Blackhawks' new core is coming together faster than you think

The Chicago Blackhawks could be in for a harsh reality check on October 7th when they travel to Sunrise, Florida, and face the Panthers. It's a classic case of an up-and-coming core vs. a group that just won back-to-back Stanley Cups, and the matchup doesn't even seem fair.

Yesterday, I talked about how this one should be an opportunity for the young, inexperienced Blackhawks. And one reason I can see an upset brewing is becasue of how much further along their core will be in 2025-26.

No, it doesn't look like it on paper, especially after the Hawks were barely any better last season than they were in 2023-24. And that could set the stage for fans to have absolutely zero faith in the core until it proves it can play.

But let's back it up for a second. You got Connor Bedard and Frank Nazar already playing in Chicago, with Alex Vlasic, Artyom Levshunov, Sam Rinzel, and Nolan Allen under contract over on the blue line. Every player mentioned above should be full-timers this season, and that number can grow if forward Lukas Reichel finally figures things out.

Chicago Blackhawks may be bleak again in 2025-26, but the core should soothe some wounds

No, things don't look like they're pointing north for the Hawks, but four of your projected six blueliners that would also include Connor Murphy leading the way may be set. I also wouldn't rule out Kevin Korchinski, who could easily land a spot on the big club this season.

That makes it five Blackhawks players on the blue line who could mesh, and yeah, I know I've left Wyatt Kaiser and Louis Crevier off the list. There's also Ethan Del Mastro, so there are so many options right now among the youngsters, that someone's playing in Rockford.

Oh, and you got Spencer Knight and Arvid Soderblom in the net. At the time of this writing, Soderblom hasn't re-signed, but the restricted free agent played well enough to return to the Windy City as the 1B or No. 2 guy behind Knight.

Beef up the forwards group and the Blackhawks core will learn a lot

We don't have to talk about youngsters exclusively, with Teuvo Teravainen and Tyler Bertuzzi heading into their second season with the Hawks, with Ryan Donato providing a much-needed veteran presence who you can now consider part of this core, too.

As the season progresses, especially if the Blackhawks lose, it wouldn't surprise me if they made a few call-ups earlier in the campaign from Rockford to give guys in the forward group more time to mesh. But to be honest, I can also see the team already in Chicago playing not great, but better-than-expected hockey.

And many of them will be players who figure to stay in Chicago for the long haul. The puzzle pieces are definitely there and there are far more of them at the NHL level than we realize. Now, it's all about winning or learning. While there may be more learning again this season, expect these younger Hawks to learn a little more quickly.

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