Kane, Panarin on separate lines? Quenneville willing to test it out
In his first eight years in the NHL, nobody could argue that Patrick Kane was one of the best hockey players on the planet.
But it wasn't until his ninth season that Kane truly broke out, scoring 46 goals and dishing out 60 assists en route to winning the Hart Trophy as the league MVP.
He did so in large part by building electric chemistry with Artemi Panarin, a fresh-faced, 23-year-old winger who won the rookie of the year award.
Now, with the 2016-17 season just 10 days away, Blackhawks' coach Joel Quenneville seems intent on splitting up Panarin and Kane to help create more balance in his lines.
"The chemistry (between) the two of them is special," Quenneville said after his team won a 4-0 preseason game against St. Louis at the United Center on Saturday. "They'll always (have) some shifts together. It's whether they're going to be permanently together is something we'll evaluate."
Saturday against the Blues, Kane first skated with Artem Anisimov (center) and Nick Schmaltz, while Panarin was with Vinnie Hinostroza (center) and Richard Panik. Tyler Motte replaced Schmaltz about two-thirds of the way through the second period.
Now for the irony: The Blackhawks' first goal of the preseason came when Panarin shot a one-timer past Blues goalie Carter Hutton ... on a pass from ... you guessed it: Kane. Other than on power plays, it was one of the few times the two were on the ice together.
"It's funny - I had a play like that earlier in the game and I was kind of looking and both of (my) guys kind of drove to the net," Kane said. "Usually Panarin would stop up and find that open spot.
"Sure enough, the next time I do that he's on the ice and does that exact same play."
Both Kane and Panarin said they are fine with the experiment of playing apart, with Kane noting he's played with plenty of different wingers over the years.
Said Panarin: "We know we need to essentially adjust to new partners because everybody's good. So we are ready to get some new partners, but essentially we scored together because we know each other.
Keith to play?
Joel Quenneville talked with Duncan Keith on Saturday and said the veteran defenseman is "progressing well" from the knee issue that kept him from playing in the World Cup. Quenneville is hopeful Keith can play in at least one preseason game before the season begins Oct. 12.
Roster moves:
The Blackhawks assigned forward Kyle Baun, and defensemen Dillon Fournier, Carl Dahlstrom and Nolan Valleau to the Rockford IceHogs. They also released forwards Alex DeBrincat and Graham Knott from training camp and returned them to their junior teams.