How The Chicago Blackhawks Are Experiencing The Worst-Case Scenario

The Chicago Blackhawks came into this season with one base-level goal: to be competitive in a way the franchise simply hasn’t been since 2019-20 – the last season they made it to the Stanley Cup playoffs.

The Blackhawks were always going to be up against it making the post-season in the Central Division, but they needed to at least show a modicum of improvement to demonstrate they were on the right track back to relevance.

Unfortunately, the Hawks have come out of the gate losing 14 of 18 games – including 13 in regulation. Chicago is the NHL's second-worst team, and they’re well on their way to finishing in eighth place in the Central for the fifth consecutive season.

They hit a new low on Saturday, getting dismantled by the Carolina Hurricanes in a 9-2 embarrassment. The Hurricanes are at one end of the competitive spectrum, and the Blackhawks are at the other end – and the loss was so devastating that the Hawks called a players-only meeting after the game.

In sum, it’s been a worst-case scenario for a team that could least afford to have one. And it isn’t just that the Blackhawks are losing – it’s how disheartening the losing is for Chicago’s young players who are supposed to be forming the core for this organization for the next decade or longer.

In Saturday’s loss, defensemen Wyatt Kaiser and Artyom Levshunov each finished with a minus-six rating. And forwards Oliver Moore and Frank Nazar each had a minus-four rating. That has to sap any confidence those youngsters might’ve had to start the season, and there appears to be no end in sight for their misery.

A Sportsnet report on Saturday indicated the Blackhawks are looking to be extremely active on the trade front, with their five first-round draft picks in the next three seasons, their prospects and veterans including Teuvo Teravainen and Jordan Greenway potentially up for grabs.

But does anyone see a solution on the horizon for what ails this Hawks squad? It’s not even December, and it feels like the season is already a lost cause for Chicago. 

Indeed, it would take a major miracle to salvage their season, and even if the Blackhawks did make coaching or management changes, there would still be a long stretch of losing before they even came close to turning a corner for the better. But the really ugly truth could be that, for all the top draft picks the Hawks have had in recent years, their young players are simply not panning out as projected. And that could be the most devastating fact of all. 

Chicago has finished 31st overall in each of the last three years. Four years ago, they finished 30th overall, and they’re tracking to finish 31st again this year.

None of this is happening by accident. None of these performances are an anomaly. That’s what’s so alarming about this Blackhawks team.

Yes, they have a superstar in Connor Bedard. And some of their youngsters could eventually evolve into difference-makers. But they’ve never felt further away from being relevant than they are at this moment. 

We haven’t mentioned Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson and coach Jeff Blashill, and they bear responsibility for where Chicago currently is in the standings. However, at some point, blame has to be assigned to the players on the ice. There are too many squandered opportunities and too few success stories, and we’re now seeing the result of all those massive flops. 

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