The Blackhawks have spent too much time looking for the perfect play when the simple one would do.
That was the issue on offense with and without Connor Bedard: Chicago leaned hard into puck movement and pretty setups, often at the expense of just putting pucks on net and dictating the tempo. It’s the kind of approach that can leave fans muttering, “Just shoot the puck!” while two Hawks trade passes at the point on the power play.
There’s value in that style, of course. The top six can make it work.
Bedard, Frank Nazar, Patrick Kane, Roman Kantserov, Nick Lardis, and Anton Frondell have the skill to turn those sequences into something dangerous. But that same formula doesn’t translate the same way when it gets down the lineup.
The bottom six has a different job.
Its real purpose is to grab momentum, hold momentum, and make life uncomfortable for the other team. That’s where the Blackhawks can change the feel of their forward group this season.
Look at what the Florida Panthers got from their fourth line in the 2025 Stanley Cup Finals: Jonah Gadjovich, AJ Greer, and Tomas Nosek finished with zero points, a minus-five rating, and 29 penalty minutes. On paper, that doesn’t scream “impact line.” But the Panthers were mic’d up in the Finals, and head coach Paul Maurice could be heard sending them out for the final shift, telling them they would not be where they are without them.
That was the point. They weren’t there to pile up points.
They were there to bring energy, shift the tone, and do the dirty work every night. Their physicality and aggression helped tilt the ice, while the Edmonton Oilers had trouble matching it.
Chicago can build something similar.
A third line of Teuvo Teravainen, Tyler Bertuzzi, and Cole Smith would give the Blackhawks a checking unit with enough offense to matter. Teravainen and Bertuzzi can work as a presence around the crease, while Bertuzzi and Smith can bring some physical edge. That group would be designed to stay on top of opposing lines and keep the game where Chicago wants it.
Then comes the fourth line, and that’s where the Blackhawks could finally have a true energy group again. Jordan Greenway, Sacha Boisvert, and AJ Spellacy is one possible combination, and it brings a lot of speed with Boisvert and Spellacy, while Greenway serves as the team’s enforcer this year.
Spellacy and Boisvert can also pick up fighting tips from Greenway in practice. And on home ice, the idea would be for Spellacy and Boisvert to mix it up whenever the moment calls for it, giving the crowd a reason to get into the game no matter the score. That kind of home-ice impact matters too, even if it doesn’t show up in the goal column.
The Blackhawks do look more balanced up front this season, even if there are some difficult choices about where everyone fits. Oliver Moore and Ryan Donato were left out of this lineup, but the thinking here is about what works structurally, not just which names carry the most weight.
The bottom six should not be treated as a lesser scoring unit. It should be built around checking, energy, and momentum. Chicago has players who can fill that role at the NHL level, and the Blackhawks should start using them early.
In Other News...
Blackhawks First Practice Put Two Huge Early Season Storylines In Focus
The Blackhawks first official practice of the season offered an early look at how Derek Blashill wants to sort out his lineup, with the opening combinations and defensive pairings giving the staff a first real chance to test ideas in camp. Blashill pointed to the top line as a focal point and noted the kind of physical edge he expects from the fourth line, while also making clear the blue line is still very much a work in progress.
Kyle Davidsons update on Connor Bedard added another layer to a day that already carried plenty of early-season intrigue. The general manager said Bedards recovery is moving along on a planned timeline, which leaves the organization in the familiar wait-and-see stage as camp gets underway and the Blackhawks keep sorting through both immediate roles and longer-term concerns. [Read more 🡒]
Blackhawks Special Teams Look Suddenly Matters For More Than Chemistry
The opening days of Blackhawks training camp were always going to be about sorting lines and defensive pairs under Jeff Blashill, especially with so many new faces expected to matter right away. Patrick Kane, Anton Frondell, Roman Kantserov and Bowen Byram are all part of the early picture, and Byram already looks positioned to give the blue line a steadier anchor next to Alex Vlasic as Chicago starts to define what this roster is supposed to look like.
Special teams may end up telling as much of the story as the even-strength combos, though, because the penalty kill and power play are already getting a serious reset. Greenway, Smith and Cole have been working into key roles on the kill, while the top power-play group is being built around Kane, Kantserov, Frondell, Bertuzzi and Byram. For a team trying to turn camp into a foundation, those units are no longer just about chemistry - they are one of the clearest early signs of who Blashill trusts when the games start to matter. [Read more 🡒]
Patrick Kane Faces A Different Challenge In His Blackhawks Return
Patrick Kane is back in Chicago with a very different assignment than the one he carried during the peak of his playing days. Beyond what he can still provide on the ice, the Blackhawks want his return to help shape the next wave of the roster, giving a young group a veteran presence that can ease the transition from prospects to NHL regulars.
The bigger test now is less about points and more about presence. For Kane, the job includes being the kind of teammate younger players can turn to every day, the sort of player who helps build trust and cohesion in the room while setting an example for how to handle the grind around the team. [Read more 🡒]