Why the Chicago Blackhawks rebuild is needed and still frustrating

It has been a long time coming, but it looks like the Chicago Blackhawks are finally entering into some form of a rebuild. 

The Chicago Blackhawks need a rebuild. Look at teams like the New York Rangers that are now back on the rise after trading away their star players just a few years ago and constantly bringing in young assets and draft picks. It certainly helped the Rangers added Artemi Panarin and two top three draft picks, but the story’s moral is their future is looking bright now.

Chicago could have blown up their team after losing to the Predators. After getting swept in the first round back in 2017, Stan Bowman could have pulled a Jerry Krause to help put the team into a new direction and look to the future in five or six years.

Bowman didn’t really do too much, and his moves only made the roster more mediocre. After getting swept, Bowman brought in players like Brandon Saad, Connor Murphy, Patrick Sharp, and Chris Kunitz. Not that many game-changers were added to the roster, and the team was mediocre because of it, not able to make the playoffs for the first time since winning all of their championships in the 2010s.

The Blackhawks entering their rebuild right now is frustrating. They have not made the playoffs since 2017, discluding this year’s 24 team extravaganza, and have gone through so many changes in the past three years, yet our rebuild is looking like it is finally beginning now. I only thought Chicago would rebuild after Stan Bowman was fired, yet he looks to be pretty safe.

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Bowman has had so many scapegoats the past few years; it is truly crazy. First, it was the Corey Crawford injury that explained the Blackhawks’ poor results, next it was Joel Quenneville being the head coach that explained why the team struggled, and a few months ago, it was John McDonough that needed replacing.

While I am sure McDonough would not have been happy with a Blackhawks rebuild, Bowman was the one making decisions as the general manager. Bowman could have been proactive, and we could only have a year or two left of a rebuild, but now we are entering what could be a few seasons of bad hockey.

I believe Stan Bowman wants to strip this team down and rebuild it piece by piece. While the Blackhawks core group of Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Duncan Keith, and Brent Seabrook are in control of their own destiny with no-movement clauses, everyone else is pretty much on the table for trades.

I am frustrated. While I am happy to maybe see a Blackhawks rebuild finally be upon us, it is just too little too late. Plus, Bowman’s moves to trade Brandon Saad did not even add any prospects or draft picks.

Chicago added two 25-year-old defensemen in their trade yesterday. While Nikita Zadorov does have some upside and can be a great defenseman for the team in the top 4, that move does not really trigger a rebuild and does not help clear room for the youth like passing on Crawford did.

Settle in Blackhawks fans, because this is going to get worse before it gets better. Bowman can not be done making moves, and we still have Dylan Strome un-signed at this time.