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CHICAGO -- Here's a quick look at the Chicago Blackhawks' 6-4 win over the Washington Capitals in the season opener at the United Center on Tuesday.

How it happened: If a banner-raising ceremony wasn't enough entertainment on opening night in Chicago, the Blackhawks and Capitals followed that up with an offensive display on the ice. After squandering a 3-2 lead in the third period and going down 4-3, the Blackhawks answered with three goals in the final 13 minutes. Blackhawks forward Brandon Saad tied the score off a pass from Michal Handzus at 7:55 of the third period, and Johnny Oduya put the Blackhawks ahead at 13:53. Marian Hossa added an empty-net goal in the final minute. Brandon Bollig, Patrick Kane and Brent Seabrook also scored for the Blackhawks. Mikhail Grabovski scored three goals for the Capitals. Alex Ovechkin had the other goal. The Capitals scored three times on the power play. Blackhawks goaltender Corey Crawford had 28 saves.

What it means: The Blackhawks became only the second team in the past six years to win on their banner-raising night. The Blackhawks' penalty kill was a strength all of last season but that unit struggled Tuesday. The Hawks didn't allow their third power-play goal of the season until the 11th game last season.

Player of the game: Oduya scored the winner and had a plus-4 rating in the win.

What's next: The Blackhawks get three days off before their second game of the season. They host the Tampa Bay Lightning at the United Center on Saturday.

The Chicago Blackhawks will move on from their 2013 Stanley Cup season after their championship banner is raised on Tuesday night.

Before they do that, a number of the Blackhawks shared their favorite memories from their day with the Stanley Cup this past summer.

Bryan Bickell
"For me, my passion in the offseason is fishing. So a friend of mine has his own TV show; it's called 'Facts of Fishing,' and his name is David Mercer. It's a big TV show in Canada. I had the opportunity to bring the Cup on the show and fish with the Cup, which was special because I know all the guys around the room would say if I wasn't playing hockey I'd be fishing. There were two parts. The first day we caught fish, but there weren't any with size. We had a Part 2 the next day, and we got big ones."

Brandon Bollig
"I think being from St. Louis and taking it back there and having the Blues being a big rival with the Blackhawks, people were on the fence as to whether to come out. I got a lot of tweets from people that they weren't going to come see it until the Blues won. Then again, you get a lot people saying that's awesome, and they're going to support someone from their hometown and come. I had a lot of people with Blues jerseys and shirts at my public event. It was cool. It was all in good fun. I understand. I'd probably do the same if I was in their position."

Corey Crawford
"I think just spending it with my family. It was special to me because I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for them. They pretty much gave up their lives not only for me, but for me and my brother both so we could play hockey and do that. My parents, they pretty much paid the way for me. Not just me, but my brother and sister have been really supportive throughout my career. It was pretty special."

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Here are 10 things to know about the Chicago Blackhawks before they raise the banner Tuesday night and begin the 2013-14 NHL season:

1. The Blackhawks won't discuss a Stanley Cup repeat, but they have constantly emphasized getting off to a positive start to the season. The previous time the Blackhawks tried to defend the Cup, their season was derailed by some early woes. They aren't likely to match last season's 24-game points streak to begin the season, but they would like to do better than the 9-9-2 record they had after 20 games in the 2010-11 season. The Blackhawks do have the advantage this time around of returning nearly everyone from last season's team.

2. The Blackhawks found magic in a top line of Bryan Bickell-Jonathan Toews-Patrick Kane in the playoffs last season, and Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville will be rolling that out again to start this season. The major change that occurred since the trio last played in a real game together is that Bickell is now making about $3.4 million more than he was last season. With that money comes higher expectations, and Bickell understands that. The line only played together once in the preseason, but it looked dangerous.

3. The other Blackhawks' lines likely will be Patrick Sharp-Michal Handzus-Marian Hossa; Brandon Saad-Andrew Shaw-Jimmy Hayes; and Brandon Bollig-Marcus Kruger-Joakim Nordstrom. Ben Smith likely will rotate in on the third and fourth lines.

Just some quick notes on the lines: Sharp stood out in the preseason. Playing on the third line should take some pressure off Saad. Hayes was impressive offensively with his size and quickness at times. Bollig had a solid preseason, but he needs to be more than an enforcer to keep his spot.

4. The defensive pairings likely will be Duncan Keith-Brent Seabrook; Johnny Oduya-Niklas Hjalmarsson; and Nick Leddy-Michal Rozsival. Michael Kostka and Sheldon Brookbank likely will rotate with Rozsival throughout the season. Having an eighth defenseman will allow Quenneville to sit players when they need some time off or are consistently struggling.

5. You can always hold a special place in your heart for Dave Bolland, Michael Frolik and Viktor Stalberg because they helped win last season's Stanley Cup, but they were role players and replaceable. Hayes, Nordstrom and Smith should have no trouble filling in those spots. Nordstrom is expected to replace Frolik on the penalty kill.

6. The Blackhawks didn't really answer the second-line center issue in the preseason. The plan to use Saad barely got off the ground. Brandon Pirri was the second option, but an injury set him back, and he never got a chance to show off his game. That brought Quenneville to his backup option, Handzus. Handzus was recovering from his offseason surgeries during training camp and was held out of all six preseason games. It will be interesting to see how his body holds up over 82 games, especially in such a vital role. As a side note, the Blackhawks' power play didn't look any better in the preseason, either.

7. Hossa also didn't play in any preseason games, and there has to be some concern about his health. Hossa looked great while at Notre Dame to start training camp, but he apparently aggravated his back injury sometime in that first week and has been dealing with some issues again. Hossa missed a Stanley Cup finals game due a back problem and wasn't the same player in the last three games of the season. If he's affected again by it early, it might be in the Blackhawks' best interests to sit him for an extended period to get him healthy. As of now, he said he's fine and will play in the season opener.

8. The NHL has re-aligned its conferences and is back to two divisions per conference. That means the Blackhawks are now joined in the Central Division by the Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars, Minnesota Wild, Nashville Predators, St. Louis Blues and Winnipeg Jets. The Detroit Red Wings and Columbus Blue Jackets are now in the Eastern Conference. The new playoff format will include the top three teams from each division receiving spots and then two wild cards. The first two rounds will be within the division, but with the possibility of the final wild-card team having to cross over divisions to play.

9. Nikolai Khabibulin is back with the Blackhawks and has looked reliable enough in the preseason. If Khabibulin's age (40) catches up to him, the Blackhawks will probably turn to Antti Raanta to be Corey Crawford's backup. Raanta, who is from Finland, is getting accustomed to the smaller North American rink in AHL Rockford to start the season. Either way, Crawford will see a bulk of the workload.

10. Oddsmakers have made the Blackhawks the favorites to win the 2014 Stanley Cup. Most have them at 5-1 or 6-1. They're followed by the Pittsburgh Penguins, Boston Bruins, Los Angeles Kings, Blues, Red Wings and Vancouver Canucks. The Penguins were favored by most to win the Cup last season.

Here are six observations from the Chicago Blackhawks' training camp and preseason games:

1. The durability of the Blackhawks’ older players has to be a concern. Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville has been very cautious with players’ injuries in the preseason. There is no reason to risk anything. Yet, the fact 34-year-old Marian Hossa and 36-year-old Michal Handzus didn’t play in a single preseason game and haven’t been 100 percent healthy in the preseason has to be somewhat alarming. Both players are getting up in age, and both are coming off a season where they suffered severe injuries. With Hossa, there’s a lot at stake for the present, but even more so for the future. Back injuries aren’t anything to mess with, and the Blackhawks are depending on Hossa for years to come. As for Handzus, his injury wouldn’t be as much of an immediate concern if Brandon Saad or Brandon Pirri had worked out at the second-line center. But with Handzus being that option now, the Blackhawks are looking for him to duplicate what he did in the playoffs.

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CHICAGO -- Chicago Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville has known throughout training camp what he has in Michal Handzus as a second-line center.

Handzus showed during the team’s Stanley Cup run last season he could be reliable and produce in that role. He had three goals, eight assists and a plus-7 rating in 23 playoff games.

But heading into this season, Quenneville was open to experimenting with Brandon Saad in that spot to keep him a top-6 forward, and also to giving Brandon Pirri, who led the AHL in scoring last season, a shot there. After two weeks of training camp, the Saad experiment failed and Pirri missed four preseason games due to injury.

And now, Quenneville is again turning to Handzus to be the Blackhawks’ second-line center.

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CHICAGO -- Ryan Stanton may already be an NHL defenseman if he was playing for another organization.

Stanton plays for the Chicago Blackhawks, though, and that means trying to break into what may be the league’s hardest defensive group to crack.

The Blackhawks have returned all seven defensemen from last season’s Stanley Cup team. In returnees Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, Johnny Oduya, Niklas Hjalmarsson, Nick Leddy, Michal Rozsival and Sheldon Brookbank, the Blackhawks possess skill and experience. None of the defensemen have played fewer than 176 career NHL games. The 24-year-old Stanton has played one NHL game.

Stanton received an opportunity to play with some of the returnees in the Blackhawks’ preseason opener on Tuesday evening, and he took advantage of it. He had a plus-2 rating in 20:09 of ice time in the Blackhawks’ 2-0 win over the Detroit Red Wings at the United Center.

“I’m just trying to play a solid game each night,” Stanton said. “Just trying to get better day by day here. Just go out, play my game, work as hard as I can and make their decisions hard by my play.”

Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville certainly noticed Stanton’s effort on Tuesday.

“We’ve always liked him,” Quenneville said. “I thought he had a real strong [game] as the whole group of [defensemen] did tonight.”

Stanton also showed a willingness to defend his teammates. After Blackhawks defenseman Mike Kostka was checked illegally into the boards by Red Wings forward Teemu Pulkkinen in the first period, Stanton skated in and shoved Pulkkinen as the officials quickly broke them up. Pulkkinen received a game misconduct for boarding, and Stanton was given a two-minute penalty for roughing.

“That was definitely a dirty hit that [Pulkkinen] wants back,” Stanton said. “I tried to get in there. He was on there, and I just gave him a shove. 'Let him know I was there' type of thing.”

Teravainen’s first game: Blackhawks prospect Teuvo Teravainen played in his first NHL game on Tuesday. He started at center alongside wings Patrick Kane and Bryan Bickell. Teravainen had zero points and a plus-1 rating.

“Of course, it was a nice game and good win for us,” Teravainen said. “I think the game is a little bit faster than Finland. You need to be smart and ready on the ice.

“It’s awesome [at the United Center]. The fans are crazy.”

Faceoff struggles: The Blackhawks won 19 faceoffs and lost 30 against the Red Wings. None of the Blackhawks’ centers had a winning faceoff percentage. Brandon Saad, who is learning to play center, was 4-of-14 from the dot.

“[The Red Wings have] always been one of the top teams in the league,” Quenneville said of the faceoffs. “They have some guys who are very efficient at it. It definitely wasn’t one of our strong points today. We got to learn from it.”

Penalty kill contributor: Blackhawks forward Joakim Nordstrom was paired up with penalty-kill star Marcus Kruger on the team’s penalty kill, and Nordstrom drew a positive review from Quenneville.

“That line was very effective,” Quenneville said. “I thought they had a good night. [Kruger], I thought was very good out there. I think he’s one of those guys who is easy to play with. I think [Kruger and Nordstrom] have a little relationship and rapport together those two guys being from Sweden. There’s a little chemistry on the PK. I think they will be more in tune as we go along.”

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Here are some observations from the four days of the Chicago Blackhawks training camp at Notre Dame:

Brandon Saad looked more comfortable playing center as the week went along. Early in the week he often glided to the left side of the rink and was getting ahead of the play. By Sunday he was waiting for the puck and skating down the middle of the ice. He’s also looking to distribute more and had a couple impressive passes. Faceoffs will be a work in progress for him, and he has to get more repetitions in.

Duncan Keith appeared to have some aggression to get out the past few days. He went all out on Ben Smith in a fight on Saturday. He was on the verge of another fight with Jimmy Hayes on Sunday. He knocked Hayes in the face wearing his glove, and the two had to be separated. Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville downplayed both incidents, but they did seem out of the ordinary.

Hayes had to put himself in a good position for a roster spot with his play over the last three days. He’s got a big frame, but he also has a lot of speed and quickness. He was often around the puck and created a number of scoring chances. He scored goals on Saturday and Sunday.

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SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- The Chicago Blackhawks' experiment with Brandon Saad as the second-line center completed its third day Saturday.

Saad found the results to be more pleasing this time around.

“I felt better today than yesterday,” Saad said. “[Friday’s scrimmage] was a new experience. Talking with the coaches positionally-wise and being able to play today, I felt much better today than I did yesterday.”

Saad, who hadn’t previously played center prior to training camp, has noticed there are a couple of areas that have been especially difficult in making the transition.

“Faceoffs are going to be something I’m going to need to work at, for sure,” Saad said. “But that is something you can work on to improve. Just not getting ahead of the play, coming to get the puck and supporting the wingers, it’s something new and something I’ll have to adjust to.

“With the wing, you’re usually more ahead of the play. You kind of have to slow yourself down and think a little bit more just because it’s a new experience for me. Like I said, it’s getting better each day.”

Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville gave Saad a favorable review Saturday.

“He looks alright,” Quenneville said. “It seems like he has the puck. Play recognition is there. Defensively, I think that continues to be a work in progress. But I like him right now, but we’ll see.”

Saad will get his first taste of center in a preseason game against the Detroit Red Wings at the United Center on Tuesday.

Toews still out: Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews sat out Saturday’s practices and scrimmages due to a lower-body injury. Toews participated in a practice Friday, but he missed the scrimmages. Quenneville said Toews would likely rest again Sunday.

“Toews, [he’s] much better today,” Quenneville said. “He wanted to skate today, but make sure we’re more than ready with him.”

Handzus, Rozsival improving: Blackhawks forward Michal Handzus and defenseman Michal Rozsival participated in two practices Saturday, but they were kept out of the scrimmages. Quenneville said both were progressing.

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SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Chicago Blackhawks forward Brandon Saad has never played center in his life.

“I’ve played both sides of the wing, but never center,” Saad said on Thursday.

That was news to Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville, who began auditioning Saad as the team’s second-line center during the first day of practice at the University of Notre Dame on Thursday. Quenneville was under the belief Saad had played center in juniors.

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SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- The Chicago Blackhawks obviously want to repeat as Stanley Cup champions.

Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews just didn't think Wednesday, the first day of training camp, was the time to be focused on that.

"When you win the Stanley Cup and you come in the following season, it's happened to us twice now, the talk is always going to be about repeating," Toews said at a news conference at the University of Notre Dame. "We kind of understand that. But we know that we don't really want to be talking about that yet. It's a long ways away. Like we said, we got to focus on the start of the season and not making the mistakes we made last time.

"Once we get to building ourselves up as a team the way we did last year and preparing ourselves for the playoff run, we want to put ourselves in a position come playoff time to be that team that can compete for it again. But we know with what happened last year, we know there's a lot of pressures, a lot of things that play into that. That's our goal for now. We believe that we can be that team that has a chance to [repeat] and can be one of those motivating factors."

Blackhawks forward Patrick Sharp also said he thought he and his teammates had moved on from last season's success and the trophy that accompanied it.

"If you ask the players, the three of us [Duncan Keith, Toews and himself], we're certainly done with [the Stanley Cup]," Sharp said. "We enjoyed it. We had our fun with it. But we're focused on starting a new season and kind of turning the page on what happened last year. Personally, I'm done with it. I had a great time; my family and friends enjoyed it. But I'm ready to go and try to win it again."

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ESPNChicago.com's Blackhawks reporter Scott Powers is counting down this season's top-50 storylines leading into this week's training camp. Here's the final installment:

10. Defensive stability
Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman has made it a priority in the past few seasons to have veteran defensemen. He's willing to gamble with young forwards, but he doesn't like to rush young defensemen. That's why one of the Blackhawks' greatest strengths this season should be its defensive depth again. The Blackhawks return all seven defensemen -- Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, Niklas Hjalmarsson, Johnny Oduya, Nick Leddy, Michal Rozsival and Sheldon Brookbank -- from last year's Stanley Cup team, and all of those players except Brookbank are signed through the following season as well. ESPN recently ranked the Blackhawks' defensive group No. 1 in the league.

9. Captain consistent
Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews is still 25 years old and has room to grow, but the Blackhawks wouldn't complain if he just kept doing on what he has done. He can be expected to produce 70-plus points, be among the league's leaders in faceoffs and takeways, be around a plus-20 rating, contribute on the power play and penalty kill and still be the team leader. The Blackhawks will be banking on similar numbers from Toews again this season.

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ESPNChicago.com's Blackhawks reporter Scott Powers is counting down this season's top-50 storylines leading into this week's training camp. Here's the fourth installment:

20. Getting Leddy back to form
Blackhawks defenseman Nick Leddy had a postseason to forget with a minus-8 rating in 23 games and was limited to a career-low 2:37 of ice time in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup finals. Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville's lack of confidence in Leddy isn't expected to carry over into this season, but it would help both sides for Leddy to have a strong start to the season. He is still just 22, but he's now entering his fourth NHL season and will be expected to be more consistent. He signed a two-year, $5.4 million deal in the offseason.

19. Keeping Shaw on the right side of the line
Andrew Shaw thrived last season in the role of agitator and third-line center for the Blackhawks. On the third line, he was reliable enough defensively, was able to set up his wingers and could chip in the occasional goal. He has also been known to mix it up with opposing players and get under their skin. His post-whistle activities have at times worked against the Blackhawks and led to unnecessary penalties. Michal Handzus had a talk with Shaw during the playoffs about utilizing that additional energy, but also being smart about it. Shaw did a better job of doing that as the playoffs progressed. It will be important again for Shaw to find the right side of that line this season.

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ESPNChicago.com’s Blackhawks reporter Scott Powers is counting down this season’s top-50 storylines leading into this week’s training camp. Here’s the third installment:

30. Brookbank, Rozsival splitting time
Good things happened for the Blackhawks last season when defenseman Michal Rozsival was on the ice. He had a plus-18 rating, third on the team, in the regular season and a plus-9 rating, tied for fifth, in the playoffs. During the regular season, Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville split ice time between Rozsival and Sheldon Brookbank. Quenneville did that partly because Rozsival was dealing with an injury early in the season, but he also wanted to keep both players fresh. Quenneville eventually opted to use Rozsival throughout the playoffs, but expect Rozsival and Brookbank to be involved in another rotation this season. The Blackhawks hope Brookbank will bounce back from a subpar 2013 season and play as he did in his final season with the Anaheim Ducks, when he had 14 points and a plus-11 rating in 80 games.

29. The third line -- Shaw and who else?
Andrew Shaw is likely to center the third line for another season. It’s just not certain who will be beside him. Shaw, Bryan Bickell and Viktor Stalberg gave the Blackhawks a consistent third line last season. Bickell is now likely to move into a top-6 forward role after receiving a sizeable pay increase in the offseason, and Stalberg signed with the Nashville Predators. If Brandon Saad doesn’t work out as the second-line center, he could be a perfect fit on the third line. Saad would give the line some scoring punch and ease the pressure off him as he plays in his first 82-game NHL season. Jimmy Hayes is another possibility. He got called up from Rockford last season and had four points in 10 games with the Blackhawks. Jeremy Morin, who led the IceHogs with 30 goals last season, Brandon Pirri, who led the IceHogs in points, and Ben Smith could be in the mix as well.

28. Oduya’s continued consistency
Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman hasn’t traded for many players over the last few seasons, but the few players he has acquired have worked out for the Blackhawks. Defenseman Johnny Oduya was dealt for in the 2011-12 season and quickly proved to be a valuable asset. Oduya continued to be a consistent defenseman last season and had a plus-12 regular-season rating and a plus-12 playoff rating. He and Niklas Hjalmarsson have given the Blackhawks a strong second defensive pairing. The Blackhawks will hope for more of the same this season. Not that Oduya is solely responsible, but the Blackhawks are 49-9-9 in the regular season since Oduya was traded for in 2012.

27. The other Swedish defenseman
There were rumors just a season ago that the Blackhawks could deal Niklas Hjalmarsson to free up money. A lot has changed since then. Hjalmarsson helped the Blackhawks to another Stanley Cup last season with a plus-15 regular-season rating and a plus-10 playoff rating, and Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman recently showed how important Hjalmarsson is to the franchise’s future. Bowman made sure Hjalmarsson would continue to be a part of the Blackhawks’ core for many years to come as Hjalmarsson signed a five-year extension which will keep him in Chicago through the 2018-19 season.

26. Bickell-Toews-Kane line
Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville toyed with the team’s lines during the playoffs last season until he found something that worked. One of the lines he found to be most the productive was Bryan Bickell, Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane. The line had success in the Western Conference finals and Stanley Cup finals. It’ll be interesting to see whether Quenneville tries that line again to start the season. Bickell was a regular on the third line last season, but is expected to a be a top-6 forward this season after his new contract. Quenneville often split up Kane and Toews last season to balance the lines. Patrick Sharp and Marian Hossa are also expected to be on the first two lines, along with a new second-line center.

25. Need some luck
The Blackhawks possess plenty of skill. No doubt. But to win a Stanley Cup, you also have to possess some luck. In Rob Vollman’s "Hockey Abstract," he breaks down that luck can be accounted for by a team’s shooting and save percentages, special teams index, injuries, post-regulation record and record in one-goal games. After taking into account all those factors, Vollman determined the Blackhawks were the third luckiest team last season behind the Toronto Maple Leafs and Pittsburgh Penguins. He also calculated what the standings would have been last season if there had been 82 games and luck wasn’t a factor, and his luck-neutral standings were the Ottawa Senators would have finished with 104 points, the Detroit Red Wings with 103 points and the Blackhawks with 99 points. Finally, he predicted this season’s standings based on last season’s results, the removal of luck and major roster changes, and he has the Senators and New Jersey Devils finishing with 105 points, and the Blackhawks in 11th place overall with 93 points.

24. A new, but old, backup
The Blackhawks were the league’s best regular-season team last season largely because of the play of two goaltenders. Corey Crawford carried the goaltending load in the playoffs, but Ray Emery was just as important in the regular season, posting a 17-1-0 record, a 1.94 goals-against average and a .922 save percentage. Emery is gone now, and the Blackhawks’ backup responsibilities fall upon Nikolai Khabibulin, who is back with the Blackhawks for a second time. Khabibulin is 40 years old, but the Blackhawks are convinced he can still be a solid backup. He has been that at times the past few seasons, but he’s also had some inconsistencies due to injuries. If Antti Raanta progresses as the Blackhawks hope, he could fill in for Khabibulin if his play declines in the second half of the season.

23. Hitting the road twice
The Blackhawks will face two lengthy road trips this season. They will play seven consecutive road games from Nov. 19-Nov. 30 with games at Colorado, Winnipeg, Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Dallas and Phoenix. They’ll also play seven consecutive road games beginning on Jan. 28 and ending on Feb. 27 with the Olympics in between those dates. Prior to the Olympics, the Blackhawks will play at Calgary, Vancouver, San Jose, Los Angeles, Anaheim and Phoenix. After the Olympics, the Blackhawks open on the road against the New York Rangers. The Blackhawks were 18-4-2 on the road last season and went 4-0-2 on their longest road trip of the season.

22. That power-play issue
No, a team doesn’t need an effective power play to win the Stanley Cup. The Blackhawks proved that again last season. But, yes, it wouldn’t hurt to have one. The Blackhawks’ power play struggled to find consistency for the second consecutive season last year. They ranked 19th with a 16.7 power-play percentage in the regular season. The Blackhawks undoubtedly have talented offensive players, but that hasn’t translated to power-play success. Blackhawks assistant coach Jamie Kompon said at the convention, “Eventually, there comes a time when players try to do too much as opposed to keeping it simple. When you simplify things, that's usually the way the pucks go into the net.” That will be the goal this season.

21. Replacing Frolik
Michael Frolik made himself a valuable piece to the Blackhawks’ Stanley Cup run last season with his play on the penalty kill. Frolik and Marcus Kruger were considered unsung heroes, but everyone knew about their penalty kill contributions by the end of the season. Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville recently said Ben Smith could be the guy to replace Frolik. Smith hasn’t stuck in the NHL yet, but he has played in some big games – like Game 3 of the Stanley Cup last season – and seems mature enough to understand the importance of that role.

ESPNChicago.com's Blackhawks reporter Scott Powers is counting down this season's top-50 storylines over the next week leading into training camp. Here's the second installment:

40. Kane and Toews extensions
Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews aren't unrestricted free agents until after the 2014-15 season and can't negotiate contract extensions until after the 2013-14 season, but still expect this to be a storyline throughout this season. Those deals are Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman's priorities, and he's been planning for them for a long time. Everything Bowman has done -- the extensions he gave Bryan Bickell, Corey Crawford and Niklas Hjalmarsson, signing restricted free agents, etc. -- has been with Kane's and Toews' contracts in mind. The salary cap is expected to be raised in the future, which will help the Blackhawks. Kane and Toews have implied they'd like to remain in Chicago and may be willing to give the Blackhawks a hometown deal. To put both among the top-15 paid players in the NHL, the Blackhawks would have to give them around $7.5 million each.

39. The No. 3 shootout shooter
The Blackhawks were slightly above .500 in shootouts last season with a 6-5 record. Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville turned to Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews in every shootout last season, and the pair scored 11 of the team's 16 shootout goals. But Quenneville couldn't consistently decide on a No. 3 shooter and used a number of different players there. Marian Hossa, Michal Rozsival, Brandon Saad, Andrew Shaw and Patrick Sharp were among the players to get multiple shootout attempts last season. Of the group, Hossa was the only player to score more than one goal. He had two goals in three attempts. It will be interesting to see whether Quenneville sticks with Hossa as the No. 3 shooter this season or goes a different route.

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The Chicago Blackhawks have their team and they’re making a run at becoming a dynasty with it.

After having to dissolve a large portion of the 2010 Stanley Cup team due to salary cap restraints, Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman is doing his best to keep nearly everyone together for years to come after their latest Cup win.

The Blackhawks will now have at least 14 players, including seven forwards, six defensemen and one goaltender, from last season’s Stanley Cup roster together over the next two seasons, and that number will likely grow with Andrew Shaw and Ben Smith among the group of upcoming restricted free agents.

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