Chicago Blackhawks’ 3 Biggest Surprises So Far

We are just nine games into an 84-game slate but the early returns for the Chicago Blackhawks – a record of 3-6-0 – has been anything but promising. Their efforts vary wildly, like the exciting 4-3 win over the Winnipeg Jets followed by an ugly 4-0 loss to the Dallas Stars.

The Blackhawks are still working on changing the perception of the franchise, though they are still a young team with a potentially bright future. Through this early stretch, there have been a few surprises to make mention of; some good, some bad.

Turbo Finds His Scoring Touch

After Teuvo Teravainen slid to 14 goals and 35 points – his lowest totals since 2022-23 – many felt that the 32-year-old forward was on his last legs. Pushed down to the third line, the man known as “Turbo” has had a nice little start.

Through seven games, he has two goals and five assists and is a plus-two overall. The hope is that a returning Connor Bedard can help take the pressure off the middle six portion of the lineup, and benefit players like Teravainen in the long run.

Even if he can’t sustain his pace, it is nice to see a popular veteran have a strong start. The Blackhawks are going to need all the help they can get as this young core progresses, and Teravainen’s start can only help.

Bowen Byram’s Rough Start

On the opposite end of the spectrum is Byram. He came into the season with a ton of pressure after the team gave up a lot in assets and contract dollars to land him. The expectation is that a bigger role could help unlock his already strong offensive game and give the Blackhawks a legitimate No. 1 offensive defenseman.

Byram has instead struggled mightily out of the gate. He has just one assist – good for 17^th on the Blackhawks – and has missed time recently with an upper-body injury. His ugly minus-seven would be worst on the team if not for the impressively bad minus-11 that Patrick Kane is sporting.

Perhaps he’s feeling the pressure, but Byram needs to come back and keep things simple. His skating and offensive prowess could be assets but not if he’s overthinking things and gripping his stick too tightly. His progress will be something to watch when he does return.

The Struggles of the Offense

One of the major reasons the Blackhawks struggled a season ago is because they just couldn’t score. They finished with 2.54 goals per game, good for 31^st in the NHL. The good news: they are 29^th in the league in scoring. The bad news: they are actually worse per game, scoring 2.33 per contest.

Bedard’s absence is obviously a huge reason for that, and he already has three points since returning. It doesn’t help that just six guys have multiple goals to this point, with Kane and Anton Frondell being among those who have just one.

The offense has to come from somewhere and quickly if the Blackhawks want to avoid the basement yet again. There are some positive developments – Frank Nazar and Roman Kantserov have three goals apiece – but not enough to start swinging their momentum in the standings.

A Lot of Hockey to Be Played

The good news: there are still 75 games left to play. The potentially bad news: there are still 75 games left to play. If the offense can’t figure things out, if Byram can’t show the form that made him such a costly acquisition, and if the youngsters can’t take significant leaps forward, this is going to be a long season.

The Blackhawks have three more games left on this homestand, facing the Montreal Canadiens, Florida Panthers, and Los Angeles Kings. It will be a tough test but also tell us pretty clearly where the Blackhawks stand.