The Blackhawks’ first look at their new lines went about how you’d expect when the board gets shuffled less than 24 hours before puck drop. Roman Kantserov was asked to play center as a natural winger, and the whole setup never really found its footing.
What followed was a mess of miscues, missed coverages, and rough stretches from multiple players, including Artyom Levshunov. The group never looked connected.
In the defensive zone, the opposition found open lanes more than once while the Blackhawks packed one side of the ice and failed to sort out their responsibilities on the other. The offense did start to get the cycle going later, but there still wasn’t any real chemistry to speak of.
The final score was flattering. Patrick Kane’s partial breakaway was one of the few moments that kept the Blackhawks from looking even worse than they did.
The one unit that held up was the fourth line of Cole Smith, Ryan Greene, and Jordan Greenway. That wasn’t a coincidence.
It was the only line Jeff Blashill kept together consistently, and it showed. The theme here is simple: consistency.
Blashill tossing the top nine into a blender in the middle of a game is not the cleanest path to building chemistry. That kind of juggling can work when the roster is loaded with veterans who already know how to play together and know how to play in the NHL. That’s the lane Joel Quenneville had in the Blackhawks’ glory years.
Other teams have done it too. The Colorado Avalanche and the Tampa Bay Lightning have had success with that approach.
Young teams, though, usually need more stability. The Montreal Canadiens kept their lines together more often during development years to help establish chemistry and understanding within their young core, and the results reflected that.
That’s the model the Blackhawks need to follow.
Put players with similar games together and let the line breathe. Don’t scatter the skill around.
That was the mistake when Connor Bedard had to play with Andre Burakovsky last season. Bedard should have been playing with Frondell last year, but Blashill instead gave Bedard, Nazar, and Frondell each their own line before injuries changed the picture.
The Blackhawks already saw what Bedard and Nazar could do together. The next step is obvious: let that chemistry grow. Add Frondell to that mix, and the upside gets even bigger.
In Other News...
Blackhawks Suddenly Have A Teuvo Tervinen Problem
Patrick Kanes return has given the Blackhawks a little extra buzz heading into this stretch, but it has also created a lineup squeeze that is hard to ignore. With Chicago trying to sort out where everyone fits, one of the more notable ripple effects is the way the forward group is being pushed into uncomfortable decisions, especially for a player like Teuvo Tervinen who has long been part of the conversation in this market.
The tension now is less about Kanes arrival than about who gets left out when the lineup is finalized. Tervinen has been in the middle of that uncertainty as the Blackhawks balance experience, roles and ice time, and it is the kind of roster call that can say plenty about where a team thinks it is headed. For a fan base that already knows what Kane brings, the more immediate question is how Chicago manages the pieces around him without creating a bigger problem elsewhere. [Read more 🡒]
Blackhawks Opener Raised An Early Question Fans Cant Ignore
The Blackhawks opened their 2026-27 season on the road at T-Mobile Arena against the Vegas Golden Knights, and the lineup looked every bit like a team still sorting out its identity. Chicago leaned on a mix of regulars and familiar names while also juggling scratches and special teams combinations, with the kind of early-season details that tend to matter more than the final score line in October. Even in a 5-2 loss, there were enough moments to show how this roster is trying to settle in.
Jordan Greenway gave Chicago its first goal of the season, and the Blackhawks also got a score from Patrick Kane in his first game back with the club since 2023, which at least gave the opener some energy before Vegas pulled away. The bigger question now is how quickly Chicago can turn those individual bright spots into something more stable, because the opener did not exactly hide the gaps in structure, discipline, or depth that can show up fast once the schedule starts to tighten. [Read more 🡒]
Blackhawks May Already Be Testing Roman Kantserov For A Bigger Role
Roman Kantserov arrived in Chicago with a reputation built in the KHL, where he finished as the leagues leading goal-scorer, and the Blackhawks have already treated him like more than a newcomer easing into NHL life. He has spent time on the top line, and the team has also been willing to move him around, including a look at center during the preseason, a sign they are trying to find out how much he can handle right away.
Jeff Blashill has pointed to Kantserovs hockey IQ, two-way play and adaptability as traits that could help him become a solid piece for the Blackhawks. The bigger question now is how far Chicago wants to push that experiment, and whether the early testing is simply part of the learning curve or the start of a much larger role in the middle of the lineup. [Read more 🡒]