How the Chicago Blackhawks Can Turn Heads and Change Expectations

How the Chicago Blackhawks Can Turn Heads and Change Expectations

what it would take to change expectations for the Blackhawks this season. I’m Jay Zawoski. That’s Mario Turbosi over there. Hawks are off to a better start than expected. We can all agree on that. They’re still well in the rebuild phase. It’s kind of year one of like we’re the end of the rebuild. I guess you would say they’re still in the rebuilding phase. They’re still thinking about the draft. They’re still thinking about developing their prospects. Is there anything in your mind, Mario, that could happen this year that would sort of change that mentality, be it for the trade deadline this year or beyond? I think the thing with the Blacks is that you can still operate with an eye on the future and an eye in the rebuild phase, I guess, or get or as you said, kind of getting to the end of it. Um because you have a lot of those players that you still figure to factor into that rebuild and that next wave with Fondell and Canerov and Bavar and Spellacy and guys like that moving forward. So you still have those guys that haven’t even played professionally yet in North America. So there’s still it’s not like everyone that you banked the rebuild on is here now. Um there’s still that that factor. And I think for me this season with the expectation that going into this year, okay, even if they improve upon last year, they’re probably still bottom three, bottom five. If the expectation is bottom three, bottom five, the way that they have played to start the year, if that trend continues beyond eight games and you get into maybe the first quarter of this season where you get to about that 20 game uh marker and you say, okay, they’ve sustained this play style, they’ve sustained this point pace or whatever it is, then I think you start looking at, okay, what’s sustainable? What’s real? And if that translates over, let’s say, the next quarter of the season, if you get to that midway point of the season and this team is in a playoff position or wildcard chase or whatever it is, and the guys that you want to be pushing the thing forward, Bard, Nazar, Renzel, Levino, so on and so forth, Spencer Knight, those are the guys that are the prime the premier players. I think I think that is when you can shift the expectations of this season and not be well they’ll probably still be in the bottom five if they’re in a playoff position midway through this season. I think you have to operate with this is a team that can maybe make some make some other teams nervous. I agree with you on that timeline. I think that’s correct. So I I guess then the next question becomes if that’s the case if at let’s put an arbitrary let’s call it Christmas New Year’s New Year’s. Okay. New Year’s Day, the Hawks are in a playoff spot or within six or seven points of a playoff spot. I I had to do it. I’m sorry. More realistically, three or four points of a playoff. Yeah, three or four. Yeah. Does that change the way you approach the deadline? Because as of today, my assumption is Dickinson’s gone, Murphy’s gone, Felino is probably going to stay because he’s the captain, and he’s probably going to retire. I would imagine he retires after this year probably. Ilia McKay remains to be seen. It’s a guy I could see them bringing back, but we don’t know. Talk about stock rising. Do you consider not necessarily? Well, I’m not going to speak for you. I’m going to say my consideration would be, do I keep those veterans? Try to get in. Sure, you probably get paced in the first round by Winnipeg or whoever, Dallas, whatever it might be. You’re going to get your ass kicked. It’s fine. But it’s a playoff experience. or even just the chase of trying to get a playoff spot, even if they fall short, the chase of it could be valuable for them versus getting a fourth round pick for Jason Dickinson and a third round pick for Conor Murphy or whatever it might be. Is there more value in that chase? I think so. That’s more what I would be willing to do as opposed to trying to add. I’m not trying to add. I’m not trying unless there’s a UFA out there like Martin Nas who like you know is not going to sign with Colorado. It’s already been determined and he’s interested in Chicago and you know if you trade for him he’s going to sign here and then you’ve got your top six forward to play with Bard for years going forward. Only in that specific situation where you get a star player am I adding. I’m not just going to go add like a mid-tier guy to get them over the hump at this point. I’m not ready to give up assets for that. Yeah. No, you don’t you don’t want to just tinker around the edges if you’re if you’re going to do that because when you get to the trade deadline, prices are premium, right? So, you don’t want to give up something that you value for a third line supplemental player or something like that. You have a bunch of those guys and Colorado is not going to say, “Well, we can’t sign Martin a so here you go Chicago. Give us a bunch of prospects.” They’re trying to win a cup, right? and they’re not and and if the Blackhawks were in a position where they were going to start to chase for the playoffs, they’re not going to trade a player of that caliber to a division rival who they could end up facing in the playoffs if that were the case. Um I mean I I think the we’ve seen with their philosophy with the Rockford Iceogs of having those young players play significant games into March, into April, into the postseason. the last few seasons they’ve had that experience. I think that’s I think that’s something that the Blackhawks as an organization values. So, if you have the opportunity for a team in the NHL to play significant games into March and April and potentially get playoff experience, that’s what it’s all about. Yeah. Getting getting to that point and getting that experience and letting these young guys um grow and and and grow from having that experience. We we talk about, you know, how this team kind of reminds us of the team almost 20 years ago, like the ‘ 06 07 Blackhawks. The the 0809 Blackhawks were were that team that went on that playoff run to the Western Conference final that didn’t wasn’t expected to to do that. So, I’m not saying that this team is going to do that, but I think you if you have the ability to play in that mindset of each game, each point matters for these young players and for the guys that have been here for a few years going through those rough periods, like that’s that’s a beneficial experience. and and yeah, maybe you miss out on adding future assets by moving a guy like Conor Murphy or Jason Dickinson or or whoever, but I think maybe keeping those guys and and and giving them that experience here in Chicago to play those meaningful games and push for a postseason spot is more valuable than having another fourth round pick or something like that. And the Blackhawks, they’ve they’ve, you know, hoarded a lot of draft assets and they’ve used a lot of them. Um, but you have going into this year’s draft, the 26 draft, you have five picks in the first two rounds. I’m willing to be flexible with those five picks, some of them, if you do want to throw it at a player that’s available at the deadline, that could be a significant upgrade to the lineup. If you’re in a position where you can push and it seems like this is a team that is doing something special and they can get into the postseason and they can maybe, you know, make that resurrection of the Hawks back up the NHL a little bit faster. I’m willing to think about adding. If I’m adding, I want to be comfortably in playoff position. Sure. like I want to be have a four or five point wildcard, you know, lead on the team behind me. Uh or, you know, the maybe the maybe it’s not the team, you know, not the ninth team, but maybe the 10th team you’re four or five points ahead of, so you are right there. If they’re outside looking in or barely hanging on to a wild card spot at that point, I don’t think I’m doing that. Again, unless it is a franchise altering kind of an acquisition, which who knows? We don’t know what that could be at this point. We don’t know which teams are going which direction, who’s going to be available. We’re far away from that. But I have to have some sort of certainty that the playoffs are a likelihood. Not like, oh, there’s an outside chance. They’re playing pretty well. Let’s see where it goes. I had to say, okay, it’s New Year’s Day. They are firmly in the playoff spot right now with no signs of slowing down. Yeah. Then I then we can start talking about adding. But as of today, I’m saying hang on to the vets. The only downside to that though is you are preventing a bave or a fondelle or a Moore or somebody from making the jump to the NHL this year. But again, there’s nothing wrong with giving these prospects some time to over marinade. They can all play in Rockford. Right. Right. So, you can do that if you have to. Um, I do think there’s more value in a run to a playoff spot than there is to a to two fourth round picks that you’re going to get for Dickson and Murphy, right? Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I I I I think it it depends on how the team is playing. I I think if you if you really have the run going and you really have the belief that it’s going to continue and and something is really cooking here, then I think you you kind of operate in the mindset of like this is this is the push. But if it’s if it’s like you’re saying like if they’re kind of just hanging on and it’s just like they might have some good games, might have some bad games and then it eventually might run out of steam then yeah then I think if you’re operating with that mindset that’s not changing your expectation and then you kind of just operate with this was a unexpected season as far as like results or standing goes but not getting ahead of your skis of like oh we tried to push for cuz that would be the worst thing is is being like we’re going to try and push and then you still this. Yeah. Then then you’re then you’re kind of it’s a swing and a miss. All right. Well, let’s hope we’re still having this discussion in mid to late December. Hope so. and we’ll revisit it then on CHGO Blackhawks.

The Chicago Blackhawks are at the end of their rebuild and are surprisingly performing at a high level this season. In this video, we break down how key players, including Connor Bedard & Frank Nazar, and strategic coaching moves are helping Chicago exceed expectations. From breakout performances to smart roster decisions, we analyze what it will take for the Blackhawks to continue turning heads. Don’t miss this deep dive into why 2025 could be the season fans didn’t see coming!

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