FEATURE: Chicago Hopeful for Right Mix of Experience, Youth in Return

For the last few weeks of regular season action before the NHL campaign was paused, the Blackhawks were losing ground in the playoff hunt. A disappointing five-game swing across Western Canada and a .500 record in the 11 games that followed saw the team needing to make up a six-point gap over the final 12 games for a Wild Card spot.

But now, none of that matters.

The Blackhawks, by virtue of holding the No. 12 seed in the West at the end of play in March, are part of the league's 24-team Return to Play plan and a have an upcoming date with the Edmonton Oilers in a best-of-five Qualifying Round series (though without an actual date solidified yet). The winner will officially punch a ticket to the traditional 16-team Stanley Cup Playoffs, but for all intents and purposes the postseason is here.

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"I think there might be some surprises.." Patrick Kane told reporters last week of the format. "I don't want to say a free-for-all, but I think there's not going to be certain distinct advantages that there might be with a one and an eight seed or whatever it may be. Even in some of these play-in games, I think any given team can win."

Unlike in playoffs of year's past, there is no wave of momentum, no getting hot at the right time. All 24 teams have been doing much of the same thing over the last three months. Sitting. Waiting. And, like the rest of us, trying to get by with at-home workouts.

Now, it's who can come out of the gate the fastest.

"Whatever team can get up and running quickly ... I think is going to be an advantage. I think we have a really good team for that, to be honest with you," Kane said. "We have some young players that can probably jump back on the ice and get their game back pretty quickly and I think, from what I've noticed and heard, it seems like a lot of guys have stayed in pretty good shape."

Not only will the youth of the Blackhawks potentially help when it comes to hitting the ground running as the team returns, but the break has served as a mini offseason for them and their development. Physically and mentally, they're essentially getting ready for a new year after digesting the opening six months.

"We're a young group and a lot of guys got a lot of opportunities this year and they developed as the season went on," head coach Jeremy Colliton said, pointing to seven players on entry-level deals who played in half of Chicago's games this season. "They're going to be a few months older now and had a chance to settle into their year and reflect on it and I think they're going to come back with even more motivation and jam to take that next step in their development, and that's only going to help our team.

"This experience of playing these types of games is, I think, a huge benefit to our group and speeding up the process to getting back to being the team we want to be."

"For me, that (provides) a lot of energy to get back and come ready to play," said Alex DeBrincat, who is still looking to get his first taste of postseason action in his third year. "The motivation for the playoffs, you don't really need to push too much on it. I think everyone's motivated to come back and battle for the Stanley Cup. I think for me being my first time, it's a pretty exciting time."

The young, motivated group will continue to surround a core of playoff veterans, who have been through the trials and tribulations, the ups and downs of playoff hockey. You know names like Kane, Jonathan Toews, Duncan Keith and Corey Crawford live for this stage. And after the break, they'll be rested, healthy and ready to go from the start -- a benefit that doesn't exist in a normal year.

"(We) have some older guys who have that experience of winning and what it takes," Colliton added on the dichotomy of his roster. "I think they're going to be re-energized being this close, being in this atmosphere of games that really mean something and I expect they're going to find a different level to their game and that's going to be a benefit to us."

The opportunity is there, now it's just a matter of when the fun can really begin.

"Especially in a situation like this," Kane said, "you want to make sure if there's an opportunity to come back and play that you're as ready as possible."