The Chicago Blackhawks have had improvements this season and were hurt by some key injuries, but it is a step in the right direction. It was always a longshot for the Blackhawks to make the playoffs this season, even with what Connor Bedard, Frank Nazar, Tyler Bertuzzi, Spencer Knight, and Louis Crevier, five of the standouts, were able to do.
Chicago sits 10 points back of the playoff cut line in the Western Conference with an extra game played and they have lost nine of their last 12 games. It's a team that had a strong start to the season and hung around a bit, but with the Olympic break, there have to be conversations about who to sell and what the team is hopefully going to look like after the trade deadline and next season.
The Anaheim Ducks hold the 8th spot in the West with 63 points. The three teams ahead of the Blackhawks that are still in the playoff race as it stands right now are the Los Angeles Kings (60), Nashville Predators (59), and San Jose Sharks (58).
The Blackhawks are a team that should sell their UFAs, but hold onto players with a little term, such as Teuvo Teravainen and Andre Burakovsky, who each have one year remaining on their contracts after this season.
This means moving players like Ilya Mikheyev, Jason Dickinson, Connor Murphy, Matt Grzelcyk, and Nick Foligno for anything if they can. The Blackhawks have plenty of talent in their system to be called up and be given games down the stretch to get more looks at them.
Players like Ryan Greene, Colton Dach, Landon Slaggert, and Nick Lardis can all be in the NHL and not be alternated into the lineup. Sam Rinzel, Kevin Korchinski, and Ethan Del Mastro can all get better looks too. This is a young team that needs to continue giving the players they drafted and developed chances rather than bringing in more and more veterans. There are enough and that mistake has been made already.
The Blackhawks can have a very productive final stretch of the season if these types of moves are made.
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