Hawks' second line impressive on first day of camp
SOUTH BEND — It was only the first day of training-camp, two scrimmages and a narrow window in a long season, but it didn't take long for the Blackhawks' new second line to open some eyes Friday.
Patrick Kane and Brandon Saad needed a few shifts to get used to their new center on the second line, veteran Brad Richards, but once they did good things happened for their team in two scrimmages to start camp at the University of Notre Dame's Compton Family Ice Arena.
Kane scored a goal in each of the two games, one off a pass from Saad and the other from Richards, and the trio was also on the ice when defenseman Nick Leddy scored in the first game.
“They looked really good,” said Marian Hossa, who played against them and scored 2 goals of his own while paired with Patrick Sharp and captain Jonathan Toews. “I told the guys, they had great little passing going on. (Richards) is a very creative player, also Kaner. They just love to play with the puck and (Saad) has great speed, so I think they looked really good. It was fun to watch from the other bench.”
Hawks coach Joel Quenneville enjoyed it from the press box.
While tempering enthusiasm for his new-look second line, Quenneville couldn't help but state the obvious after the first day of camp concluded.
“First scrimmage, they had the puck a lot,” he said. “Kaner was very noticeable. First scrimmage, I thought he was extremely dangerous, fun to watch. I think Brad kind of probably had a feeling and appetite (like), ‘Well, this could be fun playing with this guy.' I thought they were very dangerous, had a lot of opportunities. It was a good first day for sure.”
If that chemistry continues, it could give the Blackhawks something they managed to win the Stanley Cup twice in the past five seasons without. That would be a true second-line center in Richards, 34, who signed a one-year contract July 1 and comes to the Hawks highly motivated to prove he's still elite.
Last season alone, Kane played with eight different centers. Richards could help whittle that number down significantly this year, possibly to one if things work out.
He and Kane each love having the puck in the offensive zone, so that balance might take time to hash out, but early returns were impressive in the their first game action together. Saad, meanwhile, provides size, strength and speed to retrieve loose pucks and hound the net.
“Chemistry is one of those things you can't really explain,” Kane said. “Sometimes you either have it or it takes a little while to develop. I thought right away, you can see that (Richards) plays the game somewhat similar to the way I'm used to, so it's kind of nice to have someone that can make those passes and make those plays. He even surprised me with a few passes today.”
The duo is also building their connection off the ice. Richards and his wife live in the same downtown high-rise as Kane, and there has already been some carpooling to workouts.
“Sometimes things click right away, sometimes it takes time, sometimes it never works,” Richards said. “I enjoyed it out there today. It was a lot of fun playing with those two. Obviously, Kaner's a world-class player, so it's good to talk to him, try to figure out what they like and what their tendencies are. That, for sure, will take a little time. But overall it's good.”