THN's series breaking down Dallas' relationship with Central Division teams ends with this look at the Chicago Blackhawks -- a team far behind the Stars in their competitive cycle.
The Dallas Stars won the Central Division in 2023-24, and they’re likely to be the best team in the division once again this coming year. But they’re going to be facing notably different Central teams – and that’s what this THN.com series is focused on, as we compare and contrast the Stars to their Central rivals.
Last Tuesday, we started the Central Division series by focusing on the Winnipeg Jets; Wednesday, we analyzed the Colorado Avalanche; Thursday, we turned our attention to the Nashville Predators; Friday, we put the spotlight on the St. Louis Blues; Saturday, we went in-depth regarding the Minnesota Wild; Sunday, we broke down the former Arizona Coyotes, now the Utah Hockey Club; and today, we’re wrapping things up by looking at the Chicago Blackhawks.
DALLAS’ 2023-24 RECORD: 52-21-9
CHICAGO’S 2023-24 RECORD: 23-53-6
DALLAS’ REGULAR-SEASON RECORD AGAINST CHICAGO IN 2023-24: 3-1-0
HOW THE STARS STACK UP AGAINST THE BLACKHAWKS IN 2024-25: The Stars more or less throttled the Hawks last season, outsourcing them 16-6 in the three regular-season games Dallas won before the Stars dropped the final game to Chicago in early April. The Blackhawks turned out to be the second-worst team in the league, better only than San Jose.
However, this summer, Hawks GM Kyle Davidson added a slew of veterans to his group, including Teuvo Teravainen, Tyler Bertuzzi, Ilya Mikheyev, T.J. Brodie. Alec Martinez and Laurent Brossoit. That should make Chicago an improved team, but absent some miracle, they’re not going to be a playoff team this coming year.
Dallas will square off against the Blackhawks twice in their first dozen games of the regular season this year, and then for a third time in late-November before finishing off their series two days before New Year’s Eve. By the end of the season – when Chicago will likely have moved on from some veterans at the trade deadline – the Hawks team the Stars faced off against in the first half of the year will look notably different. But the acclimation period they’re going to endure in 2024-25 will ensure Chicago stays out of the playoff picture.
With superstar Conor Bedard and other young elite talents in tow, the Blackhawks are going to be a team to reckon with down the line. But at present, they don’t have the high-end depth to seriously challenge Dallas in the next season or two. The Stars are at a more advanced place in their competitive cycle right now, and Chicago is going to have to be patient before they return to their glory years under Kane and captain Jonathan Toews and once again become a true rival to the Stars in the Central and Western Conference.
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