5 Chicago Blackhawks storylines to follow as camp opens

It has been a long, long summer for the Chicago Blackhawks and their fans.

A summer of discontent, to be sure.

Another summer spent wondering why a talented team failed in spectacular fashion for a second straight season in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

When Friday dawns, though, the Hawks will begin the daily grind of the NHL season as training camp opens at the United Center.

Here is what coach Joel Quenneville will be keeping a close eye on in the three weeks leading up to the season opener vs. Pittsburgh on Oct. 5 at the UC:

1. Forward, march

By far the most compelling storyline will be who emerges to grab the one, two or three forward openings likely available. Eleven slots essentially are filled by Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Brandon Saad, Artem Anisimov, Richard Panik, Nick Schmaltz, Ryan Hartman, Patrick Sharp, Tommy Wingels, Lance Bouma and Tanner Kero.

Any of 8-11 players will fight to win the remaining jobs. The best bets:

• Jordin Tootoo - Hawks love the 34-year-old's attitude and hard-nosed play.

• John Hayden - Intelligent, gritty big man (6-3, 223) showed great promise in 12 games at end of last season.

• Tomas Jurco - Stan Bowman traded for him in February, but don't be surprised if the Hawks cut bait and run if he fails to impress.

• Vinnie Hinostroza - After up-and-down rookie season, speedy 23-year-old must prove he can play on both ends.

• Laurent Dauphin - Don't lose track of this 22-year-old acquired from Arizona in the Niklas Hjalmarsson-Connor Murphy deal. Dauphin, a center, could prove to be a versatile asset in the bottom six.

• Alex DeBrincat and Alexandre Fortin - Speedy youngsters probably need to start in AHL, but if they really pop, who knows?

• David Kampf - Czech native signed a two-year deal in May, and the 22-year-old probably will need an injury or two to make the roster.

2. Defense set?

In case you missed it, the Hawks made a significant move last week when they signed veteran defenseman Cody Franson to a professional tryout agreement.

Franson, 30, was considered the best available free agent D-man on the market, so you have to imagine the Hawks gave him every indication he will have a good chance to make the team.

And if that's the case, we might be able to proclaim that Brent Seabrook, Duncan Keith, Connor Murphy, Gustav Forsling, Michal Kempny and Franson will be on the ice on opening night.

The seventh slot should be filled by Michal Rozsival, but the veteran reportedly is suffering from concussion symptoms and could start the season on injured reserve. That gives Erik Gustafsson, Luc Snuggerud, Jordan Oesterle, Jan Rutta or Viktor Svedberg a chance to crack the roster.

3. Still a strength?

Thanks to Scott Darling, the Hawks had one of the top - if not the best - 1-2 goalie combos in the league the past two seasons. With Darling gone, it's up to Anton Forsberg to earn Quenneville's trust for somewhere between 20-25 starts.

Forsberg has just 10 games of NHL experience, but his impressive play in the AHL led Bowman to acquire the 24-year-old from Columbus in the Saad-Artemi Panarin deal.

From coaches to the media, Forsberg's play in camp and preseason games will be under a powerful microscope.

4. Rejuvenated Toews?

Saad has returned, which apparently means all will be OK again with Toews. It had better be because the Hawks need their captain to be more of a consistent offensive force than he showed the past two seasons.

5. Who skates with Kane?

Kane scored 80 goals and put up a whopping 195 points the past two seasons with good buddy Panarin on the opposite wing. Does he now return to the 28-goal, 70-point player he was before? Or can Sharp, Schmaltz or someone else keep those numbers from dropping and make opponents fear the Hawks' second line the way they did from 2015-17?

Time will tell on all of these issues … and the clock starts Friday.