3 reasons the Blackhawks are still worth watching this season

You can argue that the Blackhawks won’t even finish the 2023-24 season with 55 points, but that’s okay. General manager Kyle Davidson has this team in a full rebuild, and he will have quite a bit of cap space for the upcoming offseason, perhaps surprising us with a big signing or two, even if it may be more realistic for the team to make under-the-radar additions this summer. 

While the on-ice play hasn’t been exciting for the most part and outright tough to watch on many occasions, young teams like the Blackhawks can be entertaining during the last stages of the regular season. For one, they get to play spoiler and perhaps surprise fans with an unprecedented upset or two, which could serve as confidence boosters. 

And for another, ultra-talented youngsters like Connor Bedard will put on a show almost every night. Although he’s only appeared in 54 games this season through March 17th, Bedard still leads the Blackhawks with 53 points and 21 goals, adjusted for 80 points and 32 goals across 82 games had he stayed healthy all year. 

Connor Bedard is one major reason to keep watching the Blackhawks

Bedard keeps getting better, something we have seen since he returned from a jaw injury. He has 20 points in his first 15 games back in action, with six goals and 14 assists, plus a 12.5 shooting percentage. Broken down, Bedard has 1.33 points per game in that span, and just to have some fun, let’s adjust that number to 82 games, which equals 109 points when rounded to the nearest whole number. 

Even if you disagree with the three primary reasons on this list - one of which will also include a cluster of other young players - Bedard’s presence alone should make each game for the final month of the season worth watching. But in case you want a few more reasons to watch this exciting team play, keep on reading. 

The Blackhawks are coming to life offensively…sometimes…

While most of the Blackhawks 10 games between February 25th and March 17th don’t show it, the Chicago Blackhawks are, at times, coming to life offensively. Of the 29 goals they scored in those three weeks, 19 of them came between March 10th and March 17th, good for 4.75 goals per game. 

You can say all you want that the quality of the Blackhawks opponents in three of those four games was low, as they faced the Arizona Coyotes, Anaheim Ducks, and San Jose Sharks, with the only outlier being a shutout loss vs. the Los Angeles Kings. But it’s also a momentum swing as of late. All three opponents were at Chicago’s level, and those contests could have gone in any direction, but they ended in the Blackhawks favor. 

Better yet, they again play Anaheim and San Jose this week, and the Hawks also face the Calgary Flames, Ottawa Senators, and Philadelphia Flyers to end the month. Every game left in March is winnable, and with the Blackhawks scoring consistently last week sans the one shutout loss, they can use this slate to build momentum for April. 

It already helps that Bedard enjoyed a sensational week, so if that trend continues from now until the end of the month, Chicago will be fun to watch in the weeks ahead. 

Playoff contenders won’t have it easy against the Blackhawks

Since Chicago is one of the worst teams in the NHL, you may find it ironic that serious playoff contenders wouldn’t have it easy against them. While the Blackhawks will face winnable games against lower-tier teams that will look to play to their strengths against Chicago, you can say the same for the top contenders.

Chicago has nothing to lose over the last month of the season, and don’t expect this group or anyone involved with them to play for a higher draft pick. They got their generational talent who will make everyone on that team better once he gains more experience. 

That said, expect the Blackhawks to play with some reckless abandon, and they will throw some random looks at some of the league’s top teams. When they square off against teams like the Sharks and Ducks, Chicago (and their low-tier opponents) may still utilize the ‘nothing to lose’ strategy, but those are also good measuring stick games that could also have them taking a more strategic approach. 

Going more strategic could also be the case against the Flyers, as Philadelphia is nothing more than the best of the average teams in an average conference (and division). Chicago will play some entertaining hockey against the Dallas Stars, the Nashville Predators, and other top playoff contenders, and they will throw different looks in a quest to pull off a few upsets before the season ends.