Blackhawks Q & A: Expectations, prospect talk, traded deadline & more

It’s time for our first Blackhawks Q&A of the regular season. I took to X and Bluesky to see what our awesome readers and followers had on their minds, and you guys didn’t disappoint! I selected a handful of the best questions and provided satisfactory answers.

Expectations for the Rest of the Season

Our first question came from Calvin Herion (@calvin_herion) on X, and it’s one that is on the minds of many Blackhawks fans these days.

“Do you think the current success is sustainable?”

The Blackhawks are currently on pace for 97 points. Do I think that’s where they will finish? Probably not. However, if they can begin to limit the amount of scoring chances given up to take pressure off Spencer Knight and Arvid Soderblom, they could be in the playoff picture for the entire season. Most of us predicted somewhere around 75 points before the season started. Now it feels that finishing with anything below 80 points would be a big disappointment. This team has talent, speed, and most importantly, confidence. Those three elements will keep them in every game this season.

Next, Brad N. (@Skijackz) on X wants to know how the nightly lineup might change as the season progresses.

“How do you think this roster shakes out in the near term when Jason Dickinson is back and Landon Slaggert is ready to come back? Time for 12 forwards and six defensemen?”

Well, Slaggert was already called up, and Dickinson will be back in the lineup Saturday night. Jeff Blashill isn’t using seven defensemen because he doesn’t have enough forwards. He’s using it to help protect his young defensive corps early in the season, and it’s working. Does that mean he’s married to using seven defensemen all season long? Probably not, but with the success he’s had with it early on, it doesn’t make a ton of sense to change it for the sake of changing it. We’ll see as the season progresses and how the lineup shakes out.

Team Physicality & the Trade Deadline

Hockey fans love big hits and physical play. They are two of the biggest allurements to the sport. J14P_ (@PuckKnower98) on X wanted to talk about just how physical the Blackhawks have been.

“Do the Blackhawks need to be more physical - outside of Colton Dach, Nick Foligno, and Louis Crevier?”

Personally, I think the Blackhawks are just fine in the physicality department. They are far more engaged in one-on-one battles this season than they have been in the recent past. They will stick up for one another. The days of being able to take runs and top players and crash the crease without having to answer for it are over. The Blackhawks are ranked 19th in the NHL with 337 hits and 19.51 hits per 60 minutes. Just because you hit a lot doesn’t mean you’re a “physical” team; it just shows that you don’t have the puck a lot. You can be physical without registering a hit on the stat sheet. It’s about getting into lanes, boxing out, and tying up sticks in front of your goaltender, and winning one-on-one battles. The Blackhawks have improved in all those aspects under Blashill.

Seth Crain (@SethCrain) on X is already starting to think about what can be added to this team to keep them in the playoff picture.

“What can the Blackhawks (team and front office) do this season to go from fringe playoff team to legit threat? Not saying contender, but a team that could win a series or two.”

The best way to do that will be improvement from the young guys who are already here. As we know, general manager Kyle Davidson has been very patient, and I don’t see him rushing to make a move just for the sake of making one. He’ll acquire a player that makes sense beyond this season. Hockey seasons are fluid, and plans change, but I don’t see him giving up a ton of assets to make a . I know this is a boring answer, but this is likely the group they will have for the season, minus a handful of prospects who will play at the end of the year.

Prospect Talk

Dan (@danDaMMAman) on X, along with most Blackhawks fans, is excited about two of the top prospects playing in Europe and can’t wait for their arrival.

“Fast forward to April: the Blackhawks squeak into the playoffs. Do they bring Roman Kantserov and Frondell with them to the first round?”

In a perfect world, both Kantserov and Frondell are playing in the NHL this season, whether the Blackhawks make the postseason or not. However, several factors need to go the Blackhawks' way for that to happen. The SHL’s postseason starts in early March. Djurgården IF is currently in a playoff spot. If they go on a deep run, we will likely have to wait until next fall to see him in Chicago. Frondell has signed his entry-level contract, so he can come over as soon as his season in Sweden concludes.

The KHL regular season ends about a week after the SHL’s. Kantserov and Metallurg have the most points in the league and are definitely going to have a playoff run. Even if they are bounced early, Kantserov’s contract runs through the end of May. Yes, the team can be compensated to let him out of it early, but it may not matter if Metallurg continues to play well into the spring.

Finally, we head to Bluesky and this question about contracts from Scott Kennedy (@scottkennedy.bsky.social).

“With so many prospects in the pipeline, it's going to get crowded. When asked about the 50-contract limit issue (last summer?) Davidson said they're monitoring it closely. When does that become an issue, and how big a problem might it be?”

Having too many good players is never a problem. It only forces you to make difficult decisions. It’s being right more often than wrong on those decisions that separate the general managers who win from those constantly updating their resumes. Davidson has been good so far when it comes to knowing the right time to cut bait with players, as we’ve seen with Phillipp Kurashev and Lukas Reichl. But those types of decisions will become far more difficult if the majority of his prospects reach their potential over the next few years.

We have to remember that prospects are also currency. Not all of them will become NHL players. Also, not all of them do make the NHL will do so in Chicago. Davidson will have the cap space and the assets to be a major player on the trade market if he chooses to do so. And with the way free agency has all but dried up, that’s how an elite player will be brought into an organization. These contract situations always seem to work out over time, so I don’t stress over them.

This was a lot of fun. I thoroughly enjoy taking the pulse of the fan base and interacting with readers. Without you guys, I’d have to get a real job, and nobody wants that! We will definitely do more Q&A in the future. Thank you all for reading, clicking, and following. You’re all appreciated.