One small example that the Chicago Blackhawks rebuild is making progress

It may not seem like it but the Chicago Blackhawks rebuild is making some progress.

Youth is now being served since veterans were shipped out at the trade deadline. The Hawks got their long-term No. 1 goalie in Spencer Knight in one of those deals and all it cost them was a pouting, overpaid Seth Jones.

The team's top prospect, Artyom Levshunov, made his NHL debut against the Colorado Avalanche.

His debut helped the Hawks' roster go from the fifth oldest in the NHL to the eighth youngest. Hopefully some more of these prized prospects sign their entry-level contracts after the NCAA season wraps up.

Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson seems committed to using his boatload of draft picks to deal for some proven talent this offseason. Maybe this rebuild can take the big step forward that was envisioned last offseason when the standards were supposed to be raised this summer.

While the Hawks are still at the bottom of the Central division standings, their recent defeat to the Avalanche showed another sign of progress.

Hard to believe, but this is the first time all season Chicago has been shut out.#Blackhawks were shut out 12 times last season.
— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) March 11, 2025

Last year, the Hawks were getting shut out with regularity. That was in part to a weak offensive attack and Connor Bedard missing six weeks with a jaw injury.

It is actually impressive that the Hawks' first shutout defeat came this late in the season. The offensive attack was impotent to start the season. Bedard even regressed offensively, and it cost Luke Richardson his job.

Another sign of growth is the Hawks are just three wins shy of matching last year's win total and three points short of matching the 52 the franchise had in 2023-24.

Obviously, the Hawks were not making the playoffs this season. The hope was the team was no longer going to occupy last place.

So, remaining at the top of the Tankathon standings is still a clear sign the Hawks have ways to go before getting back to being a contender.

Taking this long to get shutout after it being a regular occurrence last season is a nice sign things are headed in the right direction.

While the Hawks are still at the bottom of the Central division standings, their recent defeat to the Avalanche showed another sign of progress.

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