ESPNChicago.com's Scott Powers counts down the days to the opening of Blackhawks training camp on Sept. 19 with a look at 20 storylines facing the team this season.
The Chicago Blackhawks won games last season partly due to their fourth line during the regular season. And they lost games partly due to their fourth line in the playoffs.
Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville discovered early last season he could rely on a fourth line of Brandon Bollig, Marcus Kruger and Ben Smith. The line started predominantly in the defensive zone, often faced opponents' top lines and mostly stood its ground. The three players combined for a plus-8 in the regular season and each had a Corsi greater than 50 percent.
Quenneville tinkered with the line in the playoffs due to an injury to Andrew Shaw, and the coach lost faith in Michal Handzus and Kris Versteeg as the playoffs wore on. Kruger and Smith moved up the ladder, and Bollig was given new linemates.
The newly-formed fourth line wasn't able to duplicate the old line's succeess. Eventually, Quenneville sliced the line's ice time and the Blackhawks became more of a three-line team. That cut into the Blackhawks' depth.
Quenneville's task this season will be assembling a fourth line he can trust again.
The Blackhawks return two key pieces from last season's fourth line in Kruger and Smith, who signed a two-year extension in the offseason. The third piece will be someone new as the Blackhawks dealt Brandon Bollig to the Calgary Flames in June.
Who fills that left wing spot on the fourth line will be one of the bigger questions during the upcoming training camp.
If Quenneville opts for an enforcer type, which he has often gone with, Brandon Mashinter could be his choice. Mashinter, who is 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds, was acquired from the New York Rangers last season and had 14 goals, 14 assists and was a minus-8 in 47 games for the AHL's Rockford IceHogs.
Jeremy Morin is another possibility, but Quenneville said during the offseason he expected Morin, one of the Baclkhawks' most gifted offensive prospects, to have a larger role this season.
Kris Versteeg saw time on the fourth line in the playoffs last season, but he played mostly on the top three lines throughout the regular season. How he is used could depend on whether he can return to form after a summer rehabbing his knee.
Peter Regin, who re-signed in the offseason, also played on the fourth line last season and proved to be reliable defensively when given ice time. Joakim Nordstrom also played on the fourth line when he was recalled last season, playing in 16 games.
