"You go back to 2010 we lost a significant part of our team," Quenneville said Friday night. "We were more fortunate in 2013, this year we've seen a few guys ... not just (Patrick Sharp) and (Brandon) Saad who were big parts of our team and played in all situations."

Sharp, a left wing who played 10 seasons in Chicago was traded to Dallas last week for defenceman Trevor Daley and forward Ryan Garbutt. Although the 33-year-old left wing and his $5.9 salary cap hit were expected to move, Blackhawks players said that didn't make Sharp's departure easier to take.

Bowman had said keeping the 22-year-old Saad, a restricted free agent and budding star, was a priority. But with contract talks at a stalemate on the eve of NHL free agency on June 30, he shipped Saad to the Columbus Blue Jackets as part of a seven-player trade rather than potentially lose him with no compensation.

"I think we were all surprised," Quenneville said. "We were talking at the end of the season that he wasn't going to be part of it going forward. He played huge in big games down at the end of the season for us. Not too many players possess the upside that he has."

Defenceman Johnny Oduya, who like Saad also played a key role on the 2013 and last year's Cup-winning squads, signed as a free agent with Dallas earlier this week.

"I think the quality of what those players have meant to our locker room was a lot," Toews said. "Those are three guys were proven winners and have been a huge part of this team for years, so the challenge is we've got our work cut out for us. Especially when you win a championship with those guys and to have it all kind of come crashing down moments after, it's not fun."