Post-Mortem: Chicago Blackhawks Show Promise In The Basement

For the sixth straight season, the Chicago Blackhawks will miss the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Chicago was officially eliminated from post-season contention after its 3-1 loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday.

The Blackhawks become the second Western Conference team to be eliminated from playoff contention, along with the Vancouver Canucks, and are currently second-last in the NHL standings.

Though Blackhawks fans would be disappointed with the way the season has gone and how far down the standings they are, it wasn't all bad this year.

While it seems like it'll be the fourth-straight year in which the Blackhawks finish at the bottom of the Central Division, the path to getting there was a bit different this time around compared to the past.

There was a lot more positivity surrounding the Hawks despite a losing season. Looking back to the earlier stages of the campaign, Chicago was actually in the playoff mix and performing relatively well, with multiple players stepping up.

In the first three months, star center Connor Bedard reached new heights after what was considered a disappointing sophomore campaign last year.

On Dec. 12, 31 games into the season, Bedard was tied for third in NHL scoring with 19 goals and 44 points, along with San Jose Sharks star Macklin Celebrini.

Bedard was truly blossoming into the Hart Trophy candidate he was expected to be when he came into the NHL a few years ago.

Just when Bedard was setting the league alight, he suffered a shoulder injury off a faceoff in the final second of a 3-2 loss to the St. Louis Blues on Dec. 12.

Sure enough, the last time the Blackhawks were in a playoff spot was on Dec. 10. And once Bedard was injured, Chicago struggled mightily.

For the rest of December, including the game in which Bedard got hurt, the Hawks lost eight of the next nine games, and the one victory was in a shootout.

Whether or not the Blackhawks were able to maintain their playoff hunt if Bedard had never gotten hurt, this was the turning point in Chicago's season.

However, this is a sign of a positive shift in the Blackhawks organization and for what's to come, knowing that their best player can lead the way at an elite level and hang with some of the league's best. 

Speaking of proving to be some of the league's best, goaltender Spencer Knight was another bright spot for the team.

In terms of the career-high 51 games he's played for Chicago this season and his .908 save percentage, 2.71 goals-against average and 18.8 goals saved above expected, this has been the best campaign of Knight's young career.

In a sport where it is so critical to have an elite goaltender if a team wants to be competitive and taken seriously, Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson got this one spot-on, acquiring Knight and a 2026 first-round pick from the Florida Panthers for Seth Jones.

Knight, 24, still has many years to reach his peak form.

That matches the theme of young players sprinkled around Chicago's roster, including Bedard, Frank Nazar, Artyom Levshunov, Anton Frondell, Sam Rinzel and likely another youngster coming in the upcoming NHL draft.

Not only will the Blackhawks have a high draft pick from hanging around the bottom of the standings, but they could also get another after trading Jones to the Florida Panthers.

However, Florida's pick must slot in outside of the top 10 in order for Chicago to receive that pick. If not, the Blackhawks will receive the Panthers' 2027 first-rounder instead.

Bedard, meanwhile, is a pending RFA. He will get a massive raise, especially considering his cap hit is $950,000 in the final season of his entry-level contract. The goal will be to sign him for as long as possible at a high enough salary to keep him happy and avoid a stalemate.

Another pending RFA is Kevin Korchinski, who was drafted seventh overall in 2022. He was a full-time NHL player in his rookie campaign but has spent most of the past two seasons in the AHL. The defenseman has less leverage than Bedard, so he would benefit from signing a short-term, prove-it deal.

It's still a project in Chicago, but you can see the pieces coming together, surrounding Bedard and the other stars the team has in place.

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