Chicago Blackhawks’ 2026 New Year’s Resolutions

The Chicago Blackhawks are going through a tough stretch of losing as we come to the end of 2025. They’ve lost eight of their last nine games, as they struggle to create offense due to the losses of star players Connor Bedard and Frank Nazar. It’s a bad way to end the calendar year, sitting last in the league after a surprisingly decent start to their 2025-26 campaign.

Injuries are certainly part of the equation. But there are no excuses in the NHL. The next man up mentality has to come into play, despite most of this squad being insanely young and very inexperienced. But the good news is the Blackhawks really are improving. Anyone who’s paid close attention can see them progressing, individually and as a team. It’s just not showing just yet in the way of wins.

Related – Frank Nazar’s Highs & Lows Mirror Blackhawks Development & Maturation

But a new year is on the horizon, which is always a good time for fresh starts and resolutions. Let’s look at some of the Blackhawks’ New Year’s resolutions that could jump start improvement, and winning, in 2026.  

Get Better at Defense-First Mentality

This has been something head coach Jeff Blashill has been harping on since training camp as a recipe for a better team. So much so, it’s been noticed by others in the NHL. When the Blackhawks faced the Winnipeg Jets on Oct. 30, the Jets’ head coach Scott Arniel had this message for his team. “This is a well-coached group that has bought in first to defending.”

As we all know, Bedard is the new face of the franchise and the Blackhawks’ No. 1 superstar. His specialty is obviously on the offensive side of play, but even he has bought into a defense-first mentality. He recognizes that for the team to win they can’t cheat on offense. As he said back in November,

I think the better we play defensively, the more offense we get, because we’re getting the puck back. If we’re kind of cheating it on our own end, every now and then it’ll work, and you’ll get it, you’ll get a look. But I think for us, just trying to get the puck back from our own end and not be hemmed in there, and that comes from our structure and our pressure, and we can continue to keep getting better at that.

The Blackhawks’ defensive group is also getting stronger every day. Alex Vlasic and Louis Crevier have formed a formidable top pairing that uses their long reach to shut down plays, and also help contribute more offensively. Artyom Levshunov has put a lot of pieces together and can be trusted how with more minutes and responsibility.  

If the Blackhawks can continue to improve their defensive mindset, it could go a long way.

Find Success on the Power Play

The Blackhawks’ power play has been a big bone of contention of late. Considering Bedard is second in both goals (5) and assists (8) and also tied with Tyler Bertuzzi for the most points (13) on the power play, this is to be expected.