It was another offseason full of change for the perennially contending Chicago Blackhawks, an organization for which salary-cap gymnastics have become a summer rite. The Blackhawks continue to set the bar high in regard to how to stay in the mix, despite dealing with moving parts year in and year out.GM Stan Bowman is among the very best at his job, finding ways to plug holes and keep his team among the elite. In the spring of 2015, he plucked?Artemi Panarin?out of the KHL as a free agent, an asset-free addition, and watched as the Russian winger won the Calder Trophy last season as NHL rookie of the year. It is that kind of move that has kept Chicago ahead of the curve.Still, the salary cap trades this past offseason of Andrew Shaw and Teuvo Teravainen are going to test that formula this year. Chicago enters the season with more question marks up front than weve seen, perhaps, in the entire Hawks run of head coach Joel Quenneville.Did last springs first-round playoff exit after a monster series with the?St. Louis Blues?signal a new, more-mortal era for the Blackhawks?Or was it just time to reset and come back stronger around the talented core led by Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook and Corey Crawford?-- a quintet Id put up against any group in the NHL?On a different note, I would argue that the Hawks are deeper on defense now than theyve been in a long time.This season will indeed tell the tale. Then again, as Bowman has proven time and time again, the team that begins the season wont necessarily be the same club as the one that will enter the playoffs. Hes as aggressive as any GM in the NHL when it comes to making changes before the trade deadline.Best new facesThe Blackhawks have been too thin on the blue line the past two seasons. They won a Cup in 2015 while largely playing just four defensemen and basically relied on their three top guys last year. Bowman addressed that aggressively by bringing in veteran unrestricted free agent?Brian Campbell on a bargain-basement deal and beating other NHL teams for KHL free-agent Michal Kempny, who played for the Czech Republic in the World Cup of Hockey and shows all the elements of a guy who should be a steady NHL defender.The Hawks are also very high on 20-year-old Swedish defender Gustav Forsling. With a top four of Keith, Seabrook, Niklas Hjalmarsson and Campbell, a decent third pairing of Kempny and/or Forsling with Trevor van Riemsdyk, and depth at No. 8 in Michal Rozsival, Chicago is in much better shape than it was the previous season. Forsling cant be sent to the AHL -- he would have to be offered back to his Swedish team if the Hawks dont keep him on their NHL roster -- so I figure that means he will at least begin the season with Chicago.Theres other organizational depth too, in Viktor Svedberg, Ville Pokka and Erik Gustafsson. All three will begin the season in the AHL, but with 11 capable defensemen, Chicago seems better prepared to handle injuries and the long season on the back end.Biggest unknownsThe departure up front of Shaw and Teravainen, both salary-cap victims, thins out a top-nine group that had question marks last season. Dont forget that trade-deadline add-ons Andrew Ladd and Dale Weise?have also moved on, as expected.It has been a long time since Quenneville opened the season with so many question marks up front. The Hawks were largely a one-line team last season, albeit a heck of one, as the unit of Artem Anisimov between Kane and Panarin lit up the NHL. Is Quenneville concerned enough about finding Toews some help to follow through on his training camp declaration that he might break up the Kane-Panarin connection? Will rookies Vincent Hinostroza, Nick Schmaltz and Tyler Motte make an impact this season? Richard Panik, a waiver pickup last season, had a look with Toews in the playoffs. Can he deliver a sustained role?Another unknown: how Keith will fare following offseason surgery on his right knee, which forced him to sit out the World Cup of Hockey. He had surgery to repair the knee last year, but the news that it needed rehabbing had to cause at least minor concern. The 33-year-old is one of the leagues top defensemen, and the Hawks need a healthy season from him to contend again.Sure thingsCrawford is coming off arguably his best NHL season and an appearance in the World Cup in which he backed up Carey Price and got to start a game. Hes rock-solid in net and one of the top five goalies in the world, in my estimation.The 1-2 punch of Kane and Toews up front is why the Hawks always have a chance. Kane is coming off a Hart Trophy season in which he led the NHL in scoring, and he shows no sign of slowing down. Hes an absolute artist on the ice. During the World Cup, Toews showed yet again the kind of two-way beast and clutch player he is.Finally,?Marcus Kruger?is a perfect fit as the No. 3 center. That 1-2-3 punch serves as an anchor around all the other uncertainty up front.PredictionThe Blackhawks are playoff-bound, for sure, but what remains a mystery at this point is whether they can regain their Cup-contender status among the top-five teams in the NHL. They have the kind of questions up front that we havent seen in a long time. Mind you, the blue line is better, and this team is rock solid in goal. Winning the division is never a priority for the Blackhawks. Another Cup run? That wouldnt surprise me.?Third in the Central. Hydro Flask Wide Mouth 18 oz Wit . LOUIS -- Heading into the final stretch of the season, the issues for the Chicago Bears banged-up defence only seem to be getting worse. Hydro Flask Wide Mouth 64 oz Munt . Following a lopsided 5-2 loss against the New Jersey Devils on Wednesday night, Paul MacLean told reporters that "theres a lack of focus, theres a lack of leadership and theres a lack of preparation" with his struggling team. That came on the heels of Bryan Murray taking the unusual step of going into the locker room at the Prudential Center and addressing the players himself. http://www.hydroflasknederland.com/ . Numbers Game examines the deal that sees Michael Del Zotto and Kevin Klein switch places. The Predators Get: D Michael Del Zotto. Hydro Flask Wide Mouth 40 OZ W/ Straw Lid Paars . The Vikings announced Thursday that Priefer will be one of seven holdovers from the previous staff, along with offensive line coach Jeff Davidson, wide receivers coach George Stewart and others. Norv Turner will mark his 30th year of coaching in the NFL as the offensive co-ordinator, as widely reported for weeks, and George Edwards will be the defensive co-ordinator. Hydro Flask Wide Mouth 32 oz w/ Straw Lid Munt . A lawyer for MLB, Matthew Menchel, confirmed Wednesday the league dropped its case against Biogenesis of America, its owner Anthony Bosch and several other individuals. The lawsuit had accused Biogenesis and Bosch of conspiring with players to violate their contracts by providing them with banned performance-enhancing substances. AUSTIN, Texas -- Former Baylor football coach Art Briles and former athletic director Ian McCaw were dismissed Wednesday from a lawsuit brought by woman who said they and the school ignored her claims that she was raped by a former player who was later convicted.The men had been named in Jasmin Hernandezs lawsuit against Bayor as co-defendants in their official capacity. But Briles lawyers argued both men could not be sued in their official role under the Title IX federal gender discrimination law cited in the lawsuit.Hernandezs lawyer, Alex Zalkin, said he would refile claims against both Briles and McCaw in federal court under Texas state negligence claims. The court set an Oct. 12 deadline for Hernandez to amend the lawsuit. The Associated Press generally doesnt identify sexual assault victims, but Hernandez has spoken publicly to draw attention to the case.Wednesdays ruling but wont stop Hernandez from trying to hold both men accountable, Zalkin said.The federal lawsuit against Baylor continues. U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman denied the universitys request to temporarily halt evidence gathering while considering the schools request to dismiss the case. That could open the path for her attorneys to begin interviewing witnesses and collecting documents, notably statements and materials related to a law firms investigation of how Baylor handled sex assault allegations over a three-year period.Coach Art Briles is very happy he has been dismissed as a defendant in this case. Plaintiffs may very well allege future claims against him and we will take those on if and when they are filed, Briles attorney, Kenneth Tekell, said.Baylor fired Briles in May and McCaw resigned after a school-fundedd investigation found the Baptist school had mishandled allegations of sexual assault, including claims made against football players.dddddddddddd Former President and Chancellor Ken Starr also was forced out.The Pepper Hamilton law firm concluded the football program acted as it was above the rules when dealing with assault claims and rules violations.Hernandez sued in March, claiming Baylor knew that former player Tevin Elliott had a history of assaults, failed to protect her and others who were attacked, and ignored her pleas when she sought help after her assault in 2012. Elliott was later convicted of raping Hernandez and sentenced to 20 years in prison.Briles lawyers argued he couldnt be sued as an individual in a Title IX lawsuit and that claims he ignored warnings of a sexual predator on his team were based on hearsay. They have also argued that Texas limited liability standards wont apply to Briles if sued in state court.Briles has acknowledged he made mistakes during eight seasons at Baylor, when he built one of the Big 12s worst football programs into a national power.There was some bad things that went on under my watch. I was the captain of this ship, Briles said in a recent interview with ESPN. ... So, I understand that I made some mistakes, and for that Im sorry. But Im not trying to plead for peoples sympathy. Im just stating that, `Hey, I made some mistakes. I was wrong. Im sorry. Im gonna learn. Im gonna do better.---This story has been updated to correct Hernandez lawyer says new lawsuits will be filed in federal court, not Texas state court. ' ' '