The Blackhawks are not as far away from contention as people think

Last night provided an absolute cinema game for Chicago Blackhawks fans to watch as the team took a dramatic 3-2 overtime victory versus the Utah Mammoth, courtesy of a Connor Bedard game-winner. This was the third time the Blackhawks have defeated Utah in March, completing the season sweep.

The play of Bedard and Frank Nazar up front has been a key cog in the team's recent stretch of improvement. Chicago appears to have regained the form seen early in the campaign, when they were fighting for a playoff spot. As this season winds down, it may be too late for a postseason push. Nevertheless, it is still encouraging to see this group end the year strong as they look to carry this positive momentum into next season.

The Blackhawks are not far away from playoff contention

Thursday's win was the 25th of the season for the Blackhawks, who currently sit with 61 points. Notably, they have already matched their win/point total from last season. And that is with 17 games still remaining on the calendar.

The Blackhawks quietly sit just seven points out of a wildcard spot that would punch them a ticket to the Stanley Cup playoffs. Chicago has clearly taken a step forward under this new coaching staff led by Jeff Blashill. One wonders where this team would be in the standings had they not lost Bedard and Nazar to injuries for a month each.

Not to mention the fact that the Blackhawks do not even have all their firepower in the arsenal yet. Reinforcements are on the way, with exciting prospects such as Anton Frondell, Roman Kantserov, and more, who will soon join the party. And lest we forget, this team is on target to receive another top pick in a loaded 2026 draft class.

This shows that this team is not as far away from coming out of the rebuild as many media pundits and fans would tend to have you believe. Reports that the San Jose Sharks are miles ahead of Chicago in their retooling have been greatly exaggerated.

It is reasonable to project the Blackhawks returning to the playoffs as soon as next season. This is far from a certainty, as it projects to be among the youngest in the league, so there will probably still be growing pains.

But that assumes the roster we see at the end of this season will look the same at the start of next year. With a plethora of cap space to work with over the summer, it is hard to imagine general manager Kyle Davidson standing pat this time. Now appears to be the time to start adding and accelerate this process in a reasonable manner.

Blackhawks players and management hope this past trade deadline is the last that they have to be sellers for the foreseeable future. Bedard has spoken about his desire to win now rather than years down the line. He will be going into his fourth season, fresh off a long-term contract extension and the captaincy, in all likelihood. 26-27 would be a great time to begin this new era of competitive Blackhawks hockey for him and this group.

This is not to say that a playoff berth next season is an absolute must, or that the rebuild is a failure if the Blackhawks do not feature in next year's postseason dance. But it is fair to expect this team to make another leap forward and be firmly in the race all year. They should be in the thick of the fight down the stretch, playing meaningful games in March/April. That would be a great sign that this team is on the right track in opening their contention window.