What I’m seeing: Blackhawks lineup projection, Chicago Sports Network channel launch

Chicago Sports Network’s launch seemed to go smoothly on Wednesday. The network hired pros for the talent. The sets looked modern. There didn’t appear to be any noticeable hitches. It was a great debut by all accounts.

How many people actually saw it, though? If you were in the Chicago market, the only way to watch the channel was using an antenna, watching on DirectTV or Astound, using a VPN on ESPN+, or finding an illegal stream. CHSN has yet to finalize deals with Comcast, Hulu or YouTube TV.

Comcast is the big fish. It is expected that CHSN will eventually come to an agreement with Comcast, but it’s unknown what tier the channel will appear, or how quickly. Wednesday was the first day for the network, but the first regular-season game on the network isn’t until Oct. 11. That is the real deadline for CHSN. If the network misses that, its launch is a major disaster. The direct-to-consumer option will also be important, but there’s not as much urgency there.

Will you watch the Blackhawks’ game on CHSN tonight?

— Scott Powers (@ByScottPowers) October 1, 2024

Let’s now get to the hockey. With four preseason games down and two to go, here is where the lineup seems to stand:

Top line

Richardson has tried various players with Connor Bedard throughout camp. Bedard has seen time with Tyler Bertuzzi, Taylor Hall, Phillip Kurashev and Teuvo Teräväinen. Kurashev and Bertuzzi started Tuesday’s game with Bedard, but Kurashev and Hall ended it with him. Bedard will undoubtedly play with a range of players this season, but Richardson needs to give him and a consistent line some time to work together and develop chemistry. Starting off with Teräväinen, Bedard and Bertuzzi probably makes the most sense.

Second line

Ilya Mikheyev, Kurashev and Hall had some of the Blackhawks’ best shifts of the preseason together during Saturday’s game against the St. Louis Blues. Richardson appears to like Mikheyev with Jason Dickinson and Nick Foligno, and that line was the Blackhawks’ best line in Tuesday’s game. If Richardson went with Kurashev and Hall on that line, Lukas Reichel is probably the most logical third play. The question is whether Reichel is up for it. He’s had a rough preseason so far. With him on the ice in five-on-five play, opponents have had a 44-11 advantage in shot attempts. He also hasn’t attempted a single shot at five-on-five.

Third line

Let’s call Dickinson’s line the third line. Dickinson and Foligno are going to be fine with almost anyone they play with. Mikheyev brings speed and some offensive upside to the line. What Richardson has to ponder is whether moving Mikheyev up the lineup might make more sense because he adds more there and Dickinson’s line will still likely succeed with another winger. Joey Anderson did fit well with Dickinson and Foligno last season.

Fourth line

Craig Smith seems like he’s done more than enough to earn a place in the lineup. He’s probably someone who will get looks up the lineup, too, just because of his shoot-first mentality. So who plays with him? Andreas Athanasiou and Pat Maroon were probably the favorites entering the preseason. Have they done enough to stay there? Both have spent the majority of their time in the defensive zone. With Athanasiou on the ice, opponents have had a 34-13 edge in shot attempts. With Maroon, it’s been 27-17 for opponents in shot attempts and 3-0 in goals. Ryan Donato played well in the first game. You would think he’ll get in Friday’s game. Anderson had a solid first game and wasn’t as good in his second game. He probably will play on Friday, too.

Top defensive pairing

Richardson expressed an interest in splitting up Seth Jones and Alex Vlasic. We’ll see if he follows through. Vlasic has played in the preseason with Jones, T.J. Brodie and Kevin Korchinski. Vlasic likely will end up with Jones or Brodie.

Second defensive pairing

If Jones and Vlasic are together, there are a lot of different ways Richardson can go. Brodie and Alec Martinez could be a pairing. Depending on how soon Wyatt Kaiser returns, he could be with Brodie or Connor Murphy. Martinez could be with Murphy, too. At this point, I assume that Korchinski will end up in AHL Rockford to start the season. If the Blackhawks believe that is best for his development, they shouldn’t delay that, even if Kaiser isn’t cleared for the opener. There are enough young defensemen who could deserve a look in the NHL until Kaiser is ready to go. Korchinski had a rough game Wednesday, with two of his turnovers leading to Minnesota Wild goals.

Third defensive pairing

Kaiser’s status likely determines the second and third pairings. Isaak Phillips and Louis Crevier have both played in three preseason games and had mixed performances. Nolan Allan might be the safest bet. If Kaiser can’t play to start, two of those players could make the team out of camp.

Goalies

Petr Mrázek has looked good in the preseason. He was going to be the No. 1 goalie regardless. Arvid Söderblom will likely beat out Drew Commesso for the No. 2 spot until Lauren Brossoit is cleared. Söderblom played well in his preseason start. The seven goals weren’t largely Commesso’s fault on Wednesday, but he was going to have to turn heads to leap Söderblom in the NHL depth chart.

(Photo: Michael Reaves / Getty Images)