The Chicago Blackhawks were supposed to be moving past the hard part by now.
Instead, 11 games into the season, they’ve got only three wins and six points, which leaves them at the bottom of the Central Division. Kyle Davidson’s offseason moves - trading the fourth overall pick for defenseman Bowen Byram and bringing back franchise legend Patrick Kane - signaled a team trying to turn the corner. Connor Bedard was supposed to be the centerpiece of that leap.
But the results haven’t followed the script.
Bedard missed the Blackhawks’ first six games while recovering from shoulder surgery, and Chicago has still gone just 2-3-0 in the five games since his return. That slow start was the focus on Tuesday’s episode of Daily Faceoff LIVE, where Tyler Yaremchuk and Carter Hutton dug into just how concerning things are in Chicago.
Yaremchuk set the table by pointing out the familiar refrain around the Blackhawks’ early struggles: wait for Bedard to come back. Then he came back, and the losses kept piling up.
Hutton didn’t sugarcoat where he’s at with the team’s start.
“It’s like an eight at this point. I just think, at what point are we done the rebuild?
Do we need to be better? Do we need to find a way to win hockey games?
I think a great example is, you’re playing a veteran team like Florida. You’re in a dog fight, it’s 2-2, and you find a way to lose that game late with just over two minutes to go.
These are the games that you’ve earned the right to be in, and they’ve been in a lot of close games, but you’ve got to find a way to bank points. I think that the old theory of “We’re rebuilding, we’re in this situation,” it’s kind of going out the window at this point.
I think you need to find a way to score goals, and if you look at those stats that Patty had up, their goals-for is 31st in the NHL. This is a team that’s supposed to be younger and creating offense.
Goals-against is 31st in the NHL. Power play percentage is weak.
That’s tough in a star-studded Central Division. I understand that expectations in the Central are lower, but at what point are we supposed to be going up the hill?”
That’s the issue for Chicago right now: it’s not just that the losses are coming, it’s that the progress isn’t showing up alongside them. The Blackhawks were expected to take a step forward this season, but so far, they’re still stuck trying to prove they’re anywhere close to climbing out of the rebuild.
In Other News...
Blackhawks Could Get Pulled Into A Pricey Young Winger Chase
A young winger with some upside is suddenly on the trade radar, and the Blackhawks have been mentioned among the teams in the mix. Washington is exploring options on Ivan Miroshnichenko, and his agent has been contacting multiple clubs, with interest said to be coming mostly from the Western Conference. For Chicago, it is the kind of conversation that fits a rebuilding timeline in theory, even if it immediately raises the question of how aggressive the front office wants to be for another player still early in his NHL path.
The wrinkle is the price. The Capitals are believed to want to move Miroshnichenko out of the Eastern Conference, and the early asking range being discussed is steep enough to make any interested team pause. If the Blackhawks stay involved, it would likely come down to how much they are willing to pay for potential versus patience, especially with other clubs circling and the bidding not sounding modest. [Read more 🡒]
Blackhawks Blue Line Suddenly Faces A Problem Ahead Of Road Trip
A road trip can expose a thin blue line in a hurry, and the Blackhawks are suddenly staring at that possibility with two of their left-shot defensemen in question. Head coach Jeff Blashill said Alex Vlasic is ill and questionable for Thursday against the Detroit Red Wings, a development that comes after he missed the morning skate and leaves Chicago juggling its back end before the trip really gets rolling.
Bowen Byrams situation only adds to the uncertainty. He remains sidelined with an upper-body injury and is also uncertain for the next game against the Boston Bruins, leaving the Blackhawks without much clarity on how their defense will look in the near term. For a team trying to get through a stretch on the road, the timing is far from ideal. [Read more 🡒]
Blackhawks Have An Early Problem Kyle Davidson May Need To Fix
Through the first 12 games, the Blackhawks have looked like a team that can skate, but not always one that can consistently make life difficult on opponents. The numbers behind that impression are stark enough to raise an early concern: Chicago sits near the bottom of the league in both hits and blocked shots, a sign that the roster still lacks some of the grit and edge that tends to travel well over an 82-game season.
For a team trying to build a tougher identity without blowing up its plans, that leaves Kyle Davidson with a familiar kind of balancing act. The Blackhawks can hope for more bite from the players already in the room, but the article also points to possible outside help in Paul Cotter and Nick Seeler, two names that could add some needed physicality without forcing a major investment. [Read more 🡒]