When Will The Blackhawks Contend Again?

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Joshua Deeds
April 7, 2024 (5:57 PM)

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The Chicago Blackhawks rebuild moves forward in the offseason and with the building blocks in place, the fans have something to be excited for next season.

Hawks faithful might have the same feeling as they did during the 2006-2008 season, which led to a Blackhawks dynasty afterward.

The following generational talents were drafted Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, likewise with Connor Bedard, and Lukas Reichel. They also drafted Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook, who could be compared to Sam Rinzel, Kevin Korchinski, and Alex Vlasic.

This season, albeit rough has the building blocks of a playoff team, are nowhere near as competitive as they need to be this season. with a 23-48-5 record and 51 points, nowhere near a Wild Card team.

However with next season upon us, and hopefully a healthy Taylor Hall on the way back, and with Korchinski, Bedard, and Reichel maturing the team's prospects for the post-season should be looking brighter.

The team always has a chance to win with Connor Bedard in the lineup and with other young Blackhawks gaining their confidence along the way, their record could improve significantly.

In 62 games played, Connor Bedard has 59 points(22 G, 37 A) and if he had played the entire month he missed would the playoff conversation be different? Maybe.

But for the Blackhawks they need scoring by committee, a defense led by Vlasic and Korchinski to keep the crease clear and break out, to keep the offense pumping and stay in the other team's zone.

We believe the Blackhawks could be a 90-point team in the 2025-2026 season, once the chemistry is taking hold, the rookies play to their potential and depth players like Jason Dickinson, Nick Foligno and Connor Murphy hold the young core together like glue.