Joel Quenneville gives Alex DeBrincat more praise and new line

By Brian Sandalow

For the Sun-Times

Every day, it looks increasingly apparent that Alex DeBrincat is ready for the NHL. On Saturday, Blackhawks coach Joel Quenne-ville heaped more praise on the 19-year-old and also handed him a new challenge.

“I just think he has the ability to make plays. The finish is what we like as well,” Quenneville said at the morning skate Saturday. “It just seems like every time he’s around the puck, something good happens.”

DeBrincat’s travels around the lineup continued Saturday as he began on a line with Artem Anisimov and Ryan Hartman after spending time with Nick Schmaltz and Patrick Kane and even Jonathan Toews and Richard Panik.

And though the pairing with Anisimov and Hartman wouldn’t be called on for as much offense as any combination with Kane and Schmaltz, Quenneville was eager to see what DeBrincat would add to the new group that likely would have tougher defensive assignments.

“He can make it a line that gives them something to think about,” Quenneville said. “But we certainly liked his camp and we know he can play with anybody. That’s a good trait.”

The final rehearsal

In Saturday’s preseason finale, Patrick Sharp reclaimed his old turf. But there were some injury concerns.

Sharp scored a power-play goal from the left circle with 8:47 left in the game to give the Hawks a 1-0 win over Boston. The Hawks got a pair of injury scares in the third when Toews was hit with a shot by Duncan Keith and took his last shift with 6:51 to go, and Connor Murphy left with 4:40 remaining.

Quenneville said both were lower-body injuries, but gave Hawks fans reason to exhale when he said he thinks Toews and Murphy will be all right and that he’s “more so” optimistic.

“I think they’re both going to be OK,” Quenneville said. “We’ll know more tomorrow.”

Using a lineup that could open the season, the Hawks started slow against a second-string Bruins team and were rescued by Corey Crawford (38 saves) before playing a strong third.

Chemistry class

Toews once again centered a line with Brandon Saad and Panik, and the Hawks captain was confident about the group’s potential. He also acknowledged the unit’s work on creating chemistry won’t be ending too soon.

“I think there will be as the season goes along,” Toews said. “I think, if we’re playing [to] our true potential we feel like we should have the puck all night. We know that early on, we get chances here and there we’re going to find ways to put them home.”

Beyond scoring, Toews thinks that group can contribute in other ways if his line controls the puck the way it’s capable of doing.

“But more and more, it will be great to have that energy because you’re playing with the puck, so that’s the way we want to trend,” Toews said. “Whether they’re all going in or not, we want to have the puck every single night, and obviously that chemistry will get better and better with time.”

Roster machinations

The Hawks assigned defenseman Ville Pokka to Rockford after the 23-year-old cleared waivers.

Along with defensemen Cody Franson and Jordan Oesterle, forwards Vinnie Hinostroza, Tomas Jurco, Jordin Tootoo and Tommy Wingels, and goalie Jean-Francois Berube were scratched.

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