The Chicago Blackhawks are back in familiar territory, and not the kind any rebuild wants to revisit. At 1-5 heading into Tuesday night, Chicago looks stuck near the bottom of the NHL standings again, with too many of the same problems showing up even as the organization keeps loading up on young talent.
Connor Bedard is back in the lineup, and that matters. He already had 12 goals in six games, and his presence gives the Blackhawks a different level of punch.
But the bigger issue is what’s happening on the other end. Chicago has already allowed 26 goals, and even a point-per-game Bedard isn’t going to paper over that kind of defensive leakage.
If anything, his return only sharpens the contrast between one elite young centerpiece and a roster that still isn’t built to handle the night-to-night grind.
That’s the part making this start feel more troubling than a normal early-season skid. Losing is supposed to come with some payoff in a rebuild - growth, sharper habits, a clearer identity.
The Blackhawks aren’t showing much of that yet. Individual progress exists.
Bedard has clearly taken another step. But there’s a difference between losing because young players are learning and losing because the team keeps breaking down structurally.
Chicago should be farther along than this on the defensive side. Better puck management.
Cleaner exits. More poise when protecting a lead.
Those basics have remained shaky, and that’s true even with a roster that includes veterans meant to steady the room. Six games is still a short runway, but there’s a difference between growing pains and looking unprepared.
The talent pipeline remains impressive. Up front, Frank Nazar, Oliver Moore, and Roman Kantserov are part of the group pushing forward.
On defense, Sam Rinzel, Wyatt Kaiser, and Artyom Levshunov give the organization more reason to believe in the future. Mix that with some solid veterans and the lineup should feel more balanced than it has.
Instead, the results say the Blackhawks still aren’t close to getting it together.
Bedard’s numbers from last season underline how dependent this offense already is on him. In 69 games, the 21-year-old put up 30 goals and 45 assists, and only Tyler Bertuzzi joined him above 50 points.
Chicago finished 30th in goals for and 27th in goals against. Early this season, the script has looked alarmingly familiar.
The power play has managed just one goal on 14 chances, despite Bedard’s return, even though it ran at 16.95% last year with him in the lineup. He can boost the attack, but he can’t fix the defensive breakdowns or suddenly make a flawed roster whole.
That reality is why the coming stretch matters so much. The Blackhawks have already taken a pair of ugly losses, falling 5-2 to Carolina and 6-0 to Utah, and the common thread has been easy to spot: too many high-danger chances allowed and not nearly enough clean puck movement out of their own end. Young teams are allowed to stumble, but eventually the people in charge have to identify what’s broken and start finding answers.
That puts Jeff Blashill in a difficult spot. He’s being asked to develop young players while also keeping the team competitive, and those goals do not always line up neatly. He needs a better defensive structure, better execution, and the right roles for players who are still learning on the fly.
Kyle Davidson has spent years accumulating assets and reshaping the roster for the future, but the second half of that mission still hasn’t shown up. The Blackhawks have plenty of draft capital and a prospect list that draws attention, but eventually a team has to become something more than a collection of maybes. Potential only matters when it turns into real NHL production, whether that comes through development or trades that bring back established contributors.
Chicago may still be a year or two from being ready to contend, or it might be able to turn things around sooner. Either way, the gap between promising pieces and a team that can actually compete every night is still wide.
In Other News...
Anton Frondell Is Giving Blackhawks Fans A New Calder Storyline
Anton Frondell has quickly turned into one of the more interesting early-season stories around the Blackhawks, and not just because he has jumped out front among the teams rookies in points and assists. Working mainly as the second-line center, he has looked comfortable in a role that asks for far more than offense, handling faceoffs well and showing enough defensive awareness to stay on the ice in important moments.
Jeff Blashills willingness to lean on Frondell has been just as notable as the production itself, with the rookie earning steady ice time and even penalty kill duties. For a Chicago team always searching for young players who can be trusted in all situations, Frondell is already giving the organization a Calder storyline worth following, and he may be building toward something bigger if this start keeps holding up. [Read more 🡒]
Connor Bedard's Return Gave Blackhawks Fans A Reason To Believe
Connor Bedards return gave the Blackhawks a welcome lift on a night when they needed one, and the offense finally looked like it had some life in a 5-3 win over the Penguins. Roman Kantserov and Teuvo Teravainen each scored twice, giving Chicago the kind of finishing it has been searching for through the early part of the season, and the victory moved the club to 2-5-0.
Bedard also got on the board for the first time this season, a small but meaningful step after his return to the lineup. For a team still trying to steady itself, the combination of Bedards presence and a balanced scoring effort was enough to leave the building with something more than just two points. [Read more 🡒]