The Blackhawks finally have their season-opening team.
Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville made his final roster decisions Monday. He sent Vinnie Hinostroza to the AHL and placed Jean-Francois Berube, Tomas Jurco and Jordin Tootoo on waivers. Quenneville is left with 23 players, including 13 forwards, eight defensemen and two goalies.
The Blackhawks still have to manage the roster to fit Marian Hossa and Michal Rozsival within the salary cap. That will likely mean a few players getting sent to the AHL on paper. Those players would return to the NHL on paper the following day.
Here’s how Quenneville is expected to utilize his final roster:
Lines
Brandon Saad – Jonathan Toews – Richard Panik
Ryan Hartman – Nick Schmaltz – Patrick Kane
Patrick Sharp – Artem Anisimov – Alex DeBrincat
Lance Bouma – Tanner Kero – John Hayden
Additional forward: Tommy Wingels
Defenseman pairings
Duncan Keith – Connor Murphy
Gustav Forsling – Brent Seabrook
Michal Kempny – Jan Rutta
Additional defensemen: Cody Franson, Jordan Oesterle
Goalies
Corey Crawford
Anton Forsberg
