I have fired up my BigOl’JetAirliner to do a recon of each and every team the Winnipeg Jets will have to face in the upcoming campaign. When the wheels eventually touch back down in good ol’ River Heights, I hope to have a good idea of our competition’s key players/prospects, their strengths & weaknesses, and the overall depth of each franchise. To assist with that last topic, I opted to use the projected line ups provided by DailyFaceOff.com but since the visual display of the lines was better on PuckPedia, I ended up using that site to create the graphics included in the articles. Thanks to both of those helpful sites.
After taking a couple days off for routine maintenance, I am back on the road to scout the remaining 27 NHL franchises. With my jet heading in the direction of Lake Michigan, I was looking forward to landing in the Windy City to check out the…..
CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS:
There is no sugar coating how badly last season went for the Hawks, as they finished 2nd last in the NHL with a 23-53-6 record (52 pts), were the NHL’s lowest scoring squad (179 goals), gave up the 4th most goals against (290), and had a horrific -111 goal differential. That goal differential was only better than the San Jose Sharks (-150), who also were the only team to finish with a worst record than Chicago last season.
At least that results in good high selections in the draft. The Chicago Blackhawks are looking to take a real shortcut on their rebuilding journey after getting the right to select a generational talent with the help of the NHL’s Draft Lottery. But even without that fortunate break, the Hawks have really been stocking up over the past three Entry Drafts. It all started with the 2022 draft, where Chicago had three 1st round, two 2nd round, & three 3rd round selections. That netted the Hawks’ defender Kevin Korchinski (7th overall), Frank Nazar (13th overall), & Sam Rinzel (25th overall) in the opening round.
The following draft saw the Hawks hit paydirt when they got future superstar Connor Bedard with the 1st overall pick of the 2023 Entry Draft, however the team also picked up Oliver Moore (19th overall) in the 1st round with three 2nd round & two 3rd round selections. Last year’s draft saw the stockpiling continue with three 1st round selections and three 3rd round picks. The top picks included RD Artyom Levshunov (2nd overall), C Sasha Boisvert (18th overall), & LW Marek Vanacker (27th overall). In case you weren’t keeping track, that was eight 1st round, five 2nd round, & eight 3rd round picks in the past three drafts!!
General Manager Kyle Davidson is entering his fourth season at the helm of the Blackhawks as he attempts to guide them smoothly through a rebuild. The young GM kept himself busy over the summer as he re-signed young RFA defender Alex Vlasic to 6 yr extension, then traded with the Vancouver Canucks for winger Ilya Mikheyev (31 pts in 78 gms). The Hawks kept adding once the Free Agency period began: Tyler Bertuzzi agreed to 4 yr contract…TJ Brodie to 2 yr deal…Alec Martinez to a 1 yr pact…Teuvo Teravainen to a 3 yr contract…Craig Smith to a 1 yr deal…Laurent Brossoit to a 2 yr pact…Pat Maroon agreed to a 1 yr contract.
Let’s find out how the Chicago Blackhawks may opt to deploy their players this season via PuckPedia’s graphic.
If coach Luke Richardson does go with this option, the top line should be interesting. The 19 yr old Bedard scored at almost a point per game pace as a rookie (61 pts in 68 gms) and will be helped by a couple new wingers in 29 yr old Teravainen (53 pts in 76 gms w/ CAR) and 29 yr old Bertuzzi (43 pts in 80 gms w/ TOR). The 2nd line above includes a couple players coming off injury-plagued seasons, with 32 yr old Taylor Hall being limited to just 10 games (4 pts) and Andreas Athanasiou getting into 28 contests (9 pts). However, 24 yr old Philipp Kurashev had a break out season last year, doubling his previous career-highs in both goals (18) and points (54) in 75 games.
Veteran proven 3rd line with 36 yr old Nick Foligno, 29 yr old Jason Dickinson, & 29 yr old Mikheyev combining for 50 goals last season and typically producing in the the 30-40 point range. The coaching staff have the option to go with more established bottom sixers on the 4th in 28 yr old Ryan Donato (30 pts), Smith (33 pts w/ DAL), & 36 yr old Pat Maroon (16 pts). They also could go with younger players such as 22 yr old Lucas Reichel (16 pts in 65 gms) or possibly 20 yr old Nazar (41 pts in 41 NCAA gms w/ Michigan).
Obviously none of the Hawks’ defensemen had great on ice goals percentages (actual or expected) with a hugely negative goal differential last season. In terms of actual on ice %, 29 yr old Seth Jones led the way but still lost the goals scored battle (47%), followed by 23 yr Vlasic (43%), 20 yr old Korchinski (37.9%), & 31 yr old Connor Murphy (27.4%). Chicago is hoping adding veterans like Martinez & Brodie to that mix will make things easier on the Hawks’ goaltenders.
With free agent signing Brossoit (.927 save % over past two seasons) likely to miss that start of the season recovering from surgery, it will be up to 32 yr old Petr Mrazek (.908%) and 25 yr old Arvid Soderblom (.880%) to hold the fort while he heals.
PROBABLE FATE:
The first Central Division franchise of my Pre-Season Preview series, the Chicago Blackhawks have to face some tough opponents in their chase of a playoff spot including the Avalanche, Stars, Jets, Predators, Wild, Blues, and Utah’s hockey club all vying for the same spots.
While the Hawks have probably done enough this summer to take a step forward, I don’t even think a 150 pt season by Bedard would result in a post-season appearance. I think management did well by giving Connor and that young defensive core some veteran help, but that will pay more dividends on the players’ development than in the standings.
Goaltending still could be an issue, though I am totally pulling for former Jet Brossoit to take advantage of the opportunity to start for the Hawks. The young defense will continue to make mistakes as they learn to play at NHL speed, but all these things will eventually pay off down the road when the team is more competitive.
I would gladly watch the upcoming season if I was a Blackhawks fan, even if the franchise is likely to finish with the worst record in the Central. It is all about the growth of their prospects and I think Davidson surrounded the NHL youth with enough veteran talent to find themselves in much tighter contests this season. Closer games = more pressure….and trying to do well under pressure is what development is all about. Other draft picks will continue to develop in lesser leagues like the AHL, CHL, or NCAA, but I expect more than a handful will get a chance to pull on a Hawks’ jersey as the season wears on.
UP NEXT: The Colorado Avalanche…..
Looking for an easy way to support Arctic Ice Hockey Use our Affiliate Link when shopping hockey merch this off-season.
