Blackhawks' struggles could put them in position to draft Gavin McKenna

The Chicago Blackhawks find themselves in familiar territory, sitting last in the NHL standings this season and struggling to string together wins without their top two forwards, Connor Bedard and Frank Nazar, who are sidelined with injuries.

Bedard leads the Blackhawks with 44 points (19 goals, 25 assists) in 31 games this season and was placed on injured reserve with an upper-body injury that will keep him out until January. He was injured in the final seconds of Chicago's 3-2 loss to the St. Louis Blues on Dec. 12 when Blues captain Brayden Schenn cross-checked Bedard down to the ice, with Bedard clutching his left shoulder.

Losing Bedard leaves a significant gap in Chicago's offense, particularly at 5-on-5 play, where elite forwards generate the majority of scoring chances.

Nazar, another key young forward, is also out after taking a puck to the face in the Blackhawks' 6-4 loss to the Senators on Dec. 20. He is expected to miss about four weeks.

Nazar had 21 points (six goals, 15 assists) in 33 games this season, recently snapping a 20-game goalless drought in a game against the Montreal Canadiens before his injury.

The Blackhawks have now lost six straight games, including a 3-1 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers before the Christmas break. Their record sits at 13-17-6 with 32 points, leaving them at the bottom of the standings.

Team Stats this Year

Chicago's scoring and defensive numbers have struggled since the injuries to Bedard and Nazar:

• The Blackhawks rank 26th in the league with 2.75 goals per game this season.

• Chicago has scored 99 goals this season. Bedard and Nazar have 25 goals combined - 19 from Bedard and six from Nazar. That means together they've scored roughly 25% of the team's total (25 ÷ 99 x 100 = 25.25%. Put 25.25% into a whole number, that is 25%), leaving a significant gap in the Blackahwks' offense when both are out.

• In 36 games this season, Chicago has allowed 112 goals. That is just an average of 3.11 goals per game, (112 ÷ 36 = 3.111 = 3.11) highlighting struggles on the defensive side.

2026 Draft Lottery Odds

With the Blackhawks playing this poorly, it could affect their odds to draft Gavin McKenna, who is projected to go first overall in the 2026 NHL Draft. McKenna is a standout player out of Penn State and is widely regarded as one of the top prospects in the class.

The story becomes even more intriguing if the Blackhawks land him. McKenna is Bedard's cousin and grew up as a Blackhawks fan.

Adding McKenna - an offensively gifted center - to a core featuring Bedard and Nazar could give Chicago one of the league's most dangerous young forward trios. That line would make them a formidable force in the future.

What to watch moving forward

It will be interesting to see how the Blackhawks perform when Bedard and Nazar return.

A couple of things to watch for the Blackhawks going forward:

• How will the Blackhawks look with Bedard and Nazar back in the lineup?

• Where the Blackhawks will be at in the standings at the end of the season?

• Where the Blackhawks will be in the draft lottery odds?

The Blackhawks' next game is against the Dallas Stars on Saturday for a Central Division showdown. Puck drop is at 7 p.m. on CHSN (in-market) and ESPN+ (out-of-market). Fans can also listen on WGN Radio 720.