The vibes have changed around the Chicago Blackhawks over the last week. They’ve dropped their last three games since an impressive 4-1 win against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Oct. 16, including two shutout losses.
Sitting with a 2-5-0 record, this season’s group hasn’t looked much better than last season’s. The tank is all but over, and it’s easy to feel disheartened, especially with all the hype around 2023’s first-overall draft pick Connor Bedard and their prospects. There have been some troubling trends over Chicago’s first seven games; the power play has been futile, converting at just 6.7%, while Lukas Reichel remains pointless with a minus-7.
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It’s important to take a step back here, however. The Blackhawks aren’t even one-tenth into their season, with just seven games under their belt. Many new faces means building team chemistry, which takes time. With 75 games remaining, the Blackhawks can still have a successful 2023-24 regular season, even if it doesn’t mean making the playoffs. There is absolutely no reason to hit the panic button right now.
Blackhawks Have Faced Tough Opening Schedule
Let’s start with the obvious: the schedule-makers did the Blackhawks no favors. Seven of their first eight games have come or will come against legitimate playoff contenders, concluding tonight (Oct. 27) against the Vegas Golden Knights in a rematch of Saturday’s (Oct. 21) 5-3 loss. Just six of their first 16 games have been or will be at the United Center. In fact, the Blackhawks don’t have a homestand of more than two games until after American Thanksgiving, with a three-game stretch against the Maple Leafs (Nov. 24), St. Louis Blues (Nov. 26), and Seattle Kraken (Nov. 28).
After Tuesday’s (Oct. 24) 3-0 loss to the Boston Bruins, head coach Luke Richardson expressed frustration with his team’s performance. Normally having an even-keeled demeanor, he said he wants the Blackhawks to be more than just hard-working this season and results to start appearing. To a point, he’s right. The Blackhawks’ young players need to begin progressing, which hasn’t fully been the case between Reichel’s slow start and defenseman Wyatt Kaiser’s struggles, the latter of whom looked overwhelmed against Boston.
Here’s the thing, though: there’s a significant talent gap between the Blackhawks and other teams. The goal this season should be improvement, but another top-five pick could be in the cards. After starting 2-2-0, their three-game losing streak has magnified their issues, yet four of their five losses have come against teams who’ve gone a combined 19-1-1 in the Colorado Avalanche, Golden Knights, and Bruins. That’s the 2022 Stanley Cup Champion, last season’s Cup champion, and last season’s Presidents’ Trophy winner, respectively. Against other opponents, they’re 2-1-0. Not bad, right?
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Having such a grueling schedule comes with pros and cons. The Blackhawks’ next seven games are all against teams that could realistically make the playoffs, so there’s a chance things continue going south. On the other hand, this early-season adversity gives them time to work on their weaknesses and build character before facing teams closer to their talent level.
Blackhawks Fans Need to Temper Expectations
Just two weeks ago, the Blackhawks were on cloud nine. They were coming off a 4-2 season-opening win on Oct. 10 against the Pittsburgh Penguins, with Bedard making his debut against his childhood idol Sidney Crosby on ESPN. There was so much excitement in the air, and it even got some of us thinking about whether the team could defy all odds and make a playoff push. Fast forward to the end of the month, and the answer is more likely “no,” but that’s not a bad thing.
For now, it’s important to temper expectations just a bit. Despite Bedard’s presence, the rebuild is still a long-term process. Rather than wins and losses, the focus of the season should be growth and development, which you simply can’t assess after seven games.
Related: NHL Needs to Get on & Accelerate the Connor Bedard Hype Train
It’s nice to have some expectations for the first time in a while. This is a refreshing change compared to last season when, let’s be honest, the games were mostly meaningless. However, the Blackhawks remain in the thick of their rebuild. When you factor in prospects and potential trades/free-agent signings, their roster will look vastly different four years from now, when the contention window will ideally open.
The Blackhawks finished with 59 points last season at 26-49-7, which is a very low bar. Any sort of regression this season would be worrisome, and if things are still looking down in a month or two, that’s when there may be cause for concern. Right now, it’s not justifiable, especially given the teams they’ve faced.
Blackhawks Will Be Fine Moving Forward
No matter how this season goes, the Blackhawks are in excellent shape beyond 2023-24. They have an above-average prospect pipeline even when you remove Bedard, Kevin Korchinski, and those at the NHL level. Frank Nazar, Oliver Moore, Ryan Greene, Ilya Safonov, and Nick Lardis lead the forward group. Nolan Allan and Ethan Del Mastro could become steady contributors defensively. Drew Commesso and Adam Gajan could both become the team’s future No. 1 goaltender. Not to mention, the Blackhawks have nine picks in the 2024 Draft, seven of which are in the first three rounds. They’ll also have more than enough cap space to make a splash or two in next summer’s free agency.
There’ll be concerns if the Blackhawks fail to improve on their 2022-23 point total, but it won’t be the end of the world. Remember, development isn’t linear. Perhaps Bedard doesn’t have a Crosby-like rookie campaign, and that’s OK. In his rookie season (2013-14), Nathan MacKinnon recorded 63 points in 82 games. It took him four seasons before he became a point-per-game player and blossomed into the superstar we know him as today, recording 97 points in 74 games in 2017-18.
Davidson, Richardson, and team leadership deserve patience, along with the players. Whether it’s line combinations or healthy scratches, let’s not overanalyze every little decision, as tempting as it may be. Yes, they’ve made some interesting calls, such as giving Reichel a long leash at center when much of his success has come on the wing. That said, now’s the perfect time to see what their young players are capable of as their long-term future takes shape. There’s an expectation for growth, but not necessarily to win now. With the Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews drama overshadowing much of 2022-23, I might even argue this is the first true season of the rebuild.
So, Blackhawks fans, relax. Take a deep breath, and most importantly, don’t freak out. As the cliché goes, “Rome wasn’t built in a day,” which couldn’t be more true of the team right now. Everything will be OK in the long run.
