The Chicago Blackhawks aren't accustomed to being a team on the outside looking in. They made the playoffs in nine straight seasons from 2009 to 2017, winning three Stanley Cups and losing in the Conference Finals twice.
It's been rough for them in the past seven years, missing the playoffs six times and losing in the first round in the other. The Blackhawks want to break that streak and return to the postseason with Connor Bedard, but there are some roster concerns on the radar for them in 2024-25.
The losing hasn't all been bad for Chicago. The last three seasons have been abysmal, but the fortune of a bad record is a good spot in the draft. They drafted Kevin Korchinski and Frank Nazar in the first round of the 2022 draft. Then, they won the Connor Bedard sweepstakes in 2023, along with Oliver Moore in the first round. They capped off the impressive run by getting Artyom Levshunov second overall this past season, and Sacha Boisvert with the 18th pick.
The future is bright for the Blackhawks. They have a massive prospect class, that could make them Stanley Cup contenders very soon if enough to them develop into stars. Blackhawks fans will see the effect of the rebuild this season, as Bedard, Nazar, Korchinski, and possibly Levshunov are ready to play full-time. The Blackhawks should be an exciting team, but some moves from the front office this season were worrisome.
Did the Blackhawks rush the rebuild?
It makes sense that the Blackhawks want to contend for as long as they have Connor Bedard in the lineup. They want to surround him with talent and put their best foot forward. It's why they signed Tyler Bertuzzi, Teuvo Teravainen, Patrick Maroon, TJ Brodie, and Alec Martinez this offseason. However, at this point in their careers, does this list of players scream Stanley Cup contenders? Some are short-term, and none of them will sink the organization, but it feels like those roster spots could have younger players filling them for the next two to three years.
You can't discredit the effect experience can have on young players. The Blackhawks brought in Nick Foligno and Taylor Hall as mentors in Bedard's rookie season. By all accounts, they were professionals despite the situation in Chicago and did plenty of good things for the rookies on the Blackhawks. It could be why they signed Brodie and Martinez to shelter Alex Vlasic and Kevin Korchinski. They'll also help second-overall pick Artyom Levshunov, who signed his entry-level deal to forego the rest of his college eligibility.
However, we must ask: How many voices are too many? Maroon brings a presence and is well-liked amongst any former teammate you ask. The problem is that Foligno already filled the “poor skating veteran in the bottom-six” role. It seems redundant to sign Maroon on a team that already has Foligno. Two of them being on the ice together will be a dream for some of the good skating teams in the Western Conference.
The Blackhawks' decision to accelerate their rebuild isn't something you should criticize. The criticism should be the players Chicago chose to do it.
Can Laurent Brossoit become a starting goaltender?
Whether or not you agree with the Blackhawks' decision to sign players to help them compete, it's no question that their goaltenders may not be the answer. The Blackhawks signed Laurent Brossoit on the first day of free agency to compete with Peter Mrazek for the starting job. Brossoit had an elite season with the Winnipeg Jets in 2023-24, giving him plenty of suitors in free agency. However, the Blackhawks could be sadly mistaken if they think he is their starter once they begin competing.
Broissoit has been playing professional hockey since 2013-14. He played 53 games with the Oklahoma City Barons in 2014-15, before regressing to 31 in 2015-16. The 53-game mark still stands as his career-high, and he hasn't played more than 24 games in a season in his NHL career.
Broissoit looked good the last two seasons, recording a .927 save percentage back-to-back and a 2.00 goals-against average last season. He has the tools to be a successful goaltender, but no one knows how he will adapt to playing a significant number of games.
The Blackhawks' prospect pool isn't full of goaltenders, so their goaltending will come from an outside source. Brossoit would have made sense for a team with a rookie goaltender trying to adapt to the professional game before taking over the starting role. However, if the Blackhawks want him to be the man lifting the Stanley Cup after Connor Bedard, that may not be in their future.
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