Welcome to the recurring Blackhawks’ 3 Up, 3 Down column. Although much can go wrong during the course of a hockey season, there is just as much good news from these reads along the way. Not to worry if you can’t seem to find any such stories yourself, as we’ll do the digging for you!
The Chicago Blackhawks were in a stretch where everything crumbled simultaneously. Whether it was injuries, epic collapses, or losing streaks, the team desperately needed a good bounce, especially after two embarrassing losses before Christmas. Here are the highlights as the Blackhawks head into the New Year.
Plus One: Slowly but Surely Getting Players Back
A focal point of the Blackhawks this season is injuries. It’s not abnormal for an NHL team to get hit by the injury bug; it’s expected. But it seemed like the perfect storm for a team like Chicago, who was playing without Corey Perry (contract terminated) and then losing Taylor Hall due to an ACL injury. Jarred Tinordi got a concussion, Seth Jones and Joey Anderson went on injured reserve with left shoulder injuries, Alex Vlasic dealt with an upper-body injury, Colin Blackwell had a sports hernia that had him miss 10 months, and Andreas Athanasiou has been out since the beginning of November with a groin injury. Finally, Korchinski missed some time due to the passing of his father.
However, Chicago is slowly starting to get the band back together. The Blackhawks game against the Colorado Avalanche on Dec. 19 was a turning point because Blackwell, Korchinski, and Tinordi all returned, and the Blackhawks won the game 3-2.
Blackwell has been awesome since he returned. He said he realized the Blackhawks needed “a little bit of spark,” mentioning wanting to finish checks and be hard to play against whenever he returned, and he is getting it done. He has been hustling and involved in most plays, including an assist in four games in a third-line role. Jason Dickinson said his energy has been contagious, and the players build off it.
With Tinordi, he has always been a big, physical presence on the blue line. So, getting him back was nice for the team, as he is always there to help mix it up. With Korchinski, he is one of the Blackhawks’ most exciting defense prospects, helping tremendously with his offensive instincts and stride, with seven points in 28 games. His on-ice talent is unique, but he is also a great person off the ice, and his teammates love him. When Korchinski’s father passed away, the team felt it deeply alongside him. Getting these players back gave the team a great Christmas present, making spirits bright (as the song goes!)
Lastly, Alex Vlasic returned to the Blackhawks against the Winnipeg Jets on Dec. 27 and contributed to the exciting 2-1 overtime win, being a plus-2. The 22-year-old missed four games, and the team missed their top-pairing defensemen, especially with Jones out. He has been a difference-maker, and it was a relief to the team that his injury was short-term.
The Blackhawks are still missing Jones, Anderson, and Athanasiou, but it’s good to see familiar faces make their way back as it boosts the locker room, too.
Minus One: Team Defense Blunders
Many assumed that the Blackhawks’ defense would be an area of concern. The leading veterans are Seth Jones, Connor Murphy, Tinordi, and Nikita Zaitsev. Besides them, it’s a very young defense group with Korchinski, Vlasic, Issak Phillips, Wyatt Kaiser, Louis Crevier, and Filip Roos in the mix. Out of those six players, no one is older than 24.
Those defense struggles were hugely displayed in three of their last five games. Against the Vancouver Canucks on Dec. 10, the Blackhawks led twice in the game and lost 4-3. Against the Montreal Canadiens on Dec. 22, they led 2-0 in the second period and lost 5-2. Finally, for the worst one, against the St. Louis Blues on Dec. 23, they led 5-2 in the third period and lost 7-5. Holding leads and sustaining momentum has been an issue for this team all season, and those breakdowns are evident. They give up the third-most goals in the NHL, with 3.62 goals per game. Struggles will be apparent during a rebuild and while the young defensemen find their footing, but it certainly hasn’t been pretty. The defense had a better showing against Winnipeg, but those performances are usually few and far between.
Plus Two: Petr Mrazek’s Resurgence
Besides the defensive woes, goaltender Petr Mrazek has been outstanding. After a rough 2022-23 season plagued by injuries and inconsistent play, the 31-year-old has stepped up. His .911 save percentage (SV%) is seventh-best in the league, with goalies playing 20 or more games. That’s better than Igor Shesterkin (New York Rangers, .908 SV%) and tied with Sergei Bobrovsky (Florida Panthers). Those goaltenders are both Vezina Trophy winners playing on Stanley Cup contending teams. Mrazek’s 2.98 goals-against average (GAA) is 15th-best in the league.
His SV% is the highest since his 2020-21 season with the Carolina Hurricanes, where he had a .923 SV%. He was motivated to bounce back. Even Connor Bedard said after defeating the Jets on Dec. 27 that Mrazek has been the team’s rock, and he is correct. The Blackhawks have 11 wins this season, and Mrazek anchored most of them with his 9-11 record. Beating teams like Winnipeg and the Colorado Avalanche, some of the league’s top teams, with him in net, is impressive, especially considering their lack of depth. Mrazek may not be on the team past the trade deadline in March, but they are enjoying having him around.
Minus Two: Lukas Reichel Debacle Continues
Lukas Reichel is a topic talked about at nauseam, but it is such a frustrating situation not to talk about. After being a healthy scratch on Dec. 3, the Blackhawks started him on the fourth line and eventually moved him to the first line with Connor Bedard and Philipp Kurashev. In my opinion, he has been showing signs of improvement, and he even had one of the best games of his career against the Avalanche on Dec. 19, with a goal. However, head coach Luke Richardson put Reichel back on the fourth line two games later against the Blues on Dec. 23, stating, “One game scoring a goal, that’s not good enough. He needs to follow that up with two or three games like that.”
Reichel started the season mainly on the second line for the first 22 games, and now he is being shuffled between the first and fourth lines. Reichel will not find a rhythm by continually rearranging him throughout the lineup. He would benefit from playing on the first line with Bedard for more than two or three games at a time. He had a goal when playing there, so leave him there and see what they can do. The coach’s lack of patience with him is hard to grasp because he is 21-years-old and needs to figure it out. It’s the perfect year to do so when there are no expectations.
Related: Blackhawks Already Hold Key to Unlocking Lukas Reichel’s Ceiling
Against the Jets, he had 9:09 minutes of ice time on the fourth line, which was the least amount of ice time for forwards ahead of only MacKenzie Entwistle’s 7:47 minutes. He made some solid plays and generated chances during the game and in overtime.
Overall, I think the Blackhawks are not doing Reichel any favors. Does he need to produce more? Absolutely. He needs more than seven points in 33 games, but they also need to let him play. I’m afraid I have to disagree with how Richardson has handled Reichel this season, as this lack of consistency doesn’t benefit the player or the team.
Plus Three: The Connor Bedard Show
Connor Bedard is a remarkable talent. Blackhawks fans have been treated to his theatrics all season so far. His shot, playmaking, and competitiveness have been enough to get the United Center crowd up and cheering beyond normal decibel levels, even during a losing season.
Bedard already leads rookies and the team in scoring with 32 points in 34 games (15 goals, 17 assists) and is currently on a five-game point streak with six multi-point games. The longest stretch he has gone this season without a point is two games, and he is on pace to finish the season with 36 goals and 77 points. The last NHL rookie with a similar goal trajectory was Auston Matthews (Toronto Maple Leafs). He recorded 40 goals in his rookie season and won the Calder Trophy in 2017.
He has been a treat to watch lately, recording a Michigan goal against St. Louis and then recording a goal and an overtime-winning goal the following game against the Jets. Fans will take a one-way ticket to this show for the next 15-plus years! Bedard said after the game, “I can’t imagine a better place to be playing.” Talent, humility, and drive; the Bedard factor.
Minus Three: Arvid Söderblom’s Inconsistency
This season has not gone the way goaltender Arvid Söderblom imagined. He was in an excellent position to get a lot of playing time behind Mrazek and prove he could be the Blackhawks’ goaltender of the future, but his season has had its struggles. The first thing to note is that Söderblom has a 2-11-1 record with a .870 SV% and a 4.15 GAA. Those numbers look frightening, but there is more to it. Ever since he made his NHL debut in 2021, the Blackhawks have rarely played well in front of him. The games he has started this season were some of the team’s worst performances. Players and coaches have defended their goalie, with Jones saying about Söderblom on Dec. 9, “He’s working his ass off in there, making backdoor saves left and right… Your goalie has to make timely saves for you, but we’ve got to do a little bit better job.”
But what coach Richardson said about Söderblom after they lost 7-1 to the Seattle Kraken on Dec. 14 encompasses his season, “Unfortunately, we weren’t great in front of him tonight, and it probably wasn’t his best performance either.”
Söderblom got the double whammy with the team not playing for him and him making mistakes as well. The biggest complaint is his rebound control, which seems to be a continual issue, but the Blackhawks are not giving up on him. They like how calm he is in net, which goaltending coach Jimmy Waite described as being similar to Corey Crawford, but just like Reichel, Söderblom is 24-years-old and has to figure it out, and hopefully, the second half of the season bodes better for him.
Related: Blackhawks’ Goaltending Could Surprise in 2023-24
Ironically, Söderblom’s two wins this season have come against the Toronto Maple Leafs, so he has it in him, but he has to improve, and he seems up to the task, saying, “It’s been fun. It’s a learning process coming in being a full-time NHLer. There will probably be some ups and downs throughout the year, throughout the career as well. That’s how it is. You just got to look at it and not be too emotional. Just see it for what it is, take it and see it as a learning process. It’s been fun. I’m enjoying being here.” (from ‘Blackhawks goalie Arvid Söderblom embracing ups and downs of first full NHL season – The Athletic – 11/14/2023).
The Blackhawks haven’t had an easy start to the season, so amid all the struggles, it’s good to be reminded of some of the positives. The team is hoping that 2024 will be kinder to them!
