How will the Chicago Blackhawks offense improve after last season?

When reflecting on where the Blackhawks could improve upon from last season, some areas were prevalent when watching the team play.

For instance, the offense was not anywhere near expectations.

The Blackhawks' were dead-last in goals-for per game last season with an average of 2.17. The offensive output was largely in part to injuries derailing the forward group and having many players struggle in roles they were not ready for.

Players such as Taylor Hall and Andreas Athanasiou were expected to be key contributors on last year's roster, but both missed significant time with injury. Both players logged 38 games combined which left the Blackhawks without two of their better scorers.

Connor Bedard also being injured with a fractured jaw took away the team's main weapon up-front, leading the offense to be at it's lowest.

One glaring reason the Blackhawks struggled offensively is that they did not shoot the puck. They finished second-to-last in terms of shots with 2,153.

This led to the Blackhawks having the worst shooting percentage in the league with 8.3%, meaning they weren't capitalizing when the quality chances came to them.

Connor Bedard was the only Blackhawks player to exceed 200 shots on the season. To put that number into perspective, Nathan MacKinnon led the NHL with 405, though Bedard would have likely had many more if he had played a full season.

Bedard being the only player on the team with over 200 shots, it is clear there just weren't enough players putting the puck on net. Luckily, Taylor Hall is expected to be healthy and playing in a large role this season. In 2021-22, Hall posted 217 shots with Boston where he played in a higher-role.

With the added boost to the offense, the shot totals should likely increase this season with their being far more quality options throughout the lineup.