Suddenly Deep Up Front

It’s only been three days of skating with zero games under his belt, but there’s a lot of indications that Alex DeBrincat may start the season on the left side of Nick Schmaltz and Patrick Kane. I’ll admit it, this is happening way faster than I thought for DeBrincat. I assumed he’d need a full year in the American Hockey League to adjust to bigger and faster professional players. DeBrincat might just be the rare guy who won’t really benefit from playing with less skilled players in the American League. He’s spent his entire junior career playing with elite talent like Connor McDavid and Dylan Strome. So maybe, in the words of our friend Uncle Chaps, Alex DeBrincat is just…

Obviously it’s early and with Joel Quenneville lines are always fluid, but if DeBrincat has won a job in the top 6 and Nick Schmaltz is Kane’s center then holy moly the Hawks have some real punch up front.

Saad-Toews-Panik

This line speaks for itself. They’re kind of clones of each other. They’re all fast. They’re all big. They all have skill. And they all play a good-to-great two-way game. You can trust them all over the ice. This line appears to be as locked as locked can be and I think it’s going to be a dominant line for the Blackhawks.

DeBrincat-Schmaltz-Kane

I always thought this is where Schmaltz would be. I said it in July. A natural center who thinks the game at a high level and can attack with speed in a way that Anisimov can’t. Kane and Panarin were magic together, but in some ways I think Schmaltz can Kane can be even better. Everything with Panarin was slow-down once they got over the line and passing across the ice through the seem. Schmaltz will back off D with speed and they’ll be able to make small area plays in transition which opens up more lanes through the middle. And then they can find DeBrincat on the other end and he clearly has the ability to finish in space.

No matter how offensively gifted DeBrincat is there will be a learning curve and an adjustment period for him against bigger, faster, meaner, better NHL players. Everyone keeps throwing out other small players as comps for him. Johnny Hockey, Marty St Louis, etc. None of those really made sense to me. One guy that does…Jake Guentzel. Guentzel is a little taller at 5’10, but he’s also a small player who lacks high-end speed. Guentzel has a big brain and he competes. He also gets to play with the best player in the world. DeBrincat, if these lines hold up will also have the opportunity to use his brain, his grit, and the chance to play with the best winger in the world. In my opinion, if DeBrincat isn’t sheltered, for lack of a better word, by playing with Kane then I don’t see him making the team this year. Sharp can easily slide into the LW spot on this line.

Sharp-Anisimov-Hartman

Some nice names here on this line. All guys that can score goals. This will be a straight line group that you’d feel comfortable playing anywhere on the ice. I have some doubts about how this line actually fits together since none of them are true play-makers, but at the same time if this is your “3rd line” then you’re really cooking with gas. You’d expect all three of these guys to finish the year with at least 15 goals and they’re all very solid defensively. Patrick Sharp has finished in the top 10 in Selke voting twice. People forget that.

BIG time hair line here with Sharp and Hartman. Arguably the best hair line of all time.

Another possibility here, if these are your top 9 wingers, would be to flip Anisimov and Schmaltz. Schmaltz would be the key distributor here feeding two wingers that know how to score. Anisimov could continue to go to the net to clean up loose change from DeBrincat and Kane.

Fourth Line ?-?-?

This is where things get interesting because the Blackhawks have a lot of guys who are capable and worthy of an NHL roster spot.

Tommy Wingels– He’s going to be on the team. Wingels adds an element of sand to the bottom 6 that the Blackhawks missed when they traded away Andrew Shaw’s RFA rights. Wingels can also help on the PK, he can play all three forward spots(though he’s likely only going to play wing here). He is also just two years removed from scoring 15 goals from San Jose and it’s not like he’s old or anything.

Lance Bouma– Everything I said about Wingels, you can also say about Bouma. Stan didn’t sign these guys not to play them. They’re going to be on the team.

Vinnie Hinostroza– I love Hinostroza’s ability. You can’t teach that type of speed and we’ve seen flashes of his offensive game. He spent the summer training with Patrick Kane and Hartman while also doing like MMA training and shit to get stronger and tougher along the wall. You could argue that his spot more than anyone else is threatened by the emergence of DeBrincat because there’s only so many wing spots to go around. He’s a guy who could really help himself by applying his speed to become a great penalty killer. If he has special teams value then he’s on likely on the team.

Tanner Kero– Kero looks like a lock to be the 4th line center. Analytics people don’t like him, I guess, but to me he looks like a smart young player. Good positionally, good instincts, has some special teams value and perhaps some offensive ability as well. Not going to be that shutdown type center that Kruger was, but he can do the job adequately and give you something going the other way too.

John Hayden– Hayden has a good chance to make the team because he brings an element that the Blackhawks don’t really have elsewhere…big, nasty, physical, power forward. Brings a lot of energy and he too has some offensive pop to his game. I have really high hopes for Hayden, but…I have hopes for him as bad mamma jamma imposing center. He’s probably not ready for that role now, nor is there a spot for him. I’d love to see Hayden go to Rockford, learn the finer points of the position, and then emerge later this year or next year as a viable center ice option. I can also see the rationale for keeping him at wing, turning him loose, and letting him railroad guys.

Tomas Jurco–I don’t like him. He has talent, but you just look in his eyes and you can tell there’s not a lot going on in there. And I understand that maybe viewed as a meatball statement, but I can’t get passed it. The guy has dead eyes. The thing working in Jurco’s favor is that he needs to clear waivers to be sent down to Rockford and Stan just traded for him at the deadline last year and then gave him a new contract in the summer. Giving up a 3rd round pick for 1 goal in 13 games wouldn’t be a great look if Jurco were to be claimed on waivers. Perhaps Jurco will be a reclaimation project that works out in a similar fashion to Panik, but I think its more likely that he ends up in the KHL next year.

Jordan Tootoo– Tootoo will be on the team as resident tough guy who will watch the majority of the games from the press box and also serve as Duncan Keith’s friend(an important role) along with Seabrook. Even though Tootoo will likely only play in 25 games, he is still pretty much a lock to be the 13th or 14th forward.

David Kampf– 22 year-old signed out of the Czech League. Sounds like he’s getting a pretty good look so far in camp. The Blackhawks signed him to a 2-year entry level deal so there’s no rush to put him on the team because he can be bused between Rockford and Chicago without any issue. Kampf is a pretty big dude at 6’2 and 200lbs or so, reportedly skates well and can play wing or center. Sounds like the type of guy who can be called up at some point to help the PK if Bouma, Wingels, or Kero get dinged up at some point during the year.

Laurent Dauphin–Another guy who could be a Kero replacement if something were to happen. Pretty high draft by the Coyotes back in 2013 at 39 overall. Doubt he makes the team out of camp, but I would also bet that he gets called up at some point during the year.

If DeBrincat earns a spot on that line with Kane and is truly ready for NHL action then the Blackhawks are in great shape. If he’s not…then guess what…they’re still in great shape. It’s going to be interesting to see how it all shakes out. Preseason game #1 is tomorrow night. My gut tells me that DeBrincat will end up getting some time in the AHL this year and the lines will be as follows

Saad-Toews-Panik

Sharp-Schmaltz-Kane

Hartman-Anisimov-Hinostroza

Wingels-Kero-Bouma

There’s going to be lots of shuffling of lines and road trips to Rockford, but this group has a LOT of talent.