RALEIGH, N.C. — With Frank Nazar and Connor Bedard both back in action, the Blackhawks‘ lineup is now the deepest it has been all year.
Coach Jeff Blashill claimed Thursday he doesn’t know “who’s the fourth line and who’s the second line” anymore.
Against the Hurricanes, Bedard will center Ryan Greene and Andre Burakovsky, Nazar will center Ryan Donato and Tyler Bertuzzi, Jason Dickinson will center Nick Foligno and Ilya Mikheyev and Oliver Moore will center Landon Slaggert and Nick Lardis.
The Moore-Lardis duo, in particular, seems ill-fitted for the fourth line. But it doesn’t sound like they’ll function like a traditional fourth line.
Blashill actually brought up Moore’s recent growth as one of the biggest silver linings to come out of Nazar and Bedard’s absences.
“Since [Oliver has] gone to center, his game has improved,” Blashill said. “Now is it because of that, or is it because he’s gotten more comfortable? I can’t answer that. But I do know that he looks like a guy who potentially is better at center than at wing.”
As a result, Blashill intends to keep Moore at center for the time being. The Hawks organizationally believe Bedard and Nazar are centers, too. Dickinson is definitely a center, so that position group is suddenly crowded.
The solution might be to keep each center’s respective workloads relatively balanced, especially since Thursday marked the first game in a busy stretch of six in nine days.
“I want four lines that can go out [frequently], so the minutes will be a little more equal than they were prior,” Blashill said. “That can be a positive for us.”
Balanced lines might also help make up for the Hawks’ lack of high-end scorers beyond Bedard. One way to frame it: If you don’t have a formidable top six, why have a top six at all?
Rockford options
Colton Dach had played in 48 of the Hawks’ 49 games before Thursday, but Nazar’s return pushed him into healthy-scratch territory alongside Sam Lafferty.
When Teuvo Teravainen returns from his upper-body injury, that will force yet another forward out of the lineup, and Blashill said Wednesday that Teravainen isn’t too far off.
At that point, the Hawks might have no choice but to send one or two guys down to Rockford. Lardis, Slaggert and Dach are all exempt from waivers, so they would be the most likely candidates.
Slaggert has already been up and down several times, whereas Lardis might benefit most from more AHL development time in a starring role.
Dach’s physicality and toughness add specific elements to the lineup, but Blashill has talked about how Dach needs to move his feet more consistently — “skating to disrupt,” he called it — to make a greater impact.
Since Rockford has three games scheduled during the NHL’s Olympic break, the Hawks could also send players there temporarily in February. But Blashill mentioned that getting some rest could be even more valuable.
Extra guy
Lafferty, a healthy scratch in 32 times now, would pass through waivers if the Hawks wanted to explore that option. His $2 million salary-cap hit ensures it.
The Hawks seem to like keeping Lafferty around as roster insurance, though. Blashill recently raved about the veteran’s admirable attitude in a tricky situation.
“If he’s frustrated, which I’m sure he is at times…he never, ever lets it take away from the team,” Blashill said. “He’s the best ping-pong player. He’s the best golfer. He’s a guy who guys love being around. And he’s been an awesome pro.”