Bleacher Report underestimates how frustrated Blackhawks fans really are

The Chicago Blackhawks are caught in a tailspin this season; instead of moving up the standings, the Original Six franchise finds itself in an all-too-familiar spot, at the bottom of the Central Division and near the bottom of the Western Conference. At some point, something will have to give, or the Blackhawks could end up with yet another first- or second-overall pick in the 2027 Draft. This will just frustrate the die-hard fanbase that recently celebrated three Stanley Cup titles in five years.

How frustrated are Chicago fans these days? Well, according to Bleacher Report, they are pretty livid, but surprisingly, not as bad as some franchises. It seems rather odd that the Blackhawks, who have played just one playoff series this decade, albeit during the bubble playoffs in Edmonton, continue to struggle despite having top draft picks scattered throughout the lineup. The club shouldn't be this bad, right?

Bleacher Report ranks Blackhawks' fans among the least frustrated on its list

One of Bleacher Report’s top NHL writers, Adam Gretz, recently wrote up a list of eight frustrated fanbases, ranking the Blackhawks eighth out of eight teams. Now, the seven teams ahead of them have their own reasons why they should be where they are, which is fair, but only the Sabres have a first overall pick in their lineup, just like Chicago.

Moreover, Buffalo has never won a Stanley Cup, last playing in the Final back in 1999. Yet they seem to have turned the page last season, advancing to the second round after an NHL record 14-year playoff drought. After a brief moment of celebration, the Sabres come into Chicago tonight (Nov. 12) after just getting blown out by the Tampa Bay Lightning and just hanging around the wild card picture in the East after winning the Atlantic Division.

Which brings us back to where the Blackhawks are ranked on the list: at the bottom. Although there is a solid argument that the Vancouver Canucks deserve the second spot, Chicago has a legitimate case for ranking higher on the list, too. After a disappointing year at the bottom of the NHL standings, the Canucks missed out on the first overall pick. Despite some adjustments, including a new coach, Vancouver is back at the bottom of the standings, despite some upset wins along the way.

In Chicago, the Blackhawks appear to be worse off than they were last year. Right now, they rank among the worst statistical teams in the NHL, whether it's shots on goal, goals scored, goal differential, or power-play efficiency. At the moment, the lineup features first-overall pick Connor Bedard, second overall pick Artyom Levshunov, third-overall pick Anton Frondell, fourth-overall pick Bowen Byram, plus other first-round picks like Sam Rinzel, Frank Nazar, and Spencer Knight, to name a few. That's what makes Chicago's situation so frustrating: the organization continues to accumulate promising young talent, but the results on the ice have yet to reflect that investment.

Blackhawks can look north for a possible blueprint for success

For three consecutive years, from 2010 to 2012, the Edmonton Oilers held the first overall pick and didn’t find their success until they drafted Connor McDavid first overall in 2015. Within a decade, they were in back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals, and their captain would go on to win enough individual awards to fill a moving truck. By the time McDavid arrived, the fanbase was understandably frustrated, but years of losing ultimately positioned Edmonton to land another franchise-defining player who helped change its history.

As the season continues to roll on, Blackhawks fans will only grow more frustrated. Although Bedard has yet to reach his full potential, perhaps he's missing his one true partner, much like McDavid has in Leon Draisaitl, Patrick Kane had in Jonathan Toews, or Duncan Keith had in Brent Seabrook. Maybe the club needs to lose and get one more top pick to help usher in a new era of winning at the United Center. Or, maybe, that missing piece is out there already, unhappy in another city, just waiting to become what Chris Kunitz did for Sidney Crosby.

Everyone understands how frustrating it is to see their beloved team lose on a nightly basis and seem to be lacking something that puts them in that uncomfortable spot all the time. If it's frustrating for fans, can anyone imagine how frustrating it is for the coaches, management, owners, and, of course, the players?

Chicago's most recent three Stanley Cup championships will always be part of its proud history, but those memories from a decade ago shouldn't prevent fans from demanding progress today. After three full seasons of the Bedard era, wanting more than another lottery pick isn't unreasonable.

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