The Chicago Blackhawks are one of the top stories in the NHL this season. The Blackhawks have gotten off to a surprising start and they find themselves in second place in the Central Division of the Western Conference with an 8-5-3 record. After missing the playoffs for five straight seasons and seven of the last eight, the Blackhawks are playing fast-paced and exciting hockey under new coach Jeff Blashill and they should be a playoff contender throughout the season.
Offense is back in Chicago, and the Blackhawks have shown they can put the puck in the net. They have scored 53 goals to this point in the season and the only team with more in the Central Division is the first-place Colorado Avalanche. Connor Bedard has been on fire for the Blackhawks and he has 25 points through his first 16 games. He is tied for second in the league in scoring scoring with Leo Carlsson of the Anaheim Ducks. Nathan MacKinnon of the Avs leads the league with 29 points, but Bedard is hot on his heels.
This is a sensational development for the Blackhawks and their fans, a group that has not seen the team win a playoff series since they won the Stanley Cup with a final round triumph over the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2015.
Bedard is explosive, but he does not have to carry Blackhawks
Bedard is in the process of ascending to the superstar status that was anticipated when he was the No. 1 pick in the league in the 2023 NHL Draft. The speedy center has 9 goals and 16 assists, and he has scored 8 of his points (3 goals and 5 assists) on the power play. Bedard has a wicked wrist shot, one that is similar to MacKinnon and he has converted on 17.3 percent of his shots on goal. Blashill is hoping he can continue on that pace throughout the rest of the season.
The young third-year star has given the Blackhawks a big lift and his teammates are responding quite well.
Tyler Bertuzzi is going to the front of the net and giving the team a legitimate threat whenever the Blackhawks go on the power play. He has been on a sensational hot streak and he has potted 9 goals and 5 assists, and 5 of his goals have been on the power play. Bertuzzi has the size and strength at 6-2 and 200 pounds to go into the blue paint and use his body to gain position down low and outmuscle defenders.
He has scored 6 goals in his past 3 games, including a hat trick on the road against the Vancouver Canucks, 2 goals away from home against the struggling Calgary Flames and he also found the back of the net in a road game against the Detroit Red Wings.
Not coincidentally the Blackhawks won all three of those games.
Blackhawks getting secondary scoring but could use defensive help
Additional support is coming from Andrew Burakovsky, Ryan Donato, Frank Nazar and Teuvo Teravainen. Burkaovsky has 7 goals and 7 assists while Donato is attempting to follow up on his career-best 31-goal season. He has 6 goals and 5 assists. Nazar and Teravainen both use their speed to attack in the offensive zone and each player has contributed 11 points.
The Blackhawks have played fairly well on the defensive end as they have give up just 41 goals to this point. However, the team does not have a stopper on defense. Their first pair includes Alex Vlasic and Sam Rinzel, while Matt Grzelcyk and Connor Murphy make up their second pair.
They need a veteran defensive defenseman with size to solidify their team, and they need to look at Brandon Carlo of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The Leafs acquired Carlo from the Bruins at last year's trade deadline with the hope that he would give them a lift in last year's playoffs. There was very little impact as the Leafs could not get out of the second round.
Carlo has not scored a goal in a Toronto uniform and there's pressure on the 6-5, 227-pound blue liner to do something positive. However, the 28-year-old is not going to be an offensive factor. His defensive play would be appreciated in Chicago since the Blackhawks are a young team and don't necessarily have a defensive stopper.
The Blackhawks are clearly a team on the rise and while they have been winning, there will be ups and downs. Adding a steady, stay at home defenseman would give the team a chance to win some of the tough, late-season games that could determine their playoff status this season.
