Are the Chicago Blackhawks and Minnesota Wild Destined to be Rivals?

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Sometimes it's just impossible to ignore. That thing that everyone is talking about.

Let's step back for a second though. The Minnesota Wild were founded in the summer of 1997, however their first season was in the 2000-2001 season. That's almost 300 months ago and in the span since they have made the playoffs 13 times with zero Stanley Cups. With a 34-62 record in those 13 playoff runs the Wild can't be called a successful franchise thus far.

Sure they have six 100pt (+) seasons including the last 2 (the 113 point season in 21-22 is their best ever regular season), however when it has mattered the most the team hasn't been able to lift Lord Stanley's Cup. Their best ever run came 21 years ago when they won 8 playoff games in 2003. That means the furthest they have reached has been half way in the playoffs.

As we all know the Blackhawks were able to draft well, make timely trades, and embarked on a dynasty run that yielded 3 Stanley Cups in just 6 seasons. In said time the Blackhawks and Wild would play playoff series in 3 straight seasons. The Wild would lose all 3 and net just a 3-12 record againat the Blackhawks in those matchups. They woud be close however as in the 15 playoff games played, 7 times the outcome would be decided by a single goal. Still, the Blackhawks would pull through and even win their second Stanley Cup in 2013 while getting past Minnesota early in the process.

Los Angeles Kings v Chicago Blackhawks - Game Five / Jonathan Daniel/GettyImages

Ok, that was the past. What about the present and more importantly the future:

San Jose Sharks v Minnesota Wild / Nick Wosika/GettyImages

At the moment, the two teams couldn't be more opposite in terms of their records over the last 5 seasons. Please click this paragraph for the article from this morning about the tendencies of teams over that time period. The Minnesota Wild (along with the Nashville Predators) would place in the exact middle of the league in terms of results. This season is no different, currently with the 17th most points in the league (tie breaker to the Red Wings on point%) and fighting for one of the last playoff spots.

The Blackhawks meanwhile, after saying goodbye to countless franchise icons (such as Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, Corey Crawford, Duncan Keith, Marian Hossa, and Brent Seabrook amongst many) have finally hit the reset button and have ventured into the first stages of a full rebuild. This rebuild, coupled with the expected loses, has gotten off to a great start however. Last time the NHL Draft Lottery was held, the Blackhawks would take an 11.5% chance and come away with the #1 selection and then use it to select Connor Bedard from the Regina Pats in the WHL. This selection admist the many other top 2 round picks are giving the Blackhawks a huge boost. A prospect pool that is amongst the very best in the NHL in a short timeframe given what Hawks' GM Kyle Davidson inherited from the prior regime.

Meanwhile on June 29th of 2022 the Wild would make a decision that would prove to be quite formative to their future. They would trade top 6 forward Kevin Fiala to the Los Angeles Kings for prospect Brock Faber (a former 2nd round pick) and a first round pick (Liam Ohgren 19th in 2022). Fiala, for his part, has been fantastic in LA at just under a point per game over the last 2 seasons. Despite the loss of a good forward, it looks as though the Wild are quite pleased with how that deal has turned out thus far.

Minnesota Wild v Florida Panthers / Joel Auerbach/GettyImages

Brock Faber, 21 years old, is not only putting up outstanding numbers as a rookie defenseman (38pts, 6g / 32a in 70 games) but he is also logging big minutes in all sitations for the Wild. Commonly skating in the mid 20s (minutes-wise) most games is quite uncommon for such a young player. There is no questioning that he is one of the elite young players (especially defenseman) in the league.

Bedard, for his part, is equally impressive and on a roster that does not help him in the same manner. The past 5 seasons, the Minnesota Wild have built a roster with a mix of both veterans and players that are in their prime at the moment. From Kaprizov and Eriksson Ek to Matt Boldy and Marco Rossi as young skilled players, the Wild have the makings of a good competitve team. Add in experience from the likes of Mats Zuccarello, Ryan Hartman, and Marcus Johansson and any rookie coming in would feel confident that their play will help an already skilled lineup each evening they hit the ice.

At the moment, Connor Bedard does not have this to lean on. Most nights and through an injury plagued season, the Blackhawks have had to make due with what they have from small trades, mid season free agent signings, and AHL call ups. These type of players have generally been the baseline for why the Blackhawks currently sit in 31st place and also illustrates even more so why Connor Bedard's rookie season has been so impressive (54 points in 55 games, 21g / 33a).

So are the two teams rivals?

No. Well, not at the moment at least. They do have a lot going for them though as potential rivals.

> The two teams are both in the Central Division in the Western Conference. ✅

> There are around 400 miles only between the two cities. So ✅ for proximity.

> Recent playoff history does exist as mentioned prior, however it was one -sided. ❌

Looking into the rosters however, both teams have good prospect pools (the Athletic - www.theathletic.com - recently rated them the 7th (Hawks) and 11th (Wild) best groups in hockey for 2024. Riley Heidt, Danila Yurov, Liam Ohgren, and Jesper Wallstedt amongst many for the Wild versus the likes of Frank Nazar, Oliver Moore, Sam Rinzel, Ryan Greene, and Drew Commesso amongst many for the Blackhawks.

More to the point though and what spurred this article on is the seemingly growing online fan rivarly that is brewing between Wild and Hawks' fans. The topic: which rookie is better Connor Bedard or Brock Faber? Not going into specifics, you can go to any social media platform and find one of 100s of such debates / arguments, however the answer(s) very clearly seems to Blackhawk Up to be this:

1. They are both really good.

2. Both franchises are blessed to have them.

3. They can't be compared becuase of their positions (center and defenseman)

4. The teams rosters are so different at the moment, it's difficult to gauge true value when collating their stats and overall play.

5. Lastly, they are both worthy of winning a Calder Trophy and being acknowledged as the best rookie in any given year.

Will that happen (co-Calder winners)? Perhaps, but at the moment Connor Bedard has done more with less to win the award. All the metrics, deep number crunchers aside.... Connor Bedard has come back from injury and on one of the worst rosters in sports been 1pt under a ppg player as an 18 year old. Does a 3 year older defenseman skating big minutes, producing points, and helping a team fight for a playoff spot deserve heavy praise and recognition? Absolutely! That doesn't mean he is the best rookie in the league at the moment though.

This battle isn't wrapped up, the debate isn't finished. There are still games yet to be played, stats to finalize, and playoff positions yet to be won. Things can change (hopefully some more spirited debates instead of ugly arguements as well) and the narrative can pivot... we (Blackhawk Up) will cheer on to the days ahead in which the Bedard vs Faber, Chicago vs Minnesota future matchups will hopefully involve heated playoff series and instant classic winners.

The league took away Detroit from Chicago and the Blues at the moment are trending downwards, could the Minnesota Wild and the Chicago Blackhawks be on the verge of a long term rivarly?

Minnesota Wild v Chicago Blackhawks / Michael Reaves/GettyImages

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