The Chicago Blackhawks are looking to take the next step in their rebuild this season, having added reinforcements in the offseason to better support new franchise cornerstone, Connor Bedard. Not to mention there are a plethora of young and talented prospects knocking at the door. We saw that promise in full force when the Blackhawks iced the kids for their final preseason tilt in Milwaukee, for their home away from home game (a 6-2 rout).
After finishing 31st in the league in 2023-24, Blackhawk’s fans are desperately looking for some improvement. With that in mind, let’s discuss five things to look forward to in this 2024-25 campaign.
Bedard Has Help
Last season Blackhawk’s fans were excited to watch the 2023 No. 1 overall pick, Bedard, in his rookie season in Chicago. Bedard exceeded expectations, tallying 22 goals and 61 points, despite missing 14 games with a broken jaw. But it was obvious at times that Bedard with frustrated with the lack of a supporting cast. There’s only so much one can do on their own.
The organization addressed that in the offseason, bringing in talented veterans such as Teuvo Teravainen and Tyler Bertuzzi to support Bedard. Taylor Hall is also finally healthy, after playing only 10 games last season due to a torn ACL. Lukas Reichel, drafted 17th overall in the 2020 Draft, is also another option to take the next step in his development. The German native had a disappointing 2023-24 campaign, but hopes are high he can turn it around this season.
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Bedard has played on a line with Teravainen and Bertuzzi through the later part of training camp, although he’s actually had the most success with his running mate from last season, Philipp Kurashev. Regardless, there are a lot more options this season to support Bedard. It should lead to more success for the team.
Depth at the Forward Position
Besides adding to their top-six forwards, the Blackhawks also added depth throughout the forward lineup. Veterans Patrick Maroon and Craig Smith were brought in to create more competition, and experience, for the forward group. Ilya Mikheyev, formerly with the Vancouver Canucks, is expected to be a utility player that can move up and down in the lineup.
Andreas Athanasiou is healthy after dealing with injuries last season, and returning players such as Ryan Donato and Joey Anderson are finding themselves fighting for a spot in the lineup. All this competition is good for the team, and should theoretically push the output to the next level.
Improved Defensive Corps for the Blackhawks
Not only did the Blackhawks address their offensive group, but they signed defensemen Alec Martinez and T.J. Brodie as well. Adding these two seasoned veterans to the existing group is going to bolster the defensive corps. They will join Seth Jones, Connor Murphy and Alex Vlasic, who isn’t exactly a veteran but had a breakout campaign last season. (from ‘Don’t forget about Alex Vlasic in debate between young stars Connor Bedard, Brock Faber’, The AthleticCHI – 4/7/24)
The Blackhawks are also known for their deep defensive prospect pool. Wyatt Kaiser is currently dealing with an illness, but he’s expected to contribute to the big club once healthy (41 career NHL games with the Blackhawks). Nolan Allan (drafted 32nd overall in the 2021 draft) has made the team out of training camp with Kaiser out. Isaak Phillips (53 NHL appearances with the Blackhawks) was put on waivers on Oct. 6. But it’s hoped he clears waivers and can contribute with both the Blackhawks and the Rockford IceHogs this season, depending on the team’s needs. Kevin Korchinski played in 76 games with the Blackhawks last season, but that was only because he wasn’t eligible (due to Canada Hockey League rules) to play in Rockford. He is eligible this season, and the organization determined some time with the IceHogs would benefit the 20-year-old.
Related – Blackhawks Sending Kevin Korchinski to AHL is Right Move
Let’s not forget about 2024 second overall pick Artyom Levshunov, who is dealing with a minor foot injury. But once healthy, he’s expected to start his pro career with the IceHogs. Add in Ethan Del Mastro (69 games with the IceHogs and two games with the Blackhawks last season) and Louis Crevier (41 games with the IceHogs and 24 games with the Blackhawks last season), and the Blackhawks are in a great place regarding defense.
Better Goaltending Tandem of Mrazek & Brossoit
Netminder Petr Mrazek was a savior for the Blackhawks last season. The club would have lost even more games than they did if it wasn’t for the 32-year-old’s stellar play in net. This earned him a two-year extension to help continue the rebuilding efforts for the Blackhawks. But the young Arvid Soderblom was expected to have a much more successful season as Mrazek’s backup. As a matter of fact, many thought he would take over the starting role. He didn’t, posting a .879 save percentage and a 3.92 goals against average in 32 games.
The organization addressed goaltending as well, adding Laurent Brossoit to the fold in the offseason. Brossoit (formerly with the Winnipeg Jets) comes with a career SV% of .911 and a GAA of 2.64 in his 10 seasons in the league. This is definitely an upgrade over Soderblom, who’s expected to play for the IceHogs this season.
Brossoit is dealing with a meniscus injury, but the latest update from the Blackhawks is that he’s expected to be available approximately mid-way through the opening road trip. That would put his return date somewhere in the neighborhood of Oct. 12.
Obviously, Brossoit might need some time to get up to speed. But it will be interesting to see how the Blackhawks split the net between Mrazek and Brossoit as the season progresses. Either way, the Blackhawks should benefit from more security in net.
Bringing in the Kids
We’ve already discussed all the veterans that were added to the Blackhawks’ roster over the offseason. But they were all signed to relatively short contracts, and are essentially just placeholders to give the young prospects time to develop. The Blackhawks are taking the patient approach with the young players they’re acquired in the last handful of drafts, giving them the opportunity to develop in Rockford, college, or their respective junior clubs.
That said, there are a handful of prospects that are knocking at the door, right on of the cusp of being NHL-ready. It appears we’re going to see defenseman Allan (mentioned above) make his NHL debut on Oct. 8, the Blackhawks first regular season game. Don’t be surprised if we see some of the other youngsters called up to the big club for short stints during this campaign. I’m talking about Frank Nazar and Landon Slaggert, who both made their NHL debuts with the Blackhawks at the end of last season (three games and 16 games, respectively).
There’s also forward Colton Dach, and the aforementioned defensemen Korchinski, Del Mastro, Phillips, Crevier, and perhaps even Levshunov. As a matter of fact, the IceHogs could arguably to more fun to watch this season than the Blackhawks. If the last preseason game is any indication of things to come, all these prospects are going to be hungry and bring energy and added skill to the Blackhawks.
Related – 4 Blackhawks Who Need to Bounce Back in 2024-25
It’s an exciting time to be a Blackhawk’s fan, with added reinforcements, young prospects coming up, and just more talent all around. This should result in more winning, which actually could be a sixth thing to look forward to in this 2024-25 season. If all things go according to plan, this should be a fun and exciting team to watch. It all starts on Oct. 8, when the Blackhawks face the Utah Hockey Club for the first game of their regular season. The future looks bright for the Blackhawks.
Let’s get this party started already!
