CHICAGO, Sept. 23 -- Twenty-nine seconds into overtime, Bowen Byram gathered the puck along the left circle, stepped inside past Bobby Brink, and released a wrist shot over Calvin Pickard's blocker. The United Center crowd rose. Byram had his hat trick, and the Chicago Blackhawks had their first real look at what $75 million bought them.

The 4-3 overtime victory over the Minnesota Wild in Sunday's preseason opener was technically an exhibition. No points were distributed; no playoff picture shifted. But Byram's three-goal performance, spanning a power-play goal, a five-on-five score, and the overtime winner, was not the kind of thing a front office files quietly and moves past. It was the kind of debut that sets expectations, for better ...