Blackhawks schedule reveal includes 3 early chances to put the league on notice

Alright, the Chicago Blackhawks 2025-26 schedule is out and it's got some awesome early-season opportunities if you know where to look. And yeah, I'm completely aware that some will look at this early schedule and say, "the Hawks don't got a chance."

Okay, that's fair. They haven't given us much of a reason to have faith in them over the past couple of seasons, so you're justified there. But it's also a team with one more season worth of experience playing alongside one another than was the case this time last year.

And it's an intangible that doesn't show up on paper. So, if you'll excuse me, I'll call the following early-season challenges opportunities.

1 - Opportunity to upset the Florida Panthers on opening night

You might remember me talking about this one a couple of days back. Yeah, it's rather straightforward and it's almost like the Panthers are meant to celebrate the beginning of their title defense against what everyone thinks is a weak hockey team.

But it can also be a trap game, and that's what the Blackhawks hope to get out of it. Should the Hawks force the Panthers to play catch-up early in the contest, it could have upset written all over it, and every Hawks fan in and even "a long way from Chicago" will be just fine with that.

2 - Early-season road trip to the West Coast

Yeah, between November 1st and November 7th, the Hawks travel to the West Coast to face the Edmonton Oilers, Seattle Kraken, Vancouver Canucks, and Calgary Flames. Oh, and before that trip, they'll play the Presidents' Trophy-winning Winnipeg Jets.

That's a road trip that'll give the Hawks a decent measuring stick to judge where they're at. For one, heading to the West Coast from the Central time zone is never easy. And for another, Seattle, Vancouver, and Calgary are all beatable.

Edmonton won't be so easy, but not everything's going to be all clear-cut this season anyway. Heck, Hawks fans know that heading into 2025-26.

3 - A home-opener against a team that was in an oddly familiar spot last season

If the Blackhawks want any reassurance that the 2025-26 season will be a better one than 2024-25, they can look no further than who they're playing in the home opener. Yeah, the Montreal Canadiens will be flying into Chicago, a team that, just one season removed from a surprised breakout, is fooling nobody this year.

While the Habs showed the Hawks last season just how quickly a team's narrative can change, the Hawks can also dish out some harsh reality on the Habs if they're interested in starting their 2025-26 home schedule off correctly.

In a perfect world, the Hawks will kick off their 100th anniversary with a win in their road opener against the Panthers and home opener vs. the Canadiens. And that would, even if it's early, send shockwaves throughout the league.

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