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 season-opening 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 last season but an awful preseason performance raising concerns, here are four questions to be answered on the Hawks’ opening road trip:
How will the roster sort out?
The Hawks on Sunday cut their roster to the maximum 23 players, but their decision to put defenseman Isaak Phillips (currently among those 23) on waivers opens up more possibilities.
On one hand, Phillips might get claimed. On the other, 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 existing chemistry with Bedard) might get a shot.
Were the preseason struggles predictive?
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 another reminder not to put too much stock in exhibition results, but the Hawks’ roster inspires much less confidence than those of the other two teams.
Perhaps the most worrying aspect was that the Hawks were heavily outshot in most of their losses. Their 44.1% team scoring-chance ratio during five-on-five play ranked 27th in the league, a similar story to the last 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 their road woes changed?
At the start of camp, defenseman Seth Jones said he thought the Hawks’ many new veterans would make the biggest difference in road games.
After all, the Hawks’ performance on the road last season was disastrous — they lost 22 in a row during a four-month stretch and finished 7-32-2 overall — and Jones thought their 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 tested immediately. The atmosphere in Utah’s first 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 the 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 the roster this season: ‘‘Where are the goals going to come from?’’
The Hawks ranked last in the NHL at 2.17 goals per game last season, with only six players reaching double figures.
The additions of Teravainen and Bertuzzi and the development of Bedard should be enough to raise that average, but offense still might be an issue. Even if the Hawks score a handful of goals in the opener, their second game against Vezina Trophy-winning Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck — who has a .925 career save percentage against them — will pose a huge challenge.