The Chicago Blackhawks came in last place in the NHL's Central Division in 2025-26. They had an 11-point improvement from the year prior, but their division is the best in the league. On Thursday night, Central Division rival Minnesota Wild and Dallas Stars played the sixth game of their first-round series. Going in, the series was the story of one team (Minnesota) dominating at 5-on-5, and the other (Dallas) owning the special teams battle. This had the Wild up 3-2 in the series with a chance to clinch at home. It was a back-and-forth affair throughout the first two and a half periods until Quinn Hughes gave the Wild a 3-2 lead at 10:38 of the final frame. The Wild added two empty net goals and won 5-2. This earned them their first series win in 11 years. The Wild will move on to play the Presidents' Trophy-winning Colorado Avalanche, another Central Division squad. These three teams, Colorado, Dallas, and Minnesota, were all top 8 NHL teams, but one had to be eliminated after one round because of the playoff format. The truth of the matter is that the Blackhawks are nowhere near these teams as currently constructed. Watching the way the Wild dominated even-strength play against the Stars, who are still an elite team, showed just how far away the Blackhawks are. Add in the Avalanche, and it makes it even bleaker. Even the Utah Mammoth, which made the playoffs out of the Central Division through the Wild Card, is way ahead of Chicago. Utah is down 3-2 in their series to the Vegas Golden Knights, but they have shown tremendous fight against a veteran team with Stanley Cup pedigree. The series is still far from over. Could a couple of wise moves get the Blackhawks on par with teams like the St. Louis Blues, Nashville Predators, or Winnipeg Jets? It's possible, but those teams are always looking to improve as well. When it comes to competing with teams like the top three in the Central, the Blackhawks need a number one defenseman in the neighborhood of Cale Makar, Quinn Hughes, and Miro Heiskanen, and those guys don't grow on trees. Connor Bedard could become a superstar of the highest level, and his supporting cast is only going to get better, but there is a ton of development needed there. Not only are these the teams that the Blackhawks need to jump in the standings if they want to become a winner again, but they are also the ones they will see as opponents on the ice most often. The sport of hockey is in for a treat with this second-round series between the Wild and Avalanche. Colorado has been on a second-round collision course with one of Dallas or Minnesota since American Thanksgiving, and it's finally here. What is the solution for the Blackhawks team trying to get to this level? Stay the course. Keep developing their young players, adding talent to the NHL roster when they are ready, and be ready to jump on a big trade or free agency signing when the time is right. As of now, Chicago's biggest strengths are its farm system, its cap space, and its development success. As the years go on, it will all come together, and they will slowly but surely start competing with these teams. They just aren't there yet, and these teams are showing why as they go through the Stanley Cup playoffs. Image [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/a93e399e-0da4-4711-b660-20f523521eeb.jpeg] Visit The Hockey News Chicago Blackhawks [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/chicago-blackhawks/] team site to stay updated on the latest news [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/nashville-predators/latest-newshttps://thehockeynews.com/nhl/chicago-blackhawks/latest-news], game-day [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/nashville-predators/game-dayhttps://thehockeynews.com/nhl/chicago-blackhawks/game-day] coverage, player features [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/nashville-predators/playershttps://thehockeynews.com/nhl/chicago-blackhawks/players], and more. For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free [https://thehockeynews.store/products/print-subscription]. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here [http://eepurl.com/i7OC4I]. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
