The 2023-24 season has only just begun for the Chicago Blackhawks, yet they’re already facing their fair share of adversity. It certainly doesn’t help they started their campaign on the road against four out of five teams that are all considered strong Stanley Cup contenders. They further headed home only to face the Vegas Golden Knights and then the Boston Bruins (AGAIN)! Not to mention they host the Golden Knights a second time this coming Friday (Oct. 27) before the schedule eases off a little bit.
Related – 5 Takeaways From Blackhawks Season-Opening Road Trip
Add in some key injuries and expected growing pains, and it’s really no surprise the Blackhawks are off to a 2-5-0 start. If nothing else, this is going to build the Blackhawks’ resiliency moving forward. Let’s get to some of the key points so far.
Blackhawks’ Injury Updates
A few of the Blackhawks’ starters began the season injured. Philipp Kurashev wasn’t able to play the first six games because of a left wrist injury. The good news is he returned to the lineup on Oct. 24 versus the Bruins, and actually breathed some new life into the team. More on that below.
Colin Blackwell, on the other hand, hasn’t had the same kind of luck. The 30-year-old underwent surgery for a sports hernia in March, and was expected to be out around 12 weeks. Unfortunately, when he started skating before training camp, things just didn’t feel right. It was one of many setbacks for the veteran forward. He was finally able to join practice with his teammates on Monday, Oct. 23. He got a little choked up talking about it after practice.
“It’s been pretty draining, to be quite honest with you.”
— Phillip Thompson (@_phil_thompson) October 23, 2023
—Colin Blackwell, who gets choked up talking about how he’s coped mentally with multiple setbacks from his sports hernia surgery pic.twitter.com/FHQllOfjKy
We tend to forget the human side of the sport. Especially when a player is out of the lineup. They’re out, so they’re forgotten about. But that player has to deal with the physical and mental battles that come with getting healthy again. Injuries are rough to begin with, but dealing with a prolonged injury has got to be really tough.
It sounds like Blackwell’s timetable to return to the lineup is still unclear, and probably a ways off. But at least he’s making progress, and hopefully there will be no more setbacks.
Latest THW Headlines
Finally, the Blackhawks thought they’d dodged a bullet when Taylor Hall suffered a shoulder injury during the Bruins game on Oct. 11. He was initially diagnosed as week-to-week, but returned after missing only one contest. Alas, it was too good to be true.
Hall was trying to play through it, but re-aggravated the injury during the Golden Knights’ game on Oct. 21. He was placed on injured reserve a few days later, retroactive to the 21st. The Blackhawks are calling the injury week-to-week once again.
Here's the Taylor Hall injury from the Boston game and where he reaggravated his shoulder against Vegas. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/N5eednycAD
— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) October 23, 2023
It’s also been clear that Hall’s absence leaves a big hole in the lineup. Especially for his young linemate, Connor Bedard.
Bedard Showing Frustration
Bedard started out the season strong, with three points (a goal and two assists) in three games, along with numerous chances and flashes of brilliance. But since then he’s gone pointless in the last four games, with the exception of a power play goal against Vegas.
The most recent tilt against the Bruins (Oct. 24) is where Bedard’s frustration reached a new level. There were numerous times where the 18-year-old tried to get too cute, and was promptly stripped of the puck. He seemed to be attempting plays and then standing around in exasperation when they didn’t work. When Emily Kaplan interviewed Bedard at the end of the second period, he looked and sounded absolutely miserable.
Let’s face it, Bedard has been the best player on the ice his entire life. He’s used to scoring goals and winning. The NHL presents a little bit different animal. He’s now playing against stronger and much more experienced men. The game is faster and played differently. Bedard can’t just create something out of nothing anymore; he needs more help from his linemates. He might have to adjust his mindset accordingly, and fine-tune his shot.
Related – Blackhawks’ Bedard: A Promising Start to an NHL Journey
Bedard is a very talented and determined young man. He’ll adjust, but it’s going to take some time. Hence all the mentors that were brought in to help him find his way. If anything, this will be a good test of his resilience moving forward.
Kurashev Returns & Sparks Team
Help might be on the way for Bedard and the rest of the team in the form of a new teammate to provide a spark. Hopes have been high for Kurashev to finally take that next step in this development entering his fourth season in the league. Which is why it was tough when the Swiss native was hurt at the end of last season and then again at the beginning of this season.
But he returned just in time for the tough 3-0 loss to the Bruins on Oct. 24. Instead of being placed among the top-six forwards and on the second line with Lukas Reichel and Andreas Athanasiou (this trio had chemistry at the end of last season), Kurashev was initially deployed on the third line with Jason Dickinson and Corey Perry. Head coach Luke Richardson indicated he wanted to ease Kurashev back into the lineup.
But towards the end of the game, when the Bruins were up by three goals, Kurashev started taking shifts on the top line with Bedard. The two didn’t have too much time to adjust to each other, but they did get a few good looks. They almost connected for a goal in the waning seconds of the game, but it was not to be.
Kurashev ended up playing a healthy 17:45 minutes in his season debut. Richardson was very complimentary of him after the game.
Philipp Kurashev played 17:45 in his season debut tonight.
— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) October 25, 2023
Richardson: "He was probably our best player tonight."
Richardson also suggested Kurashev's late promotion to Bedard's line might remain the case moving forward.
It also sounds like the coach wants to see more of Bedard and Kurashev moving forward. I’m sure they’re both happy about this, considering one is frustrated and the other wants to cement a place among the top-six forwards.
Richardson Wants More
While the beginning of the season started pretty well for the Blackhawks and included two wins, the team has been struggling these last handful of games. They’ve been shut out in two of the last three. Granted, we can look to all the circumstances I pointed out above. But no team likes to make excuses. Coach Richardson was more angry than we’ve probably ever seen him after the last Bruins game.
A frustrated Luke Richardson on the 3-0 loss to Boston: “They’re a hard team, but I'm kind of, at the point, tired. One year's enough of 'We're a hard-working team.' We want to push for more this year." #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/eWHYwwlXP5
— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) October 25, 2023
Sure, Richardson knows this team still has a lot of disadvantages, and he sees the big picture. The Blackhawks have a long way to go. But he’s trying to send a message and set a fire under the players to dig that much deeper; to “push for more this year”. That’s his job, and he showed last season he’s pretty good at pushing the right buttons.
It will be interesting to see how the team responds on Friday (Oct. 27) in their rematch with the Golden Knights. They’ve been having trouble finding the scoresheet lately, but they did put up three goals against Vegas less than a week ago. Each game is a new chance to build upon and prove themselves.
Related – What Blackhawks’ Luke Richardson Needs to Do in 2023-24
The Blackhawks are facing adversity early in the season. But it’s a long campaign, and their schedule gets a little easier in November. They have a new member to the lineup that could provide a spark, and they gain more experience with each and every game, each and every shift. If they keep working, they should see some better results in November.