Three changes that must happen for the Blackhawks in 2022

The Chicago Blackhawks 2021-22 season has featured a lot of treading water right now. The team started off the year very poorly but has since built their way to an 11-15-4 record in the tough Central Division. The Blackhawks season has been flawed, but they are in a better position today than when the year started under Colliton.

Under Derek King the Blackhawks are 10-6-2, not bad for a team that was 1-9-2 under Jeremy Colliton. King might not be the long term answer, but he has done his best during the short term. The team still has a long way to go, so let's talk about three things that need to change for the Blackhawks in 2022. The first thing should not come as a surprise.

1. Kirby Dach Gets Going

Kirby Dach has done his best throjugh his first three season in the NHL. After a strong first season putting up eight goals and 15 assists in 2019-20, he went to the playoffs with the Hawks and was arguably the team's best forward during that time. The forward followed that season up with a wrist injury and only got in 18 games putting up ten points during that time.

This past season has seen Dach miss out on a lot of great opportunities. He has his heightist amount of ice time in his career averaging 19:20 a night and his lowest point total only registering 13 points through 30 games.

The young center still has a lot of time to get back on track, but one not so promising stat is the fact that his face off percentage is at a career low, he is averaging 32.7 percent of his face-offs coming back in a win, which is not great. For example during his last game he took ten face-offs against the Dallas Stars, he won just two of those draws.

Face-offs are often looked at as not that important, and while they might not directly determine a game they do decide who starts with possession, and Dach needs all the benefits he can get. He needs to win more draws for the team.

3. A Plan Is Made For The Future

The biggest change the Blackhawks need to make is regarding their future. The team has been treading water, trying to get by and focus on the next game. But someone needs to be in place for the future of the franchise. The longest contracts on the offense belong to Tyler Johnson and Brandon Hagel, none of the goalies that have played in the NHL this season have a contract for next season, and the team does not have a first-round draft pick in the upcoming draft.

The Blackhawks are not in the best position right now, and they need to angle themselves for success in the future, even if that comes after their current stars - Toews and Kane - are off of the team and out of the league.

The team has a lot of trade-able players that they could use to acquire assets for the future. How the team moves forward with the coaching staff, the general manager position, and other key pieces of the front office needs to be addressed as soon as possible. The team cannot drag their feat on naming a president of hockey operations. While they need to make sure they make the right choice, waiting too long is definitely not the right choice either.

Hopefully early in 2022 we will have an answer to the front office and the coaching staff, as well as what the team's plan is moving forward. The Blackhawks wrote a letter to fans over a year ago saying the team was rebuilding, then this summer showed they were ready to enter a new phase of contention, now it seems like they are back to square one.