(Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
The Chicago Blackhawks have been pretty lousy for the last few seasons. There have been very few reasons to smile while watching them in terms of winning. A lot of that is because of bad decisions made by the management team in terms of player personnel.
However, they have made some big moves during this offseason that should make them a much better team. People should be excited about what is to come on United Center ice. There, at minimum, should be some exciting hockey to watch this season.
Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews are still here. Everyone wants to see them make one more run at the Stanley Cup with these two in the mix. That is unlikely based on everything that has gone on but they will certainly have a much better chance in 2021-22 than they have since they won it in 2015. If they make the playoffs (or are close to being a playoff team) this season, nobody should be truly surprised.
Some old names that people became familiar with are now gone. When Duncan Keith was traded to the Edmonton Oilers, that felt like the end of the dynasty core that won three Cups in six years but it was actually dead long before that. Even though Kane and Toews are still there, it is on to the next group of players that will be supporting them in the lineup.
The Chicago Blackhawks will have some new impact players in the lineup.
There are going to be a lot of new names in the lineup this season. There are some bigger ones than others so it is fun to think about who will have the biggest impact. These are the three players that will have the biggest impact on the team this season:
