Blackhawks’ season has been much better than most believe

The Chicago Blackhawks are heading towards another playoff miss. In fact, the Hawks seem on track for yet another top-five NHL Draft Lottery pick.

But that doesn’t mean this season has been a failure for Chicago. In fact, this season has been much better than most would believe.

On the whole, the season has shown significant bright spots. The goaltending has been consistent. The scoring has been there for most of the season, too. While the defense hasn’t always been reliable, the overall product has been encouraging.

There was a time earlier this season when the Blackhawks looked like a playoff team. They were winning tough hockey games on the strength of good goaltending, decent defending, and some timely scoring.

You could argue that the injury to Connor Bedard in December pretty much derailed the Blackhawks’ season. But it was much more than that. Injuries played a role, yes. But the overall condensed season schedule, and inexperience across the board leads to this type of outcome.

But just because the Blackhawks are heading towards another Lottery pick doesn’t mean the foundation isn’t there for what could be a tremendous year-to-year jump. Fans should look to the San Jose Sharks to see where the Blackhawks are heading.

Blackhawks trending in similar direction as Sharks

Last season, the Sharks had a historically bad season, even for their standards. The club was totally dysfunctional, winning a total of 20 games.

This season, however, the transformation has been stunning in San Jose. While they’re hardly the league’s best team, they’re in the playoff chase in the Western Conference. The Sharks are within striking distance of a playoff spot, even this late in the season.

That’s the path the Blackhawks seem to be on. They’re a young team that just needs a couple of more seasons to really find their footing. With even more high-end prospects graduating to the NHL, the influx of talent is just remarkable.

That’s why the Blackhawks could bring everything together, just like the Sharks did this season. Could that mean that Chicago might be in the playoff picture next season?

It’s possible. The Blackhawks play in the uber-challenging Central Division. At least four teams are ahead of Chicago in the division. But that doesn’t mean they can’t challenge for a playoff spot next season.

It’s been a painful rebuild for the Hawks. But fans’ patience is about to be rewarded. The next dozen games or so will be crucial in setting the foundation for what could be a great 2026-27 season in Chicago.