3 roster needs for the Blackhawks to address in the offseason

The Chicago Blackhawks 2023-24 season has reached it's conclusion and another year of the rebuild has come and gone. This season saw the Blackhawks finish 31st in the NHL standings, which was about where the team was expected to finish. But the team record was not the whole story this season, as there were many young players who debuted for the Blackhawks who bring excitement for the future of the organization.

Connor Bedard came into the league as the most anticipated rookie the NHL has seen in years and looks as though he is on his way to winning the Calder Trophy as the rookie of the year. Alex Vlasic more than surpassed expectations and established himself as a true top-four shutdown defender. Kevin Korchinski averaged almost 20 minutes a night in an up-and-down rookie season, but showed flashes of his potential with some great stretch passes. Factor in Landon Slaggert and Frank Nazar stepping in and scoring their first NHL goals and there is a lot to look forward to in Chicago for next season.

However, there were many setbacks for the Blackhawks on the injury front this season which were the difference for the team winning a few extra games. These setbacks started with Taylor Hall missing almost the entire season due to ACL surgery. Hall was brought in to play alongside and help mentor Connor Bedard, but was limited to just 10 games. Speaking of Connor Bedard, he was sidelined for 14 games with a fractured jaw which he sustained in a game against the New Jersey Devils. Another big loss came from Connor Murphy missing four months of the season, leaving the Blackhawks without one of their more reliable defensemen for most of the campaign. The injuries would also pile on as Andreas Athanasiou, Tyler Johnson, and Colin Blackwell would all miss significant time as well.

Aside from injuries, Lukas Reichel was expected to be one of the top forwards for the Blackhawks, but struggled mightily throughout the season before being sent back to Rockford (AHL) for a stint. After being recalled from the AHL, he did look more like his old self with more confidence being shown from the young forward. This was also the case with Wyatt Kaiser, who was sent to Rockford to regain confidence and came back looking stronger than ever.

Going into this offseason, there will certainty be areas the Blackhawks can address whether that be through trades or free agency to help round out the roster.