Chicago Blackhawks head coach Joel Quenneville isn't ruling out the possibility of the club's No. 8 pick in the 2018 NHL Draft, Adam Boqvist, making the team out of training camp.
"I'm not throwing that out of the realm of possibility," Quenneville told The Athletic's Mark Lazerus on Thursday.
Boqvist, a right-handed shooting defenseman, is just 18 years old and is listed at anywhere between 154 and 170 lbs. Having him on the team's opening-day lineup may seem premature, but he might be their best option.
Defenseman Gustav Forsling underwent offseason wrist surgery and isn't expected back until mid-November. Meanwhile, fellow blue-liner Connor Murphy is expected to miss at least the first month of the season with a back injury.
Here's how Daily Faceoff projects the Blackhawks' blue line:
| LD | RD |
|---|---|
| Duncan Keith | Henri Jokiharju |
| Erik Gustafsson | Brent Seabrook |
| Brandon Manning | Jan Rutta |
If Boqvist wins a job out of camp, Chicago could play him for up to nine games before burning a year off his entry-level contract. In theory, this nine-game audition could provide the team with depth on the blue line while Forsling and Murphy recover from their injuries.
Boqvist played overseas in Sweden for his draft year, but would join the OHL's London Knights for the 2018-19 campaign if he doesn't make the Blackhawks.
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