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Last night was a historical night as the NHL welcomed a “new” team to the family; the Arizona Coyotes officially became the Utah Hockey Club. As a fan of the game, you had to feel great for this team going from Mullet Arena and questions every day about your future to a sold-out crowd welcoming this team with open arms. Utah is going to be great for this team and this league, and I truly look forward to seeing what comes next as Ryan Smith pledges to make this a championship-caliber team. With all that being said, the Hawks fan in me was hoping to spoil this night, and well, we all know how this played out.
Work Still Needs To Be Done
Coming into this season, the goal is to see improvement. After managing only 52 points last season, the bar was set fairly low. Last night was a nice way for this fanbase to remember that despite the upgraded roster, this is still a rebuild. The first period was particularly hard to watch as the Hawks managed to only muster up a single shot on goal. The team looked flat and slow, which isn’t a surprise given the age of some of the vets that were brought in this off season. Growing pains are going to be a consistent thing for the first few weeks of the season as Coach Richardson tries to find those ideal line combos. If you are a fan who is giving up on this team after one game, let's take a step back, take a deep breath, and just remember this is still all part of the plan.
Kurashev Could Shine on His Own
Last year was Philipp Kurashev’s coming out party as he outperformed a career best in all three offensive categories and made his case as a legit top six forward. This didn’t come without an astrek for some, as many felt he benefited from playing with Bedard for most of the year. It’s hard to argue against that, as Kurashev picked up points on 34 of Bedard's 61 points last year. The question became now that they are on different lines: will he be able to continue his stellar play, or was the Kurashev we saw before Bedard joined the Hawks the real him? Despite finishing a -2, the Kurashev line was one of the bright spots in last night's game. His line kept shot attempts close as they were down by three (16-13) in 11:02 of 5 on 5 playing time and still had a 57.95% expected goal share, which shows they had more solid chances than not. They were getting pucks on net, and in a game of inches, they hit a few posts, and if they can keep it up, something is going to happen, and the goals will come. If Kurashev remains away from Bedard, how his season goes should be a storyline to keep an eye on.
Bedard Will Thrive With Help
It's no secret to anyone that the Hawks pride and joy is Connor Bedard. After a great rookie campaign, the question has been, How will he top it? He was able to put up 61 points last year in 68 games with little to no help, and now he finally has the tools to take his game to the next level. It didn’t take long for him to connect with one of those newly acquired players when he set up Teravainen on a beautiful play. From the quick step to sneak pass Sergachev and the amazing pass to the Turbo, that was a play that doesn’t get finished if it was made last year. The ceiling is high for 98 this year, and with the level of confidence he is showing already and the more he plays with guys like Teravainen and Bertuzzi, I don’t see any reason why he can’t hit the 70+ point mark this year.
Everyone comes into the new season with a level of hope and excitement, even if their team isn’t expected to do much. The Hawks are a team that is going to be exciting to watch because they should be better than last year. What last night reminded all of us fans is that despite all the shiny new toys, this team is still rebuilding. Nothing has changed in terms of timeline, and the quicker fans see this, the easier it will be to watch this team this year. The Hawks will have a few days off before a short road trip in Canada, which kicks off Friday against the Winnipeg Jets. Until then, Let's Go Hawks!
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