2 players the Blackhawks wish they had back this season

The Blackhawks, or at least their fans, may long for 2010s nostalgia - and it’s so strange to have just said that. Yeah, 2010s nostalgia is a thing these days, since it harkens to a time when the Hawks were the talk of the town for virtually the entire decade. Then, the 2020s happened and the Hawks haven’t been relevant since the turn of the decade. 

Not that they didn’t get rid of all their great players when the decade began, but somewhere along the line, they lost their spirit. So, let’s talk about two players who, if they suited up for the Hawks this past season, may have at least made the team look somewhat watchable. No guarantees, considering what we’ve seen, but watchable is better than what we’ve seen for years. 

So, who are these players? You may know their names since they’re still well-known throughout the NHL. Oh, and I’ll give you a hint: They’re currently teammates, or at least that was the case last season. 

And they weren’t entirely “a long way from Chicago.” Sorry, but I never miss a chance to pay tribute to one of Richard Peck’s greatest books. It wouldn’t have been “a season of gifts,” even if the Seth Jones trade might’ve, had these two stuck around the Windy City. But wow, at least the team wouldn’t have been so painful to watch. 

Patrick Kane

This would’ve been that storybook, genre fiction, passing of the torch moment from Patrick Kane to Connor Bedard. While Kane has about as much interest in playing for the Blackhawks these days as the team does landing in the Central Division’s cellar year after year, it doesn’t mean the rebuilding Hawks wouldn’t want one of their greatest players in franchise history back. 

Kane would oversee a transition of youngsters and, since he can still play top-six minutes at a high level, as shown in Detroit, he wouldn’t be taking up space. Even heading into his age-37 season, he’d provide strong veteran vibes for a team that needs one of the remnants of the dynasty that was from back in the 2010s.

Alex DeBrincat

Yep, another Blackhawk-turned-Red Wing, Alex DeBrincat is young enough to fit the Hawks rebuilding mold. While I highly doubt he’d have threatened 40 goals with this Blackhawks team, could you imagine what he’d be doing for Connor Bedard right now?

Would Bedard have faced so much criticism this past season with him and DeBrincat feeding one another the puck? Bedard would’ve hit 75 points, guaranteed, and that’s at the low end. Plus, as opposed to the eyesore fans have been forced to watch these past few seasons, a line forged with DeBrincat and Bedard would’ve given fans something. 

No, the Hawks wouldn’t have made the playoffs, and they probably wouldn’t have been serious contenders this season. But, I would’ve likened them to have finished the year with somewhere between 77 and 79 points if they had DeBrincat on the ice and on the same line as Bedard.

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