Chicago Blackhawks take step in right direction by addressing team status

The Chicago Blackhawks took a step in the right direction yesterday when they sent out an open letter to their fans, announcing the team’s direction. While it might have been long overdue, a rebuild is the best for the Blackhawks.

Stan Bowman appeared on multiple podcasts and took interviews with top journalists covering the Chicago Blackhawks. If you have time, check all of their hard work out because they all did their best at getting the answers fans have been looking for since the team drastically changed.

During my time the past few months interacting and engaging with Blackhawks fans, I can say one thing everyone agrees on. Everyone is upset with how fast the Chicago Blackhawks fell from championship-caliber in 2015 to the bottom of the division by 2018. Fans have been divided about who is to blame, but the attention has pretty much turned to just Stan Bowman for a while.

Watching a top team like the Blackhawks fall hurts, especially when the connection of Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Duncan Keith, and Brent Seabrook are still there. This is still the Toews and Kane era of the Chicago Blackhawks. It is just a drastically different group around them.

So with the usual expectation that the Blackhawks breathe success in this league and constantly push for the top, it was nice to see them finally address the team’s direction in a message from the Chicago Blackhawks.

For better or worse, this is what fans have been calling for recently. I have wanted to see the Blackhawks be a little more transparent with their roster’s direction and the goals for them moving forward. As upsetting as the Crawford free agency decision and Saad trade was, I was more frustrated that those moves just did not fit in with this organization’s overall direction for the past decade.

More from Blackhawk Up

• Blackhawks: Three Noticeable Improvements in Comeback Win vs Blues
• Blackhawks: Key Takeaways from 3-2 win over the Blues
• Blackhawks: Grading Connor Murphy and a position comparison
• Blackhawks: Shuffling the lines to try and spark offense at 5 on 5
• These Lineup Changes could Solve the Blackhawks’ Scoring Problem

Stan Bowman is not in the clear yet. Look at the replies on the Blackhawks’ message, and the picture is pretty clear about who fans think is to blame for the Blackhawks falling. While Bowman is, in part, the issue, can we not also agree that winning three championships and constantly buying at the deadline comes at a price?

Stan Bowman and the Chicago Blackhawks took a step in the right direction yesterday. For now, I am ready to sit back and let Bowman do his best at building the next championship roster in Chicago. Because even if the Blackhawks do pass on Bowman eventually, it will only extend the Blackhawks rebuild way past the careers of Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane.

Keep in mind, just because Chicago finally said the word rebuild does not mean this team will not be fun to watch. Watching prospects develop and hopefully become NHL players offers an interesting buzz for the city of Chicago, and the goaltending situation is going to be interesting to watch night in and night out as Chicago looks to find their next Corey Crawford.

Corey Crawford was not always a lock for the Blackhawks, even he was a rookie at one time. He eventually had to break into the league and make a name for himself. Now the opportunity is available for one of the Blackhawks three netminders to fill his shoes, at least temporarily till Drew Commesso is ready to go.

I know that the message the Blackhawks sent out yesterday was not music to anyone’s ears. But it was a step in the right direction!