What You Need to Know About the 2014 Training Camp for the Chicago Blackhawks

The waiting may be the hardest part for players, coaches and fans, but it's almost over, as the Chicago Blackhawks are set to begin training camp.

The Blackhawks will begin their 2014-15 journey when they convene at Notre Dame Thursday. The team will skate in South Bend from Sept. 19-21 and then return home to Chicago Sept. 22.

The Blackhawks will play six preseason games, including three at the United Center against the Detroit Red Wings (Sept. 23), New York Rangers (Sept. 26) and the Montreal Canadiens (Oct. 1). 

Chicago will open the regular season Oct. 9 at Dallas. Here's a look at the key issues the team will face as training camp opens.

Measuring Teuvo Teravainen's Progress

The Blackhawks have high hopes for Teuvo Teravainen once he gets stronger and more acclimated to the North American game.

If everything goes well for him this year, he could get the call at some point during the season to join the big club. Until that happens, he will play for the Rockford IceHogs of the American Hockey League.

The Blackhawks have no plans to rush Teravainen into the lineup before he is ready. "Transition and adaptation to the next level coming overseas and coming over to this league and coming over to the North American game is going to be a change for him," head coach Joel Quenneville told Scott Powers of ESPN Chicago. "I'm sure he's going to grow. He's going to get stronger." 

The team signed Brad Richards in the offseason to man the center position on the No. 2 line between Patrick Kane and Brandon Saad for the 2014-15 season.

While the Blackhawks are not going to bring Teravainen up before he is ready, they would like to see some development from him during camp. They want to see that he is stronger on the puck and more decisive in his decision-making.

If he can demonstrate those characteristics, it could push up the timetable. If he struggles in those areas, it will make it less likely that he will get the call this year.

Does Brad Richards Fit In?

This is a key question in training camp because the Blackhawks want Brad Richards to provide an upgrade at the No. 2 center position for the coming season.

They are not asking him to be a long-term solution, because they believe Teuvo Teravainen can fill that role in the future. Richards scored 20 goals and 31 assists last year for the New York Rangers, and the Blackhawks would be thrilled if he could match those totals this year.

Richards has savvy and know-how, but is he still fast enough to play consistently? The Blackhawks need him to show he can get the job done consistently on the defensive end, or the signing will not work out.

He must show that his skating and defensive prowess can be trusted, and that process begins in training camp. He is clearly excited about playing with an elite team like the Blackhawks.

"The thing about playing in Chicago—if you do your job and get ice time, you know you’re going to be playing with talented players,” Richards told Greg Wyshynski of Yahoo Sports in July.

Can Bryan Bickell Play Consistently?

The Blackhawks have been thrilled with Bryan Bickell's postseason contributions the last two years.

However, they have been sorely disappointed with the work he has done in the regular season. Not only are his numbers unimpressive—11 goals and four assists last year—but his overall effort level has not won the coaching staff over.

Bickell has acknowledged to ESPN Chicago's Scott Powers that he must be more productive in the regular season and that he must skate harder on a night-in, night-out basis. If he's going to stay on Joel Quenneville's good side, he needs to start that process in training camp and have it continue through the preseason games and into the regular season.

Does Nick Leddy Step Up This Year?

Harry How/Getty Images

Nick Leddy has four seasons under his belt since being acquired by the Blackhawks from the Minnesota Wild early in 2010.

Leddy, 23, has not missed a regular-season game in the last three years. However, Joel Quenneville benched him for a game in last year's postseason.

The numbers say it's difficult to find fault with a young defenseman who scored a career-high 37 points in 2011-12 and had 31 points in 2013-14.

However, despite his outstanding skating ability and high skill level, Leddy has not played to his potential. Leddy was the No. 16 overall pick in 2009, and he should be able to contribute like a top-four defenseman. 

He has not done that yet, and the Blackhawks want to see more from him in terms of effort and consistency. It begins in training camp.

What Moves Will Stan Bowman Make?

Dave Sandford/Getty Images

The Chicago Blackhawks are more than $2.2 million over the NHL's $69 million salary cap, according to CapGeek.com.

League rules state that every team must be at that level by the time the season begins in earnest.

That means general manager Stan Bowman has a lot of work to do. He must manipulate his roster so that the team will be under the cap by the time the Blackhawks face off with the Stars in Dallas Oct. 9.

In addition to the moves that will have to be made this year, the Blackhawks face even more serious cap implications prior to the start of the 2015-16 season. This will be hanging over Bowman's head all year—unless he chooses to address this situation beforehand.

While it's unlikely he will make any big trades that could impact the chances of making a run at the Stanley Cup this year, he is clearly under pressure to get the Blackhawks in good cap shape for the upcoming season and the future.