The Chicago Blackhawks are these three things right now

The Chicago Blackhawks are many things right now.

They are the worst team in the NHL according to the standings. The Hawks are a franchise in the beginning parts of an extensive rebuild. They are a franchise with a great prospect pool that gives you hope better days are just around the corner. They are also a team that still has to sign most of these prospects to their entry-level contract, so nothing is set in stone.

At least this is no longer a franchise constantly dealing with salary cap constraints.

For almost 15 years, the Chicago Blackhawks were a franchise known for having legends Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, and Duncan Keith. Now that era is over and a new one is beginning.

Here is what the current version of the Blackhawks is in this new age of Hawks hockey...

Offensively, the Hawks are Connor Bedard and hope someone else has a big night.

The rookie phenom has been everything you could dream of the moment he joined the Chicago Blackhawks. He leads the team in goals, assists, and points.

He is appointment television. A box office draw. The face of the franchise. Well, you get the point on how great he already is.

The problem is Bedard is not getting a ton of help on offense unless someone has a huge night.

Jason Dickinson is having a career year with nine goals, but three of those came on a hat trick back in November. He has not scored in five games. Nick Foligno scored two goals in near victories against the Vancouver Canucks and Nashville Predators this month. Otherwise, if the Hawks are not getting a big night from someone else, the chances of winning are nil.

Lukas Reichel was supposed to be an emerging star this season, but he has played like the top prospect everyone has forgotten about. He has been moved from center to wing, benched, demoted to the fourth line, and promoted to the top line. Nothing has gotten him going.

Puck possession has been a big reason the Blackhawks have also struggled to muster a ton of offense. The Hawks currently have just one player with a CF% over the standard 50%. Compare that to the Colorado Avalanche, who the Chicago Blackhawks play next, and they have a bulk of their team over 50%.

The hope is a prospect like Colton Dach will arrive soon or Oliver Moore and Nick Lardis sign their entry-level contract as soon as it is prudent to help Bedard.

The Chicago Blackhawks are injured.

This roster at its best was still going to be on the fringes of making the playoffs. Now that roster has been decimated by injuries.

The Hawks lost Taylor Hall for the season due to a knee injury. They had to cut Corey Perry due to personal behavior at a team function that reached the level of needing to terminate his contract. Those were two veterans the team was counting on to provide leadership and offensive production.

Andreas Athanasiou is on IR along with Seth Jones. Kevin Korchinski is away from the team due to his father passing away. Alex Vlasic missed the Canucks game with an injury.

That means the Hawks had to take on the league's best defense without three of their best defenders. Joey Anderson also was just placed on IR. This team was not very deep to begin with. Now they are having to rely even more on players who should be in Rockford.

Even when the Blackhawks get healthy, do not expect them to suddenly rise in the standings.

The Hawks are terrible on the power play.

The power play does not mean a team is going to score a goal. The Hawks have been especially bad at picking up a goal with a man advantage.

They rank in the league's bottom five and that is only because they picked two power-play goals against Vancouver. They have also allowed five shorthanded goals.

Struggling on the power play is common among rebuilding teams. It is not like the organization is not trying to fix that issue.

Injuries to the blue line have impacted the power play. The Hawks had to use five forwards during one lineup combination against the Canucks.

Rebuilds are never easy to watch. Thankfully, the Hawks at least have Bedard, a ton of exciting prospects, and a lot of draft picks providing hope.