The Chicago Blackhawks finished out their first 36 games of the 2023-24 season and marked the end of 2023 with a record of 11-23-2, which is good for 31st in the league. Yes, only the San Jose Sharks are below them in the standings. But this was somewhat expected for this rebuilding team. Even with the addition of the 2023 No. 1 draft pick Connor Bedard, the Blackhawks’ goal is not so much to win this season as it is to foster development and instill a positive culture.
That said, every team wants to get better as they go along. While 36 games are in the books, 46 more matchups remain in the 2023-24 campaign. Here’s a look at some resolutions for the Blackhawks as they enter 2024.
A Healthy Team!
Every team gets hit with the injury bug at one point or another, but the Blackhawks have been hit extra hard lately. They already have a squad lacking in talent, so losing some key players has been especially difficult.
Andreas Athanasiou, who was the Blackhawks’ top scorer last season, has been dealing with a groin injury and has been out since Nov. 9. Then the team lost Taylor Hall to a season-ending ACL injury right around Thanksgiving. This was about the same time the Blackhawks took extreme action to an incident involving Corey Perry. After an internal investigation, Perry’s contract was terminated due to unacceptable conduct.
The speedy Athanasiou leaves a big hole in the forward lineup. Hall and Perry were both veteran players that were brought in by the Blackhawks to help their young players along, teaching them how to handle being a professional in the NHL. Needless to say, all three of these losses were a huge blow.
But the misfortune didn’t stop there. Defenseman Seth Jones and depth forward Joey Anderson have been on injured reserve since mid-December, both with left-shoulder injuries. Taylor Raddysh was put on IR on for a groin injury on Dec. 30, and Tyler Johnson is now the latest player out (Dec. 31). Furthermore, defensemen Jarred Tinordi (concussion), Alex Vlasic (upper body) and Kevin Korchinski (death of his father) have all missed time.
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The good news is the latter three have returned to the lineup, and forward Colin Blackwell rejoined the Blackhawks on Dec. 19 after being out with a sports hernia since last February. Obviously, hopes are high that Jones, Anderson, Raddysh and Johnson can return sooner than later, and the Blackhawks’ injury woes are mostly behind them.
Get the Most Out of Lukas Reichel
It’s obvious Bedard is on the right track; he’s leading the team in goals (15), assists (18) and points (33). He’s on pace to finish the season with 75 points, and is currently a shoo-in for the best rookie in the NHL and the recipient of the Calder Trophy.
But the Blackhawks’ 17th overall pick in the 2020 draft, Lukas Reichel, was supposed to be Bedard’s partner in crime. The Blackhawks eased Reichel into NHL action by playing him mostly with the Rockford IceHogs the last two seasons. But this season they felt he was ready to be a successful NHLer.
So far, it hasn’t worked out that way. Reichel’s only registered three goals and eight points, and is struggling mightily with his confidence. He started the 2023-24 campaign as the team’s second line center. After 20+ games, it was obvious the German native was in over his skates at the center position. He was then moved to the wing, but that didn’t seem to work either. On Dec. 3, head coach Luke Richardson sent a message he wanted more out of Reichel by making him a healthy scratch.
When he returned, Reichel was deployed on the fourth line. While he’s been given stints on the first and second lines, he’s mostly remained on the fourth line ever since. Richardson is playing the tough love game with him.
He’s got to use his speed and hold on to that puck and make some action happen when he’s on the ice. There’s just been times where he’s lost confidence and he doesn’t want to skate with that puck, and he want to pass it off to somebody else. We need him to take charge a little more.
(from ‘Blackhawks’ Lukas Reichel losing ice time but not hope as season-long slump drags on’, The AthleticCHI – 12/29/23)
Richardson also speaks about sticking with him, and Reichel’s actually played better the last few games, as well as spending time on the second line. It would behoove the Blackhawks for Reichel to find his groove, considering his draft pedigree and the fact that he’s still only 21-years-old. Hopefully, as the rest of the season evolves, Reichel can look back on this slump and realize it actually made him better in the long-run.
Continue to Develop the Young Defensive Corps
This is already a bright spot for the Blackhawks. They started the season with Vlasic, Korchinski and Wyatt Kaiser making the team out of training camp. Kaiser’s been up and down between Rockford and the big club, but Vlasic is currently the de facto top defenseman with Jones out, and Korchinski has two goals to his name (the most of all defensemen) and is more than holding his own in second and third pairing deployment.
Meanwhile, Isaak Phillips has seen 20 games of action (five assists) and Louis Crevier 12 games (three assists). With very little NHL experience, these youngsters are taking on top-level competition. Sure, there’s mistakes, but overall overall they’re doing a pretty good job of it!
Keep the learning and growing going! By the end of this season the defensive corps will have developed in leaps and bounds. Regarding defensive development, the Blackhawks are on the right track.
Better Power Play for the Blackhawks
The Blackhawks have struggled with the power play all season long. They’re currently ranked 26th in the league, with a 13.4% conversion rate. To these players’ credit, T. Johnson, Nick Foligno and Philipp Kurashev currently lead the team with three power play goals apiece, and Bedard has the most PP points, at eight. Nevertheless, it’s been an ongoing bone of contention why the Blackhawks can’t be more successful in this area.
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They’ve tried all kinds of different things, including utilizing five forwards and having different players in the bumper and net-front-presence roles. Reichel and Raddysh have moved back and forth from the first and second units, and they’ve experimented with different players manning the point. With Jones out, Korchinski (1st unit) and Vlasic (2nd unit) are currently serving as the quarterbacks of the power play.
Veteran T. Johnson put it best last month,
When you’re on the PP, you have to be moving, you have to have some speed, you have to be making those decisions quickly. It’s not holding onto the puck and trying to do something just by yourself. You have an extra guy, you have to use that to your advantage and we’re not doing that…
We all want to be better and we all want it to be perfect. We’re all competitive and we’re all trying, it’s just at times we need to relax and actually just kind of come together. That’s only the way you get through stuff like that. It’s not one person, it’s all five guys on the ice. We all have to be working together.
To their credit, in December the Blackhawks scored eight PP goals on 44 tries, which translates to 18%. It’s a slight improvement but it needs to get better. Scoring on the man advantage is often the difference between winning and losing. This should be a goal in 2024.
Win More Games!
As mentioned above, the Blackhawks have only won 11-of-36 games this season. While upper management translates a losing season to another high draft pick, it’s hard on the players, coaches and the fans to endure so much losing. Eventually getting motivated for matchups becomes more and more difficult, and its human nature to become complacent.
Winning helps everyone feel good and like they’re headed in the right direction. It validates the fact that growth and improvement is being made. Let’s face it; the Blackhawks aren’t going to go on this miraculous winning streak and make the playoffs, or even finish in the dreaded middle of the pack.
It’s safe to say the Hawks will still be at the bottom of the league once it’s all said and done. They already have one of the strongest prospect pipelines in the NHL. I don’t think more wins is going to hurt anyone. Instead, it will improve morale and give the team a chance to end the season on a high note.
Obviously, scoring more goals has a direct correlation with winning games. Fun fact; the Blackhawks have scored four or more goals nine times this season, with seven of them resulting in wins. It goes without saying that finding the back of the net more often will be advantageous. The Blackhawks should focus on building their chemistry, playing loose but smart, and capitalizing on all their opportunities.
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That, combined with the above-mentioned goals, should provide the necessary stepping stones for a productive 2024 for the Blackhawks. What do you think Blackhawks fans?! Do you agree with my resolutions? What New Year’s resolutions would you assign to the team?
Here’s to a productive and successful second half of the season for the Blackhawks!
