The Negatives of the 25-26 Blackhawks season

After looking back on the main positive takeaways from the 2025-2026 Chicago Blackhawks season, it is only fitting to assess the negatives as well. After all, the Blackhawks once again finished near the bottom of the standings as they continue to navigate the harsh realities of rebuilding.

Same result in the standings

Chicago finished 31st in the NHL standings, the same spot they have placed in the prior two seasons as well. While the team has seen modest improvement from a points regard throughout the Bedard era, with a 20-point increase since his rookie year, the flat positioning in the standings is not good enough.

You can disregard the record this year by bringing up the fact that this team will be adding another top pick in the draft to their plate. While that is all well and good, Chicago can't be competing for best draft lottery odds forever; that is now four years in a row this club has finished bottom-three in the league.

It is imperative that this group starts ascending in the standings next season. Seeing the progress of other young teams in a similar boat such as the San Jose Sharks and Anaheim Ducks this past year has shown taking that leap forward next year is possible. This will be a crucial summer for Kyle Davidson to strengthen this roster and give these kids something to work with when it comes to making that potential playoff jump in 26-27.

Defensive Woes

Chicago's defensive play in 25-26 left a lot to be desired, to say the least, as this young D-core made life difficult on Spencer Knight and Arvid Soderblom. Both netminders had to face way too many shots a game and were left out to dry in the crease far too often on a nightly basis.

To be fair, the growing pains from such a green blueline should be expected. With the departure of Connor Murphy and Matt Grzelcyk's injury, the Blackhawks ended the season with an entirely youth defensive group. With Alex Vlasic being the effective veteran back there at just 24 years old, that puts into perspective how inexperienced this backend was down the stretch.

Both Arty Levshunov and Sam Rinzel had high expectations, perhaps too much so, heading into their rookie campaigns. Both had some Calder upside heading into the year based on the strong showings both defenseman had displayed in their brief taste of the NHL in 24-25. Unfortunately, neither delivered as Rinzel bounced around between Rockford/Chicago, and Levshunov ended the campaign with a -41 rating. This is not to mention Kevin Korchinski, who spent another year mostly playing in the AHL.

With that said, it was not all bad on the defensive front. Both Wyatt Kaiser and Louis Crevier made tremendous strides this past season. Between those two and Vlasic, that's at least half the D-core you can feel pretty confident about heading into next year. If Rinzel, Levshunov and Korchinski can show progression that will go a long way for this team.

It will be interesting to see if Davidson considers bringing in a solid veteran defenseman over the summer. It would appear this young formation could use that guidance, plus it would take some of the pressure off these guys.

Bad injury luck

This Blackhawks season was a tale of two halves. The 2025 portion of the year looked considerably different compared to the 2026 edition. Health was a big factor behind this.

Chicago got off to a hot start thanks to Connor Bedard leading the charge and Frank Nazar making strides in his game as well. This team was in the wildcard playoff fight for the first couple of months. Then December happened, where both Bedard and Nazar went down with injuries that sidelined them each for a month.

This development took the wind out of this team's sails as the rest of the season saw a downward spiral. Even when the two young stars returned, the play on the ice was not the same. The Blackhawks were not able to regain the momentum they had generated in October and November.

If the Blackhawks are to break their postseason drought next season, they need good health from their top guns. Especially Bedard, this team will go as far as he takes them. If Chicago can get pre-shoulder injury Bedard for a full year, they will likely be in the playoff hunt.

Andre Burakovsky

Andre Burakovsky started off the year on fire as he found chemistry with Bedard and Ryan Greene on the top line. He appeared to be the wingman Bedard has been missing early on, as he was a nice complement to the first line with his skill and playmaking ability.

Then the calendar turned to 2026, and everything was a disaster from there. Burakovsky's game fell off a cliff as he recorded just four points in his last 37 games of the season. This came after he had registered 29 points in the first 38 games of the year.

Even more bizzare is the fact Burakovsky inexplicably remained with Bedard for the majority of the season, despite his struggles. It was not until Anton Frondell arrived that Jeff Blashill finally demoted him from the first line.

With the way Burakovsky performed in the second half of the season, Davidson cannot justify keeping him on the roster. He needs to find a way to offload him, whether that is a deal for future considerations or a buyout, is another question.

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