The Blackhawks will begin their 2024-25 season Tuesday in Utah against the NHL’s most recently relocated franchise.
Then they’ll cross into Canada, continuing their four-game season-opening road trip with games against the Jets, Oilers and Flames, before finally returning to Chicago for their home opener Oct. 17 against the Sharks.
With expectations modestly elevated from 2023-24 but an awful preseason performance raising concerns, here are four questions to be answered by the Hawks’ performance on their opening road trip:
How will roster sort out?
The Hawks on Sunday cut their roster down to the maximum of 23 players, but their decision to place defenseman Isaak Phillips (currently included in those 23) on waivers opens up more possibilities.
On one hand, Phillips could get claimed. On the other hand, if he isn’t, the Hawks will have the option to send him to the AHL anytime in the next 30 days, giving them flexibility when Wyatt Kaiser returns from injury — or if they claim someone else off waivers Monday. In the meantime, Nolan Allan seems likely to make his NHL debut this week.
Meanwhile, a topic arguably more relevant to the Hawks’ success is Connor Bedard’s linemates. Tyler Bertuzzi and Teuvo Teravainen will get the first crack there, but they didn’t show a lot of chemistry in the preseason. If they struggle for a few games, Taylor Hall or Philipp Kurashev (who has plenty of preexisting chemistry with Bedard) could get a shot.
Were preseason struggles indicative?
The Hawks, Avalanche and Devils were the three NHL teams who won only one preseason game. The Devils already won the first two games of the regular season — overseas in Prague against the Sabres — in yet another reminder not to put too much stock into exhibition results, but the Hawks’ roster inspires much less confidence than those other two teams.
Perhaps the most worrying aspect was the fact the Hawks were heavily outshot in most of those losses. Their 44.1% team scoring-chance ratio during five-on-five play ranked 27th in the league — a similar story to the past few years. Another similar story was their tendency to fall apart for 10-minute stretches.
This is a more experienced team than in years past, and veterans often put less effort into preseason games than prospects do, so perhaps the Hawks will flip a switch Tuesday. But there are plenty of reasons to be skeptical about that.
Have road woes changed?
At the start of training camp, Seth Jones said he believed the Hawks’ many new veterans would make the biggest difference in road games.
After all, the Hawks’ performance in the road games last year was disastrous — they lost 22 straight over a four-month stretch and finished 7-32-2 overall — and Jones thought their youthful inexperience was a big reason why. When one thing went badly and the opposing crowd revved up, things often spiraled out of control.
Jones’ theory will be immediately tested. The atmosphere in Utah’s inaugural game will be raucous, and the Hawks have lost 11 of their last 13 games in Winnipeg and five of their last six in Edmonton.
Where will goals come from?
In the newest episode of the Hawks’ behind-the-scenes show, “Every Shift,” associate general manager Norm Maciver posed a crucial question about this year’s roster: “Where are the goals going to come from?”
Last season, the Hawks ranked last in the NHL with a 2.17 goals-per-game average, with only six players reaching double-digits.
The additions of Teravainen and Bertuzzi and development of Bedard should be enough to raise that average, but offense could still be a challenge. Even if the Hawks bury a handful of goals in the opener, their second game against Vezina Trophy-winning Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck — who touts a .925 career save percentage against them — will pose a huge challenge.