Rising Contenders: The Blackhawks and their future Stanley Cup rivals

The Chicago Blackhawks have not made the NHL playoffs (outside of the COVID/bubble year) since the 2016-2017 season. They have since followed with multiple last-place finishes and lottery picks. These high draft picks have brought with them heightened expectations and optimism that General Manager Kyle Davidson will soon transform the Blackhawks into a consistent Stanley Cup contender. As several of these prospects are now advancing to the NHL level, this presents a good opportunity to assess who will represent our future competition.

During the dynasty run of the 2010s, the Blackhawks continually had certain teams that they had to defeat on their way to multiple Stanley Cup victories. The Minnesota Wild, St. Louis Blues, Nashville Predators, Vancouver Canucks, and Los Angeles Kings were teams that the Hawks met multiple times in the playoffs. Great rivalries were born from these playoff series and the Blackhawks have the chance to renew or create new rivals in the coming years.

San Jose Sharks

The San Jose Sharks and Blackhawks have been connected the last few years with their recent position in the standings and draft pick selections. They have had the first round picks in consecutive years, with the Blackhawks selecting Connor Bedard in 2023 and the Sharks choosing Macklin Celebrini in 2024. Those two players will forever be connected and compared for their entire careers. Again this year, the Sharks had the second overall pick and the Blackhawks had the third pick, choosing Michael Misa and Anton Frondell, respectively. Additionally, each team's prospect ranking has been in the top three for the last several years.

Even though the Sharks have finished worse than the Blackhawks over the last two years, the national media has been more favorable to the Sharks. The forward core of Celebrini, Misa, Will Smith, William Eklund, and Igor Chernyshov has a much higher ceiling than that of the Blackhawks' forwards. However, I believe the Hawks have the depth and skill on the blue line that the Sharks are lacking. It will be fun to see how these teams evolve and who will have the upper hand in the coming years.

Utah Mammoth

The Utah Mammoth are much further along in their rebuild than the Blackhawks and Sharks, and are expected to compete for a playoff position this year. However, their core remains one of the youngest in the league. Logan Cooley, Barrett Hayton, Dylan Guenther, and JJ Peterka are part of their forward core that is 25 years old or younger. When paired with veterans Clayton Keller and Nick Schmaltz, the Mammoth boast a formidable top-six forward group.

Veterans make up the majority of the defense for the Mammoth; however, they also have some younger players, including Sean Durzi, Mikhail Sergachev, and Juuso Valimaki. The Mammoth's farm system remains strong with two top prospects in Tij Iginla and Caleb Desnoyers. This group, along with these prospects, will keep Mammoth competitive for the next five to seven years.

Anaheim Ducks

The Anaheim Ducks are not predicted to be in contention for a playoff position this year, but remain ahead of teams such as the Blackhawks and Sharks. Troy Terry, Mason McTavish, Leo Carlsson, Jackson LaCombe, and Cutter Gauthier all finished with over 40 points last year, and each of these players is below the age of 28.

Defensemen Olen Zellweger and Pavel Mintyukov are expected to take another step forward this year, while they are also under the age of 25. Top prospects include Beckett Sennecke and this year's draft selection of Roger McQueen. While the Ducks may be a few years ahead of the Blackhawks in their rebuild, their windows of contention are expected to overlap.

Eastern Conference Opponents

Two teams with a strong, young core and a healthy prospect pool include the Montreal Canadiens and the Detroit Red Wings. Montreal boasts some young talent that has just graduated into the NHL, including Lane Hutson, Juraj Slafkovsky, and Kaiden Guhle. These players, along with Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield, make up a solid nucleus. Top prospect Ivan Demidov will forever be linked to Blackhawks' defenseman Artyom Levshunov. Many fans and media alike think the Blackhawks should have selected Demidov with the second pick in the 2024 draft. It will be interesting watching their careers grow, and we could potentially see these two teams in the Stanley Cup final.

The Red Wings have underperformed over the last few years and have not qualified for the playoffs since the 2015-2016 season. They currently have a mix of older veterans and young stars such as Lucas Raymond and Moritz Seider. Detroit's farm system ranks among the top five, and it boasts an extremely deep prospect pool. Nate Danielson and Carter Bear are two of the top names on the forward group, while Axel Sandin Pellikka is Detroit's top defensive prospect. It would be the NHL's dream for the Blackhawks and Red Wings to meet in the Stanley Cup Final.