Blackhawks coach Luke Richardson walked into Fifth Third Arena on Friday and saw so many new faces — and familiar players in new roles — that it felt like training camp again.
‘‘That’s basically what we’re thinking back to,’’ he said, laughing.
Given the sweeping roster turnover through trade-deadline week, Richardson used the video session and practice to rehash many of the basic elements of his systems, refreshing the guys who survived the deadline and informing the new guys.
‘‘Playing a team like Dallas [on Thursday], for example, [on our] ‘D’-zone coverage, it just seemed like we couldn’t stall them,’’ he said. ‘‘When we had an opportunity with bigger, more veteran guys over the last little while, we could and were getting better at that. Now we’ve just got to take a step back and really work at it.’’
The Hawks held their defensive structure better Saturday against the Predators but failed to score in the last 59 minutes and lost 3-1 — their fourth consecutive defeat.
Forward Anders Bjork and defenseman Nikita Zaitsev made their Hawks debuts, and forward Joey Anderson and defenseman Andreas Englund made their fourth Hawks appearances. Forward Austin Wagner also arrived in Chicago.
With Patrick Kane, Max Domi and Jake McCabe gone, the Hawks’ top lines and defensive pairings have changed too. Philipp Kurashev now centers Lukas Reichel — who will head back to Rockford at some point — and Andreas Athanasiou on the first line; Cole Guttman centers Tyler Johnson and Taylor Raddysh on the second line; and brothers Seth and Caleb Jones form the top defensive pairing.
Objectively, it’s one of the worst rosters in recent NHL history, giving the Hawks a very good chance of falling into last place in the league by the end of the season. But that’s obviously not the fault of the players, and they and Richardson will continue trying to improve and finding combinations that work in the final 20 games.
One challenge will be scoring enough to make it matter when they do play respectable defense.
That was the case Saturday. They finished tied (26-26) in scoring chances and conceded only two non-empty-net goals, but Seth Jones’ tip-in 37 seconds in represented the entirety of their offense.
“We seemed to be a little bit too much in the ‘D’-zone and not enough in the ‘O’-zone,” Richardson said.
Injury updates
Forward MacKenzie Entwistle returned from his second wrist injury of the season after missing nine games.
‘‘It’s something I might have to play with a little bit for the rest of the year,’’ Entwistle said. ‘‘[But] it’s starting to feel better, starting to turn the curve.’’
Reese Johnson, meanwhile, is also making progress recovering from his concussion. He practiced in a non-contact jersey Friday.
Toews present
Richardson said Jonathan Toews has been back at the arena lately, working out and talking to his teammates. That’s encouraging news, even though there’s still no timeline for his return.
“He’s not afraid to say things — even though he’s not playing — and talk about certain situations with guys, and I’m sure he encourages them to say things [too],” Richardson said.
Kane quiet again
Kane was held without a point for a second consecutive game and fell to a minus-four since the trade as the Rangers lost Saturday — 4-2 to the Bruins — for the sixth time in their last eight games.
Kane will receive some much-needed time to relax and build chemistry with his new teammates, however, because the Rangers don’t play again until Thursday.