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5 Positive Takeaways from the Chicago Blackhawks' First Half of the Season

By Todd Welter |
/ David Banks-USA TODAY Sports
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The Chicago Blackhawks head into the All-Star break dead last in the NHL. The Hawks have lost a franchise record 20 straight road games and the offense is tied with the San Jose Sharks as the league's worst.

Injuries to a roster that was already thin on top-tier talent are a big reason that the Hawks are currently at the top of the Tankathon.com/NHL standings.

While winning the NHL Draft Lottery again would allow the Chicago Blackhawks to draft another generational talent in Macklin Celebrini, it has been tough to watch how this team has gotten to this point for the second consecutive season.

Last year the team was built to tank to land the draft rights to Connor Bedard. Plus, Hawks fans got to watch Patrick Kane's and Jonathan Toews' farewell tour. This season was probably going to end without a playoff appearance, but it was not supposed to be this bad after Bedard was drafted.

However, this is the first season after the roster teardown was completed. There was a good chance the Blackhawks would not be much better this season. Injuries have made this team even worse.

This recent stretch has been even harder to watch as the Blackhawks have been shut out in four of the past five games. It is not for a lack of trying as the Hawks are getting shots off. They are just not finding the back of the net.

All has not been doom and gloom this season despite what the standings say. Context shows there are five positive takeaways during the season's first half.

Connor Bedard has lived up to the pre-draft hype.

He was the clear-cut favorite to win the Calder Trophy before he fractured his jaw earlier this month. Bedard will not return to the ice for a couple more weeks, but when he was on it, he was phenomenal.

Bedard still leads the team in points despite missing the past 11 games. He was named the youngest All-Star ever. He is the cornerstone player this franchise needs to build the next great team around. Adding elite talent around him is the next phase of the rebuild.

Jason Dickinson's career year.

Dickinson was acquired last season as a salary dump by the Vancouver Canucks. He is now a key piece in the team's short-term plans thanks to his career season.

He blew past his career high in goals in the early portions of this season and is on pace to score between 27 and 30 goals. Dickinson earned a two-year contract extension thanks to his production and his locker room presence.

Dickinson wanted even more years on the extension, but two years is a good length to see if this is more than just a career year.

In season where every player on the roster has missed a game, Dickinson skating in all of them has been a welcomed sight.

Nick Foligno emerges as the unofficial captain of the team.

The Blackhawks chose not to name a captain after it was decided Jonathan Toews was not going to be brought back. The speculation going around was the Hawks wanted to keep the "C" open so Bedard could take it in the near future.

The team still needed someone to be the unofficial captain and Foligno has filled that role well. He is past his days of scoring 30 goals, but he is still a productive veteran whom the team has rallied around for guidance. That earned him a two-year extension with the likelihood he will be the team's official captain next season.

That is good for the team in the short term as it is one less thing Bedard has to worry about when it comes to refining his game at the NHL. He can grow into a leadership role. Also, if more prospects keep joining the team at the NHL level, having a vet like Foligno in an official captaincy will go a long toward their development.

Alex Vlasic is having an amazing first full NHL season.

The defenseman would be in the running for the Calder Trophy if he was eligible. He has been outstanding this season on the blue line.

The big defenseman is becoming a shutdown defender right before our very eyes. His defensive ratings are what you are looking for in terms of a blue-liner who is dedicated to stopping the opposing offense.

Outside of Bedard, he is the one young player on the roster that everyone loves to sing his praises.

Vlasic does need to work on his offensive game, but that will come with time. What is good is that Kevin Korchinski and Vlasic have emerged as long-term building blocks for the blue line. Now all the Hawks need to do is secure him to a lengthy deal.

Petr Mrazek's play in goal.

Next to Bedard, no player has been more valuable to the Blackhawks than Mrazek. Arvid Soderblom was expected to have taken the No. 1 goaltender job from Mrazek, but so far, he has failed.

Mrazek has avoided his traditional stop on injured reserve and he has taken advantage of Soderblom's struggles to earn a two-year contract extension.

Petr's numbers are not flashy, but what he has done well all season is make sure to get the saves that keep the game from getting out of hand--something Soderblom has failed to do.

Keeping Mrazek around for the near future means the Blackhawks lose a trade piece that could fetch a nice return at the deadline. At the same time, it serves as a bridge until Drew Commesso is ready for the NHL game. That is probably more valuable.

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