It is make-or-break for these 3 Chicago Blackhawks players next season

The Chicago Blackhawks are hoping a younger roster is what finally gets this franchise out of the Central Division cellar.

The Hawks have three players facing a pivotal season to prove they belong to stick around beyond this upcoming season.

Two players must prove they belong among the team's young core. Otherwise, it will be time to move on. One veteran, still in his early 30s, must show he can be helpful through the rest of the decade as his game hopefully ages well.

Wyatt Kaiser must show this season that he can be a regular among the defensive pairings.

The 22-year-old defenseman was tendered a contract. Unless another team splurges on a massive offer sheet, consider Kaiser back in the fold for the 2025-26 season. It seems unlikely another club is going to entertain signing Kaiser to an offer sheet.

He is still too much of an unknown, and he is undersized for a defenseman to risk committing enough money to force the Hawks not to match.

Undersized blue liners can still be effective in keeping the other team off the scoreboard. Duncan Keith was 6-foot-1, and he is about to go into the Hall of Fame.

Kaiser going into the Hall of Fame might seem like a stretch right now. Let's settle for him developing into a solid defender who is great at supporting the offense with his puck-handling skills.

He must show that next season, otherwise, it is time for the Hawks to give more ice time to Ethan Del Mastro or Nolan Allan. The assumption is that Kaiser has a spot in the defensive pairing next season based on his increased games played over his first three seasons.

He skated in just nine games in his first season. He played in 32 in 2023-24 and then 57 this past season. He played just a tick over 20 minutes in the final game of the season.

Kaiser must continue to move his feet better on defense to continue to earn his ice time. He must also show he can set up scoring chances. If he cannot do that this season, the Hawks might have to entertain going with other options.

This season must be Lukas Reichel's last to prove he can be more than a fourth-line winger.

Reichel has proved he can reach his floor. Since he is a former first-round pick with tremendous offensive gifts, skating on the fourth line is not good enough.

The hope was that he would either be Connor Bedard's skating partner on the top line or the second-line center by now. Instead, he has just reached replacement-level NHL player status. He has 20 career goals and along with 34 assists in four seasons. The hope was that he would be the production he had in his first full season two years ago.

The German forward has been frustrating to watch at times. There are games he is an offensive force. That motivated the club to move him up from the fourth line. He would struggle and lose confidence to the point that he would be a healthy scratch. This was a cycle that repeated itself constantly.

The Hawks have put him on notice with all the younger, bigger forwards the club drafted this year. He is set to be a restricted free agent after the 2025-26 season.

If he falters again this season, it is unlikely the team will be motivated to extend an offer sheet to the 23-year-old forward, knowing they have plenty of depth in the organization to replace him down the road.

Veteran Jason Dickinson cannot have another regression season if he wants another contract with the Blackhawks.

It turns out Dickinson's 22 goals in 2023-24 were just a career season. The two-way center regressed significantly last season, scoring just seven.

He was still good in the defensive zone, but the Hawks were hoping he would provide more offense when the team extended him during that career year.

Dickinson is still 31, so it is not crazy to view him as a viable veteran piece through the rest of the decade. The only way the Hawks can feel comfortable keeping his solid defense and leadership around beyond this upcoming season is if he provides more offense.

He also has to stay healthy. He finished the year on injured reserve. The Blackhawks may choose to let him walk after the season, since this is the last year of his deal, if they get single-digit goals from him. The team could also trade him before the deadline, but unless he is providing solid offense, the return is going to be minimal.

If Dickinson can get back to being a 30-point scorer, then the Hawks have a reason to keep him around, even if it is for only two more seasons.