Everyone knows that if the Chicago Blackhawks are going to remain Stanley Cup contenders, they’ll need to make up for the departures of Brandon Saad, Patrick Sharp, Brad Richards, Antoine Vermette, and Johnny Oduya.
The question is, how might they do that?
Teuvo Teravainen is a popular answer. After a productive playoffs (10 points in 18 games), and with 10 pounds of additional weight, the talented 21-year old forward is expected to start the season as a center. At training camp, he was skating between newcomers Viktor Tikhonov and Artemi Panarin. Apparently, the trio showed some chemistry together.
Of course, with so many new forwards, it’s likely we’ll see a number of line combinations in Chicago this season. Teravainen could see time on the wing, too. It all depends on how things play out.
Teravainen is trying to stay flexible.
“It doesn’t matter too much for me what position I’m playing,” he told the Chicago Tribune. “But I like playing center. I played it in my younger years, so I feel comfortable.”
Possible lines:
Dano-Toews-Hossa
Bickell-Anisimov-Kane
Panarin-Teravainen-Tihkonov
Desjardins-Kruger-Shaw
Coach Q on Teravainen: I see growth in his game. He looks stronger, bigger. He's improved every step of the way. #CHIvsDET
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) September 22, 2015
Q still has Teuvo Teravainen penciled in at center, even though he's at LW tonight. Still sees Andrew Shaw likely as a winger. #Blackhawks
— Mark Lazerus (@MarkLazerus) September 22, 2015
Related: Blackhawks remain Stanley Cup favorites at online bookmaker