Why another lost season will work in the Blackhawks favor

By the time you read this, you’ll know whether the Blackhawks upended the mighty Minnesota Wild. Whether the Hawks snapped their two-game losing streak or not is irrelevant, as all signs are pointing to another lost season for this storied franchise. 

Yeah, this current stretch of games will tell us a lot about whether the Hawks will at least be somewhat relevant from mid-November and onward, but if they once again end up in the bottom five or bottom three overall, it could work in their favor. For one, as a historically good and valuable franchise with a generational talent, they won’t have trouble adding established players no matter how bad they get this year. 

I mean, did this past summer teach us nothing? Plus, another high lottery pick means there’s a chance they could get more immediate help, with someone like playmaker James Hagens, the high-octane Porter Marzone, or the current skater Tankathon has the Hawks landing, Anton Frondell. All could make a fast jump to the NHL. 

Hagens, the projected No. 1 overall pick, is one to watch, and I can already see him forming a young, lethal duo with Connor Bedard. Bedard, having shown us some playmaking ability this season, could evolve into a primary scorer with Hagens, not to mention the established talents already in place.

Another lost season may actually set the Blackhawks on a better path

Yeah, there’s a lot of frustration in Chicago regarding this team’s relative ineptitude, but there’s also a lot to like. Bedard looks like he’ll be leading the team in points for a long time, and Teuvo Teravainen and Tyler Bertuzzi are figuring things out. 

After I initially thought Ryan Donato was a lost cause for this team, he’s been their biggest surprise. While Donato could be a hot name on the trade market and may bring in some decent compensation, by no means should we think general manager Kyle Davidson is planning on moving him anywhere. Overall, it’s just speculation on my part. 

What I’m ultimately saying is that the Hawks are putting together an interesting puzzle; they just don’t have all the pieces yet. Another bad season won’t deter any established veteran from playing their next few years in the Windy City, and another high draft pick adds another surefire talent to a core that will grow as one unit. 

I can’t critique what the Hawks are doing, knowing that this slow but steady method of building could help them build a sustainable team between now and the end of the decade. Watching it unfold isn’t easy, but by no means should that indicate that a lost season means the fanbase must lose hope.