Ben Pope

A century after considering building one of the nation's biggest stadiums, the Wildcats have instead built possibly one of the nation's best.

Hawks fans deserved something to truly get excited about, and Kane's return Thursday certainly qualifies. Michael Reaves/Getty Images file photo

Kane admitted Friday that a Chicago return had “always been in the back of my mind,” but nostalgia wasn't the sole factor behind his decision.

The Hawks' two big summer additions change the complexion of their forward and defensive groups. But who will fill in as first-line center while Bedard recovers from surgery?

Kantserov is learning English quickly while training this summer in Connecticut, where Spencer Knight is helping him acclimate to America.

The Hawks were happy to take a risk on Villeneuve, an undersized defenseman with ample confidence coming off a disappointing season and heading to Boston University.

Frondell has worked on faceoffs and explosiveness while training with a number of Swedish NHL players this summer.

With the majority of the Hawks' valuable young players now in the NHL, their prospect pool looks a lot different — and overall less impressive.

After getting firsthand looks into the Bowen Byram and Patrick Kane moves over the summer, Vlasic believes the Hawks are poised to improve this season: “The sooner we establish that goal as a team, the more realistic it can be.”

Nazar has spent much of the summer observing Patrick Kane, noticing little details about his stick-handling, while also working on his conditioning.