For the last 21 years (12 with The Hockey News) Dobber has reviewed each team from a fantasy-hockey standpoint and graded them.

The 22nd annual review will appear here on DobberHockey throughout the summer. This is not a review of the likely performance on the ice or in the standings, but in the realm of fantasy hockey both for the season ahead as well as the foreseeable future. Offensively, will the team perform? Are there plenty of depth options worthy of owning in keeper leagues? What about over the next two or three years? These questions are what we take into consideration when looking at the depth chart and the player potential on that depth chart.

Enjoy!

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Gone – Taylor Raddysh, Colin Blackwell, Mackenzie Entwistle, Anthony Beauvillier, Nikita Zaitsev, Tyler Johnson, Jarred Tinordi, Reese Johnson, Jaycob Megna

Incoming – Sam Lafferty, Ilya Mikheyev, Alec Martinez, Craig Smith, Laurent Brossoit, Pat Maroon, T.J. Brodie, Teuvo Teravainen, Tyler Bertuzzi

Impact of changes 

After occupying the league's basement for the past few seasons, the Blackhawks bolstered their roster this summer, setting the team up for a massive step forward in the upcoming campaign. Most importantly, they were able to add numerous impactful players without losing any important pieces of their own.

Last year, Chicago scored the fewest goals in the league while posting the fourth-highest goals against total. To address their offensive deficits, they added two top-six talents through free agency in the form of Teuvo Teravainen and Tyler Bertuzzi. They'll technically add a third in Taylor Hall as he missed the majority of last season due to injury. The team also signed Ilya Mikheyev, who should strengthen their depth scoring. Connor Bedard was the heartbeat of the roster last season and he will be again this year – but now there are some supplementary organs in the mix, comprising a more well-rounded unit that's capable of winning a few more games.

To address their defensive deficiencies, the Blackhawks added a couple of experienced veterans in Alec Martinez and T.J. Brodie. While they might not be the biggest names, they represent upgrades over Nikita Zaitsev, Jarred Tinordi and Jaycob Megna, who saw significant action last year. Chicago's defensive upgrades extend into the crease, where they added a netminder who led the league in GAA and SV% last year (min. 20 games played). Sure, it was in a backup role, and it was behind a stronger defensive team in Winnipeg, but Brossoit still represents a sizeable upgrade from Arvid Soderblom, who posted a 3.92 GAA and .880 SV% through 32 games last season.

Ready for Full Time 

Artyom Levshunov – The second overall pick of this summer’s draft signed his three-year entry deal with Chicago shortly after he was selected. As a result, there’s potential for him to see action with the Blackhawks this year – although more conservative projections would have him start the year with Chicago’s AHL affiliate Rockford Icehogs. The 18-year-old is an elite well-rounded defenseman who projects to become Chicago’s top blueliner within the next few years. If he plays in the NHL this season, it will likely be in a more sheltered role that helps him learn and develop (i.e., not immediately quarterbacking the top power-play unit full time). His physicality makes him an intriguing option in multicategory leagues, especially those that track hits.

Frank Nazar – Although they're much deeper on the wings than last season, the Blackhawks don't have much as much talent down the middle. As a result, there's a chance that Nazar – who posted one goal in three games last year – gets a look in the second-line center slot at some point this season. Like many young centers transitioning to the NHL, he struggled in the face-off dot last year. He'd likely benefit more from a high-profile role in the AHL than playing measly minutes in the NHL. Drafted 13^th overall in 2022, the 20-year-old forward has an incredible amount of offensive skill and playmaking ability but probably isn't ready to spend all year with the big club at this point.

Oliver Moore became one of Chicago's top prospects after he was selected 19^th overall in 2023. His high-end skating was on full display last year as he tallied 33 points through 39 games in the NCAA. It sounds like he'll spend most of the year at the University of Minnesota, but strong play could help him secure an entry level deal to make his debut at the end of the 2024-25 campaign.

Fantasy Outlook 

Connor Bedard posted a 74-point pace last year, with a lacklustre supporting cast and a power play that ranked 28^th in the league (16.6%). An infusion of offensive talent sets Chicago up to improve in both of those areas, helping Bedard to a higher point total in his sophomore season.

On the topic of young talent, 22-year-old Lukas Reichel – who was drafted 17^th overall in 2020 – looks to take a step forward after posting an underwhelming 20-point pace last year. The most likely scenario sees him in a sheltered third line role this season.

Hall, Bertuzzi and Teravainen are likely to see more ice time than they did last year, which could help them produce at higher rates. However, between those three and Kurashev, you have four bodies but only three open forward slots on Chicago's top power play (Bedard is a lock for one). The odd man out may have a bleak fantasy outlook this year. If one of those four falters, Mikheyev – who scored at a 30-goal pace just two seasons ago – could sneak into an expanded role and become fantasy relevant.

While Kevin Korchinski may be a top unit power-play quarterback at some point in the future, he'll likely play second fiddle to Seth Jones this season. A revamped offense and more talented power play should help Jones improve on last year's 38-point pace.

As previously mentioned, Brossoit was one of the top netminders in the league last year and has great potential to emerge as Chicago's starter in 2024-25. That said, Chicago's defense, although improved, still won't be as good as Winnipeg's was last year. In addition, Brossoit has never started more than 24 games in a season, so there's no telling if he's capable of shouldering the workload of your typical starting netminder. There's a good chance we see a timeshare between him and Petr Mrazek, who had strong individual numbers last year but was let down by Chicago's poor defense.

Fantasy Grade: B- (last year was a C)

Check out the rest of the Dobber team previews here.