The Chicago Blackhawks are starting to look like the team they thought they could be once the forward group finally got close to whole.
After opening the season 0-3-0, Chicago has steadied itself with a 3-2-0 run, and every one of those victories has come at home. The Blackhawks are 3-1 overall at the United Center, and the difference has been easy to spot: the roster is healthier, deeper, and moving with more purpose.
Connor Bedard’s return has been the headliner. He came back from shoulder surgery about a month earlier than the original expectation, giving the Blackhawks their best player and captain back after he missed the first six games.
But he’s not the only reason the forward group suddenly looks dangerous again. Frank Nazar has returned from suspension, Patrick Kane is in the lineup, and Anton Frondell has begun to look like a budding star.
That full-strength feel has changed the way Chicago can attack shifts. Nazar talked about what it means when the forwards are all available and able to keep pressure on teams.
"Guys go out there and stack shifts," Frank Nazar said of the full forward group being available. "It's a big part of the game.
When we're able to hound the puck in their zone, get line changes, and keep it going, it's hard to play [against]. We have a deep team where every line can do something like that.
It's going to wear teams out."
For Bedard, the return of talent around him has been part of the story too. When asked about the way the forward group is coming together, he pointed to the contributions across the lineup.
"We have a lot of talent on this team," Bedard said of the forward group when asked about it all coming together. "I think our line didn't create as much as Tuesday today, but you see Moore's line was unbelievable - all three of the other lines. Our power play was able to get one, just kind of clawing away and getting a win."
This stretch also says something about the group’s makeup beyond just the top names. The Blackhawks are young up front, and that has given them a lineup that can grow together while also carrying more bite now that the pieces are in place. With Bedard healthy earlier than expected, the team has already seen how much his work on rehab matters, and how that kind of commitment can lift the rest of the room.
Head coach Jeff Blashill sees that effect, too.
"We're a better team when we're closer to a full group," head coach Jeff Blashill said. "Confidence matters, so you get some extra juice from that. There is a belief within the group that we have up front that we could be really good."
The forward group isn’t operating in a vacuum, either. The Blackhawks have puck-moving help on the back end from Artyom Levshunov and Sam Rinzel, two second-year players who can help the team get out of its zone. Bowen Byram adds another layer of skill and experience on defense, though he was not available in Tuesday’s win and is considered day-to-day.
With more of the roster available, Chicago’s attack looks deeper and harder to handle. And with the forwards getting healthy again, the season is beginning to look back on track.
In Other News...
Anton Frondell Is Giving Blackhawks Fans Hope They Desperately Needed
The early weeks of the Blackhawks season were a grind, with Connor Bedard sidelined for the first six games and the team trying to steady itself around a thin margin for error. In the middle of that uncertainty, Anton Frondell has given Chicago something it badly needed: a young forward who looks comfortable handling real responsibility, not just flashes. He has already become a notable part of the Blackhawks effort on faceoffs and the penalty kill, the kind of usage that says the coaching staff trusts him in situations beyond the usual rookie runway.
Frondells rise has fit neatly alongside the return of Bedard, whose presence has helped the team string together consecutive wins and ease some of the pressure that had built during the rough start. For Chicago, the encouraging part is not just that Frondell has produced, but that he has done it while looking like a player who can be leaned on in a variety of roles. The Blackhawks are still sorting out what this season can become, but a rookie earning that kind of trust gives them a much better reason to believe. [Read more 🡒]
Roman Kantserov Is Giving Blackhawks Fans A New Reason To Watch
Roman Kantserov has started to look more comfortable in a Blackhawks sweater at just the right time, and his recent run has given fans a fresh reason to tune in. After settling in through his early games, he has found his footing on the first line with Connor Bedard and Patrick Kane, a spot that can accelerate a young players growth in a hurry. The result has been a burst of offense, highlighted by his first career goal and a multi-goal night that showed why the organization has been eager to see what he can do.
The bigger question now is how much of this stretch can carry over as the season goes on. Playing alongside Bedard and Kane gives Kantserov a chance to learn from two of the most influential players on the roster while also giving the Blackhawks another developing scorer to watch closely. For a team looking for signs of progress, his recent production has been one of the more encouraging developments, and it may only be the beginning of a much more interesting rookie year. [Read more 🡒]
Blackhawks Winning Formula Suddenly Looks Bigger Than Just Their Stars
The early signs around the Blackhawks are starting to look a lot more encouraging than just a couple of hot nights from their top names. With Connor Bedard back in the lineup and Frank Nazar rejoining the mix after his two-game suspension, Chicago has found contributions from new additions and returning players alike, and the results have followed with a pair of recent wins. Patrick Kane and coach Derek Blashill have both pointed to the same thing: the lineup is starting to feel deeper, and that matters when a team wants its performance to hold up beyond one line or one pair of stars.
What makes that more interesting for Chicago is the way the scoring has been spread around in those wins, with multiple players finding the scoresheet in each game. For a young team still trying to build something more stable, that kind of balance can be just as important as highlight-reel talent. The Blackhawks are still early in the season, but the bigger question now is whether this depth is a short burst or the start of a more consistent formula. [Read more 🡒]