Blackhawks report card following an inevitably bad season

The Chicago Blackhawks weren’t going anywhere this season, so it would be reckless to grade them based on their points total and how they ranked in certain metrics. If that were the case, then there would be no need to write up a report card as they would have failed every category. 

Instead, they’re getting graded on where they currently stand in their rebuild and how well some of those youngsters who will remain in town for more than just the foreseeable future collectively developed in the offensive and defensive zones and on special teams. 

You can also say the same for next season, as it will be another year of building, but it shouldn’t be exclusively a throwaway campaign. With Connor Bedard and others gaining more experience, their productivity should collectively rise. But 365 days before those grades come in 2025, let’s focus on how well the Hawks played this season in accordance with their current situation. 

Offensive zone play was miserable but there is hope

Given a few years of misery, Blackhawks fans have to be asking, “Why us?” when they look at other teams being purposefully torn down and rebuilt in the different sports leagues. The NFL’s Arizona Cardinals at least showed resilience in nearly every game last year,  much like the MLB’s A’s are doing as they dive deeper into their final season in Oakland. 

But if the NHL’s latest extreme rebuilding project has one thing going for it that the teams mentioned above don’t, it’s that they have a Sidney Crosby or Connor McDavid-like talent in Connor Bedard. The Blackhawks may have finished last in goals scored, but at least Bedard wowed everyone with his 22 goals and 61 points across 68 contests. 

Philipp Kurashev also brought hope with 18 goals and 54 points. So, while there isn’t a lot to go on with others in their age-24 or under seasons points-wise, the Hawks have multiple talents who will be scoring threats next season. 

It’s not a lot to go on, but Bedard and Kurashev will give the Hawks a solid C, given the low overall expectations this team had in 2023-24. Why the C? Because the entire team never overachieved, but they also didn’t underachieve in accordance with expectations.

Defensive zone play did not fare much better

The defense was admittedly a mess, finishing 29th in goals allowed with 290, but it’s better than the 301 this team gave up last season. We also need to remember that there was a lot of youth in the defensive rotation this past season, plus players like Connor Murphy, Nikita Zaitsev, Jarred Tinordi, Jaycob Megna, and Seth Jones, none of whom figure to be anything more than stopgaps. 

Chicago also had a few defense-oriented forwards, but much like the blueliners mentioned above, none of them will be in town much longer. As with the lack of scoring, the Hawks defensive play was little more than we expected, so there is no real reason to give it a bad grade despite the subpar results. 

It’s also worth mentioning the Blackhawks only had one solid goaltender who started just 53 games in Petr Mrazek. The other, Arvid Soderblom, made what could have been at least some serviceable performances in the defensive zone look rather miserable, given his consistently poor outings. 

As with the team’s performance in the offensive zone, let’s give them a fair grade of a C-minus,. But in 2024-25, the younger players should see more ice time, and since a few of them gained some experience, improvements will be expected. 

Verdict

Overall, the Blackhawks get a solid C because, despite the poor record and rankings in virtually every statistical category, they surprised no one. Had this team found themselves light years behind the rest of the NHL and Connor Bedard played like he needed another season with the Regina Pats, I would have given them a below-average grade, but that didn’t happen. 

On the other side, if the Blackhawks dramatically outperformed expectations and ended up with, say, 70 points, they would have earned a B or even a B-plus. But considering the circumstances, 52 points is about where they logistically were ending up this season. 

Next year, 65-70 points shouldn’t be an unrealistic goal, and anything below the lower portion of that total should be a disappointment. Sure, a contingent of fans may not like the 65-70 point range, and I understand it. But this is also a slow-building process, so even a low points total like it will scream improvement over what we saw this season. 

Plus, if all the painful rebuilding resulted in landing not just Connor Bedard but another sensational talent this season, then five years from now (if that), these “dark days” will be worth it. So let’s keep grading the Blackhawks on expectations until this team is ready to consistently win hockey games. 

(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)