Browsing: Projected

On Saturday night, the Chicago Blackhawks are going to take on the Toronto Maple Leafs at the United Center. This will be the final game of “The Originalsâ€, the first of four chapters celebrating their centennial season.

A ceremony will precede the game. The Blackhawks are encouraging fans to be in their seat at 5:30 to make sure they donâ€t miss a thing. Pat Foley is going to host the ceremony, which will celebrate the early days of the franchise.

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At 3:30 PM, the Atrium will open and include exhibits that show displays that include tributes to the original days of the Chicago Blackhawks. At 4:45 in the Atrium, Darren Pang will host a Q&A with Blackhawks alumni.

Fans can enter the United Center at 4:30. The first 8000 fans will receive a Tony Esposito bobblehead. There will be no shortage of Blackhawks-related things to do ahead of this Original Six matchup.

On the ice, the 8-5-4 Blackhawks will take on the 8-8-2 Maple Leafs in a battle of two franchises seemingly headed in opposite directions.

Scouting Toronto

The Toronto Maple Leafs are off to their worst start in a decade. Since they built up the core that has made them contenders, they have never had only 8 wins in their first 18 games.

The Hockey News (@TheHockeyNews) on X

The Hockey News (@TheHockeyNews) on X With Matthews out of the lineup with a lower-body injury and both of their goalies currently unavailable, the Leafs are only four points out of first place. @Michael_Traikos says thereâ€s no need to panic – yet:

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Their captain and superstar, Auston Matthews, will be missing due to an injury. Both of their goalies, in addition to Matthews, have also been unavailable in recent games.

Knies-Tavares-Nylander

Robertson-Domi-McMann

Joshua-Roy-Naccelli

Blais-Lorentz-Jarnkrok

Rielly-Carlo

Benoit-McCabe

Ekman Larsson- Mermis

Matthew Knies and Brandon Carlo missed practice on Friday for maintenance, but they are expected to play. These are the lines they fit in on during Thursday’s game. Easton Cowan was recalled from the Toronto Marlies and could draw into the lineup as well.

Joseph Woll has also been activated and should be the starting goalie against the Blackhawks.

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Projected Blackhawks Lines, Defense Pairs, and Starting Goalie

The Chicago Blackhawks have been dealing with injuries themselves, like every team. On Friday, Jason Dickinson, Frank Nazar, and Andre Burakovsky all returned to practice, but Tyler Bertuzzi was missing. Also, Nazar left early with some discomfort.

Frank Nazar, Jason Dickinson, & Andre Burakovsky All Returned To Blackhawks Practice

Frank Nazar, Jason Dickinson, & Andre Burakovsky All Returned To Blackhawks Practice After time away with various health issues, multiple Chicago Blackhawks players returned to practice on Friday.

Spencer Knight was in the starter’s crease during the morning skate. Expect him to go against the Leafs on Saturday night. Knight has been one of the league’s best goalies so far this season, so Toronto has no easy path to getting back on track.

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In front of him, the lineup is projected to look as follows:

Bertuzzi-Bedard-Burakovsky

Teravainen-Greene-Mikheyev

Moore-Donato-Dach

Slaggert-Foligno-Lafferty

Vlasic-Crevier

Kaiser-Levshunov

Grzelcyk-Murphy

During their last game against the New Jersey Devils, Sam Rinzel was moved to the 7th defenseman role, while Louis Crevier moved up to the top pair in his place with Alex Vlasic. For this game against the Maple Leafs, Rinzel is going to take a seat and watch. A reset like this worked for Artyom Levshunov, and they are hoping for similar results for Rinzel. Matt Grzelcyk will take Rinzel’s spot on the second power play unit.

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Frank Nazar and Jason Dickinson both were at morning skate, but they skated as extras. Right now, Nazar is a game-time decision, and Dickinson will be out for another game.

Bertuzzi and Burakovsky are both back on the top line with Connor Bedard. Ryan Greene, who did a wonderful job in tough matchup situations against the Devils, will continue in his role as second-line center if Nazar is still out. Ilya Mikheyev and Teuvo Teravainen help him round out the top six.

For the first time since Chicago’s home opener, after 14 straight games with 11/7, Jeff Blashill is going to dress the traditional 12 forwards and 6 defensemen. The forward scratched will be determined by Nazar’s availability at the start of the game. If Nazar is good to go, one of Landon Slaggert or Sam Lafferty is the likely candidate, even though they both scored last game.

Connor Bedard is looking to make it 10 straight games with a point, which would be a career high for him in terms of a point streak.

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How To Watch

Fans in the Chicagoland area can find the game on CHSN. As part of Hockey Night in Canada, this game can be found on Sportsnet north of the border. The puck will drop shortly after 6 PM CT.

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Visit The Hockey News Chicago Blackhawks team site to stay updated on the latest news, game-day coverage, player features, and more.

For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.

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There’s been a lot of chatter about Gavin McKenna this week, and we’re right on time for the “just asking questions” brigade to start pondering whether or not he actually deserves the first overall status that largely the same crowd blessed him with two years ago.Â

This is why I don’t like crowning top prospects that far out. (See: Lafreniere, Alexis.) But McKenna has played two full WHL seasons, plus the 16 games he played before he was eligible to join the WHL full-time (he had 18 points in those). So we’ve got a pretty good idea of who he is as a player. Let’s jump in and look at whatever the lucky lottery-winning team is getting in McKenna, as of right now—November 2025.

Team:Penn State Nittany Lions (NCAA)

Points:14 points (4 goals, 10 assists) in 12 gamesÂ

Some quick notes on McKenna: as noted above, he’s been touted as the consensus number one for a while. Some people are beginning to get bored of that and look elsewhere, and some of them even have valid reasons that we’ll get into in a couple slides.

McKenna made the decision to jump from the WHL, a major-junior hockey league that plays 68 games per season, to the NCAA, a college hockey league that plays 40 games per season. NCAA games are more spaced out, where major-junior schedules more closely resemble a professional league (understandable, as NCAA players are student-athletes and—allegedly—take classes during the week). He’s playing against not just older players in the NCAA but bigger, more experienced players. He’s adjusting not only to a new environment and new teammates but to a completely new style of play and approach to the season.Â

At the time of writing, he’s recorded 14 points in 12 games, including 4 goals and 10 assists. That’s good for 14th place in college hockey, and fourth on his own team. Not really what you’d expect, but as I noted above—it’s a completely different league. He has recorded 48 shots on goal, good for second on the team, something that probably isn’t surprising to anyone who has seen him play.

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On Wednesday night, the Chicago Blackhawks found a way to win a hockey game that they didn’t play particularly well in. After being dominated for 40 minutes, Tyler Bertuzzi’s hat trick sparked the big win after Spencer Knight gave them a chance.

Now, they are back in Alberta to take on the Calgary Flames. After taking three out of a possible eight points to start the six-game road trip, there is still time to salvage more.

Although the road trip hasn’t been exactly perfect, this is still a great start to the season for Chicago. At 6-5-3, they are right in the mix and one of only six teams in the Western Conference with a positive goal differential.

Blackhawks Are 1 of 6 Teams in West With Positive Goal Differential
The Eastern Conference seems easier at the moment than the Western Conference, which gives the Chicago Blackhawks, who have taken a nice step forward, some hope early in the season.

Scouting Calgary

The Calgary Flames are the worst team in the NHL when it comes to the standings. After a surprisingly good season in 2024-25, they have fallen way back. At 4-9-2 for 10 points, they are the only team in the NHL with a points percentage below .400 entering play on Friday.

 Zary – Kadri – Farabee

Huberdeau – Frost – Coronato

Honzek – Backlund – Coleman

Lomberg – Sharangovich – Klapka

Hanley – Weegar

Bahl – Andersson

Pachal – Parekh

Wolf

With Nazem Kadri, Morgan Frost, Mikael Backlund, and Yegor Sharangovich, they aren’t all that bad down the middle of the ice. It is the lack of depth everywhere else that has them in last place.

Dustin Wolf, who was the Calder Trophy runner-up in 2024-25, has not been playing nearly as well this year. That is also a big reason why the Flames are where they are in the standings.

Kevin Bahl took a maintenance day during the morning skate and Yan Kuznetsov went in his place on the second pair, but Bahl is expected to play.

Projected Blackhawks Lines, Defense Pairs, and Starting Goalie

The Blackhawks, for every game but two, have run a lineup that consists of 11 forwards and 7 defensemen. That is likely to continue in this one.

Greene – Bedard – Burakovsky

Teravainen – Nazar – Bertuzzi

Moore – Donato – Mikheyev

Dach – Foligno

Vlasic – Rinzel

Kaiser – Levshunov

Grzelcyk – Murphy

Crevier

Knight

If the Blackhawks do go with 11/7 again, Sam Lafferty is likely to be the healthy scratch. With Oliver Moore looking good as a part of the everyday roster, the path to consistent playing time gets harder and harder for Lafferty.

Connor Bedard and Tyler Bertuzzi are both coming off big games which helped them beat the Canucks. For Bertuzzi, it was a hat trick. For Bedard, it was another multi-point performance which extended his point streak to six games.

Of the seven defensemen dressed, all but two (Connor Murphy and Matt Grzelcyk) are very young. Head coach Jeff Blashill believes that this strategy helps all of them, including the veterans.

Spencer Knight was in the starters crease during the morning skate, so he is the projected starting goalie for Chicago. Knight’s year is going very well. If he keeps this up, Team USA might come knocking on his door for an Olympic spot.

How To Watch

Viewers in the Chicagoland area can find the game on CHSN. It can also be heard on the radio via AM 720 WGN. National viewers can find it on ESPN+ in the United States and Sportsnet West in Canada. The puck will drop shortly after 8 PM CT.

Visit The Hockey News Chicago Blackhawks team site to stay updated on the latest news, game-day coverage, player features, and more.

For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.

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  Rachel KryshakOct 1, 2025, 06:22 AM ET

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  Rachel Kryshak is a professional data consultant specializing in data communication and modelling. She’s worked in the NHL and consulted for professional teams across North American and Europe. She hosts the Staff & Graph Podcast and discusses sports from a data-driven perspective.

The NHL’s preseason is nearly done, and it is time to prognosticate who will take a leap forward this season in terms of role and production.

Last season, Dylan Guenther and Matthew Knies made this list and saw major increases in role and production. A few others who did not pop last season for various reasons, find themselves on the list ahead of 2025-26.

As is tradition, a “breakout” does not always mean offensive production. It can mean an elevated role at even strength, more special teams time, and exposure to tougher matchups. Many of the players on this list are expected to see major role increases and a few of them should break out in the traditional sense.

C, Chicago Blackhawks

The most obvious player to include on this list.

Editor’s Picks

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After two seasons below seemingly impossible expectations, it feels like this is finally Bedard’s year. A reminder that Nathan Mackinnon did not become the rhinoceros on skates we know today until his fifth NHL season, so give the much smaller Bedard a chance.

Not that the preseason is always an indicator of anything, but Bedard’s shot and elite vision were on display consistently in September. If he stays healthy, he should score more than a point per game. If he wants to make the Olympic team, he’ll need to be on an 85- to 90-point pace when the roster is named, which is attainable for someone with his skill set.

Everyone has seen the brilliance of Bedard when he’s at the top of his game. Through two years, it hasn’t been consistent. He’ll likely play more than 20 minutes every game, and should generate between three to four shots per game. His shooting percentage should start to climb, which is something seen often with players who possess elite shots like Bedard. Should Bedard shoot at 13% on 270 shots, he would score 35 goals, a major uptick from his 22- and 23-goal campaigns.

He needs more opportunities to make magic happen, both of his own creation and by way of the situations he is deployed in. It’s reasonable to suggest he ends with 32 goals and 55 assists this season, which puts him at 87 points.

C, Los Angeles Kings

The 6-5, 225-pound center is going to be a key piece for the Kings this season, as he prepares to step into the top-line pivot role when Anze Kopitar retires at the end of the season.

Kopitar is still a tremendous player, but the Kings will need to put Byfield in tough minutes to further develop his game on both sides of the puck. Byfield has all the makings of a player who can score 80 points and be reliable defensively. He’s going to get more opportunities on the power play, and his offensive game at even strength started to take off last season.

After back-to-back seasons of point totals in the mid-50s, expect Byfield to use his speed, strength and skill to physically dominate his shifts. There’s a real pathway to a 30-goal, 45-assist season for him as he takes a more significant role in the Kings’ top six.

C, Seattle Kraken

The first-line center for the Kraken is one of the better two-way players in the NHL at the young age of 22. Beniers is reliable in all situations, a rarity for players under 25. Beniers has not found the next step offensively in the NHL, and it is something Seattle desperately needs.

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From a true breakout perspective, this could be the year Beniers finds himself firmly in the Selke Trophy conversation for the NHL’s best defensive forward. The winners are usually accompanied by offensive production (not that they should be), and Beniers will see time on both special team units to make an impact.

Incoming Kraken coach Lane Lambert wants the penalty kill to be aggressive, and will encourage his players to generate scoring chances when the opportunity arises. That, combined with top-line minutes and top power-play reps should allow Beniers the opportunity to increase his offensive output.

Beniers’ rookie campaign saw him produce 57 points in a second-line role. He’s taking tougher matchups on the top line, and if he can notch more than 60 points while effectively shutting down the opponent’s best, he’ll be in the Selke conversation. That’s a major step forward for a player at this point in his development.

LW, Buffalo Sabres

A promotion to the top line with Tage Thompson and Josh Norris is all that is needed for Benson to land on the list. Whether he stays there — or plays second-line center to allow for Ryan McLeod to thrive in the third-line role — Benson is primed for a major uptick in every statistical category.

After a 28-point campaign last season where he averaged under 15 minutes of ice time per game, he’s likely to play close to 19 minutes per contest this season. He’ll also get opportunities on the power play, and be in a position to play with better players than in prior campaigns.

When factoring in everything, there is a distinct possibility that the highly skilled youngster will double his offensive production from last season and score between 55 and 60 points. He will play more difficult minutes because of his matchups against top defenders, but Benson’s ability to create offense is high-end, and he should thrive with more talented linemates, and more time spent in the offensive zone.

The Sabres are counting on him this season, so scoring around 22 goals and 35 assists is within reach for the 2023 first-round pick.

C, Winnipeg Jets

With Nikolaj Ehlers signing with Carolina, Perfetti is finally in line to get a major upgrade in offensive opportunity. Combine that with his standout performance for Winnipeg in the playoffs, there is no defensible reason for keeping him off the top power play and from giving him consistent minutes in the top six.

With increased opportunity at even strength and special teams, there is every reason to believe Perfetti could be a 70-point player in 2025-2026. Increasing his ice time from 15 to 17 minutes on a per-game basis will lead to an increase in shooting opportunities. Should Perfetti match his shooting percentage from the last two seasons, he should notch between 25 and 30 goals. Increased power-play time will naturally increase his offensive production.

It is finally Perfetti time in Winnipeg, and he is well prepared to take this well-earned opportunity and run with it.

C, Carolina Hurricanes

The diminutive center saw his opportunity and thus, his production increase after the trade from Dallas to Carolina.

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The Canes deployed Stankoven as their second-line center, and were rewarded for it. As is the case with Perfetti, Stankoven is likely to see 17 minutes of ice time per game this season, adding two minutes to last season’s average. Whether his is flanked by Andrei Svechnikov or Nikolaj Ehlers on his left, he’s going to have a highly skilled player capable of scoring many points.

Stankoven’s playmaking ability could be what elevates Svechnikov to that surge in goal production for which many have been waiting. Should he play with Ehlers, both are dual-threat offensive players, and Stankoven has the skill to finish the chances that Ehlers creates.

Regardless of who he plays with, an upgrade in skill set and increased opportunity should lead to increased production for the young Canes center.

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The Toronto Maple Leafs’ top prospects are set to face off against the Montreal Canadiens and Ottawa Senators in a…