3 least impressive Chicago Blackhawks players from NHL 2025-26 season opener loss to Florida Panthers ft. Sam Rinzel

The Chicago Blackhawks dropped a close 3-2 decision on Tuesday night’s season opening against the Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers at Amerant Bank Arena.

The Panthers raised their championship banner, as they got goals from A.J. Greer, Carter Verhaeghe, and Jesper Boqvist. Frank Nazar and Teuvo Teravainen replied for the Chicago Blackhawks.

So, here’s a look at the three least impressive Chicago Blackhawks players in what was otherwise a decent effort by the losing squad.

3 least impressive Chicago Blackhawks players from 3-2 loss to Florida Panthers

#3 Matt Grzelcyk

The Chicago Blackhawks signed Matt Grzelcyk to a PTO at the outset of training camp to provide veteran support to the team’s young blueline core.

But his official Blackhawks debut didn’t go quite as he would have liked. His role in the Panthers’ first goal put his team in a tight spot. He failed to pick anyone up throughout the entire sequence, leaving Greer open to score.

Here’s a look at the goal:

Grzelcyk will need to tighten up his defensive play if he is to remain on the club for the entire season.

#2 Connor Bedard

Connor Bedard generated a couple of decent scoring chances in the game. He played 22 minutes over 26 shifts, landing two shots on goal. He had one solid shot on Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky.

However, the Panthers did a very good job of neutralizing Bedard for most of the night. He wasn’t a game-breaker, leaving the scoring up to the second line, particularly Frank Nazar, to keep the Blackhawks in the game.

Moving forward, the Chicago Blackhawks will need Bedard to play a more meaningful role against tougher teams like the Panthers.

#1 Sam Rinzel

Sam Rinzel logged a ton of minutes against the Panthers in the season opener. He played 25:18 across 29 shifts. Despite the strong effort, Rinzel came up short on numerous occasions.

Case in point, the Panthers' game-tying goal in the first period put the Blackhawks in a tough spot. Rinzel got beaten to the puck, allowing the Panthers’ grinders to pick up the loose puck and bury the rebound. Had Rinzel done a better job around the net, it could have cleared the puck and avoided Greer’s first goal of the season.

The same situation happened on Verhaeghe’s power play goal:

Rinzel’s reaction says it all. The beleaguered blueliner stood in front of the net, looking upset about his inability to stop Verhaeghe from walking in front of the net and scoring the go-ahead goal.

The Blackhawks will be back in action on Thursday night as they take on the Boston Bruins in their second game of the season.

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Edited by Nestor Quixtan