The Blackhawks are only a handful of games into their seven-game homestand, but the early read is already clear: they need answers, and they need them fast.
Saturday’s 5-2 loss to the defending Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes left Chicago still searching for traction, even after what many would call its best road showing in a 4-1 loss to the New York Islanders. It’s still October, but the concern around this young group is starting to creep in.
One of the loudest voices around the team this weekend was Chicagoland native and TNT analyst Eddie Olczyk, who was back in the building as a Blackhawks ambassador. During the second intermission, he and Tony Granato offered a blunt assessment of where things stand. Olczyk said that “some guys are playing too high in the lineup” and that you can’t evaluate the team until you get the “big guy” back, meaning Connor Bedard.
That absence matters even more now with Frank Nazar still out for one more game because of his suspension. The Hawks are short on answers up front, and the hole is obvious.
There was at least one bright spot against Carolina: Roman Kantserov scored his first NHL goal, an unassisted breakaway five minutes into the second period. But one milestone doesn’t change the bigger picture. Two goals won’t beat a team like that.
After the game, Jeff Blashill didn’t shy away from the frustration that comes with the losing. “Do I think frustration builds when you haven’t won, and you’re not having enough success?
Of course it does,” the head coach said. “I’m going to tell you right now, I have absolute 100% belief in this group.
This group is going to win. I can’t tell if we’re going to start winning Tuesday, next week, a year from now - I have no idea when it’s going to be, but this group is going to win, 100%.”
The league has seen this movie before. Last season’s San Jose Sharks stumbled early in a similar way before gradually improving, changing the look of their season and finishing fifth in the Pacific Division, just shy of a playoff spot.
Chicago’s path could wind up looking like that. Or it could slide into a 2021-22-style spiral, the kind that led to then-coach Jeremy Colliton being fired on Nov.
- That season’s “41.0% expected-goals ratio and 43.3% scoring-chance ratio” was actually better than where this group sits now.
Special teams are another piece of the puzzle, and the penalty kill has become a place where Blashill is mixing and matching. With key players unavailable, Frank Nazar and Anton Frondell have been getting reps there alongside Cole Smith and Jordan Greenway.
“We’re doing a good job of being able to contain the rush, the break-ins,” Greenway said. “Maybe in-zone, we can find ways to do the job a little bit better”
For Frondell, who is in his first full season, the role keeps growing. “[I] go in, try to win the battle, win the puck, block shots and get it out of the zone,” he said.
Bedard’s return is getting closer. He has started taking faceoffs in practice, another sign that he is moving toward being available again.
Since the season began, he has been taking shots while wearing a non-contact jersey. The energy around his status was obvious in the home opener, when the inactive players were announced and he drew a strong ovation.
That helped fuel the night, and Chicago followed with a 4-2 win over the St. Louis Blues.
Until Bedard is back, though, the Blackhawks have to solve things the hard way. They need better play at both ends, and they can’t lean on the quality of the opponent as an excuse.
That challenge continues this week with home games against the Pittsburgh Penguins, Winnipeg Jets and Dallas Stars. With Nazar still unavailable for one more game, the next two matchups loom especially large if Chicago wants any chance of pushing the Stars and showing real progress before Bedard returns.
These aren’t just ordinary games on the schedule. For the Blackhawks, they have the feel of must-wins.
In Other News...
Blackhawks Face Two Urgent Questions As Their Young Core Evolves
The Blackhawks have spent much of this stretch sorting through the usual October-to-December churn that comes with a young roster: game recaps, injury updates, roster movement and the kind of nightly details that can obscure the bigger picture. For a team still building around its next core, those small developments matter because they shape who is available, who is settling in, and how quickly the group can turn promising stretches into something more consistent.
Chicago is also dealing with the kind of personnel questions that can change the tone around the room in a hurry, especially when a key young forward is on the verge of coming back and another lineup regular is facing league discipline. For a team trying to accelerate its evolution without skipping steps, the next few days may say plenty about both its short-term competitiveness and how much of that young core is ready to carry more responsibility. [Read more 🡒]
Cutter Gauthier Gives Ducks Fans A Reason To Watch Closely
The Blackhawks are still waiting for Connor Bedard to rejoin the lineup after shoulder surgery, but the latest signs have been encouraging. He has skated again and remains close to a return, giving Chicago a meaningful boost as it keeps pushing through the early part of the season.
There is a real chance Bedard could be back as soon as Tuesday against Pittsburgh if the morning skate goes well, which would mark his season debut. For a Chicago team that has had to manage plenty of injury news around the league and its own roster, getting its top young star back would be a welcome development and a reminder of how much his presence changes the conversation. [Read more 🡒]
Connor Bedard Has Blackhawks Fans Waiting On One Crucial Decision
Connor Bedard has been building toward a return to the Blackhawks lineup after left shoulder surgery three months ago, and the signs have been encouraging. He has moved into full-contact practices, a good step for a player whose season has been on hold while Chicago waits for its top young star to get fully right.
Still, the last box has not been checked yet. Coach Jeff Blashill is waiting on more information from Bedards upcoming doctors appointment before anyone can say for sure when he will be available, which leaves the Blackhawks and their fans in a familiar holding pattern as they look ahead to the game against Pittsburgh. [Read more 🡒]