Most roster spots amongst the Blackhawks are locked in: Richardson will use Petr Mrazek as top netminder and Alex Stalock as backup, and the Hawks sent down eight forwards to Rockford earlier this week - including top forward prospect, Lukas Reichel.
Head coach Luke Richardson stated he favors a 12-forward, six-defenseman split on his game night lineup, finding the alternative of rostering seven defenseman, "really hard to keep [up]."
"It's easier with the proper four lines up front to keep everybody involved in the game," said Richardson. "There's usually lots of penalties, especially early in the season, so you find a role for everybody and make sure they're involved in the game."
Beyond comparing player skill, Richardson and General Manager Kyle Davidson will create the Blackhawks opening lineup with consideration to the current injuries affecting the team:
"If someone's a little banged up, we might have to keep one more defenseman [on the roster], and if we have someone that's a little banged up at forward, it might make more sense to keep an extra forward."