All eyes will be on Daniel Carcillo in his Hawks debut

Let's see, what's the more interesting storyline for Thursday's game against the Winnipeg Jets?

The first return to the United Center for Blackhawks Stanley Cup heroes Dustin Byfuglien and Andrew Ladd with the Jets?

The fact the Hawks are playing a team from Winnipeg for the first time since 1996?

Or Daniel Carcillo's much-anticipated debut as a Hawk?

My money is on Car Bomb.

The guy general manager Stan Bowman signed as a free agent to stir the pot, annoy the opposition and protect the Hawks' top players sat out the first two games of the season while serving a suspension for an incident in the playoffs with Philadelphia.

“I'm as prepared as I'm ever going to be,” Carcillo said this week.

Not only will Carcillo be making his Hawks debut in front of the home crowd that hated him with the Flyers and Coyotes, he'll be skating on the left wing with Patrick Kane and Marian Hossa.

It was Carcillo who upon his arrival here said he didn't want to be cast as a fourth-liner and someone who could only fight. Here's the chance to back up those words.

“Danny gets a chance to play with some great players and I think that line can do a lot of things,” Hawks coach Joel Quenneville said Wednesday. “It's got a little bit of size and some net-front presence. Danny can get to the net, and I think you're going to be surprised by him. Danny knows if he goes to the net with his stick on the ice, it's going to come. There could be a lot of chances around the net to cash in on.”

Quenneville still wants Carcillo to be his rambunctious self and not think he needs to be Patrick Sharp out there with Kane and Hossa.

“You're not going in there thinking of trying to make plays and be fancy and be creating,” Quenneville said. “The simpler you are, being hard to play against, get to the hard area, get to the front of the net and create space, that's what it's all about.

“He doesn't have to be the one that handles the puck. His role and job description hasn't changed a bit.”

Carcillo is looking forward to the opportunity that has presented itself.

“They're two of the elite players in this league,” Carcillo said. “It's a pretty simple job. Go to the net, keep my stick on the ice. Be ready for back-door passes and rebounds.”

And then there's that other stuff.

“I know when I'm doing my job, I'm under guys' skin and they're thinking about me and they're not thinking about guys like Kane and Hossa,” Carcillo said. “That's a mistake on their part and that's when breakdowns happen. My main focus is to be hard on the forecheck and, if need be, protect them.”

Kane likes the idea of having Carcillo on his line.

“He could be good for myself and Hossa,” Kane said. “Hopefully the same kind of thing like (Troy) Brouwer, just creating room for us. I know he played with (Mike) Richards and (Jeff) Carter and those guys in Philadelphia, so I'm sure he's used to it a little bit.”