The Chicago Blackhawks start to February has been a rough one for fans. Poor performance and off ice reports have led to a sullen felling around the organization.
If you ask any Chicago Blackhawks fan, the first week of February brought nothing but bad news after bad news. In what has already been a rough stretch of weeks for the Chicago Blackhawks fanbase, the dam truly broke with the latest news of this week.
Why: On Ice Play
To start with, the most important factor, on ice play, was lackluster at best for Chicago. From the 25th of January to February 4th, the Chicago Blackhawks went a dismal 1-4-1, the lone win coming against the San Jose Sharks at home. Even worse for the Blackhawks, one of the few bright spots on the team seems to have picked up a long-term injury.
In the last game before the Olympic break for Columbus, Wyatt Kiaser defended a Zach Weresnki rush. As Werenski was cutting across, Sam Rinzel hit him from the side. Werenski then fell awkwardly on top of Kaiser’s knee. When asked about the injury, coach Jeff Blashill said that Kaiser would be out for “a bit”. In a team that has struggled heavily defensively so far, with Kaiser being a beacon in a grim sea of black, this is a horrible revelation.
Why: The Florida Pick
If you remember, around a year ago, the Chicago Blackhawks made a franchise-altering trade. On March 1st 2025, Chicago sent star defenseman Seth Jones for Spencer Knight and a conditional first-round pick. The reported condition at the time was that this pick would be locked in after the trade deadline. If Florida chose not to move their 2026, Chicago would keep it. If the pick was traded, the Blackhawks would then get the 2027 first-round selection.
To the surprise of many, this year, Florida has stunk it up. Bad. To the point that Chicago fans were excited about the possibility of having not one, but two lottery pick selections. Perhaps both are in the top 10. However, a rude awakening was to come.
Story continues below.
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What Happened?
On the morning of February 6th, 2026, Hockey Insider Frank Seravalli made a simple lottery projection post.
In it, he mentions that Florida’s pick was top 10 protected. Blackhawks fans on the X app were rightfully confused. This condition was not a part of the original trade, and the only condition on the pick was not fulfilled. However, beat reporters, other insiders, and roster management websites all failed to collect the knowledge that this pick truly was top 10 protected.
Blackhawks fans were rightfully outraged. In a span of 5 minutes, they went from having TWO lottery picks to not even having multiple first-rounders in this draft. Now I am not a conspirator, but here is what I do know. Franklin Seravalli is paid by the Chicago Blackhawks organization. On February 6th, Seravalli launches his new website and the first article. “Yes, Florida Panthers’ 2026 First Round Pick is Top 10 Protected.” Other beat writers such as Scott Powers and Ben Pope, as well as insiders like Eliotte Friedman, had little or no knowledge of this condition. The only report of this condition in nearly a year was from Frank’s own website. Hear it clearly states that the pick is “unprotected” while also making the claim that it is.
Why: The Draft Board
Chicago Blackhawks’ General Manager Kyle Davidson is a curious case. For the most part, his drafting is solid. Frondell at pick 3 is performing even better than expected. Sam Rinzel and Oliver Moore look to be two first-rounders who will be here a while. Frank Nazar and Connor Bedard are future stars of this league. But when Davidson misses, he misses badly. Kevin Korchinski and Artyom Levshunov are already drawing massive amounts of attention, for all the wrong reasons. Especially the Belarusian defenseman, formerly taken 2nd overall. At the time of the selection, most Chicago fans (including myself) believed that Russian forward Ivan Demidov would be the choice at number two overall. Instead of picking the forward with star potential, Kyle from Chicago went with Levshunov. Now history looks to be repeating itself.
Gavin McKenna has been nothing short of spectacular in his amateur career. 129 points in 56 games played with the Medicine Hat Tigers of the WHL. 32 points for Penn State in his freshman year. Just a bona fide stud. However, Scott Powers reported that Chicago didn’t have McKenna high on their board. To quote
“The Blackhawks weren’t likely to draft Gavin McKenna before he was charged with felony assault. It’s even less likely now.”
For reference, McKenna was involved in an incident outside a bar following the Penn State game. The felony charges have since been dropped, but the question is, have the Blackhawks already crossed his name off their list? Choosing to go with a subjectively inferior player?
Why: Bedard’s Olympic Snub
As most hockey fans know, the Olympics are once again letting NHL players compete in their games. And with that comes tough choices and roster descions some of which have been head-scratching. Perhaps none, however, have been as confusing as the omission of Connor Bedard from the Team Canada roster. In December and early January olympic rosters were released. At the time, only one Chicago Blackhawks player, Teuvo Teravainen, was elected to represent his country.
At this time, Bedard was informed to be ready for a call-up in case of injury. And thats precisley what happened. Both Brayden Point and Anthony Cirelli were injured. But Bedard’s phone never rang. Instead, Seth Jarvis and Sam Bennett were allowed to don the red and white leaf.
The Cowboy Round-Up and What’s On Tap:
In just one week, public perception around this Chicago Blackhawks team has tanked. Poor ice performance has already lowered morale. Coupled with false reporting, faithless hope, and let down by off-ice politics, this month has quickly turned into a fiasco that won’t soon be forgotten. And the worst part? On Tap for the Chicago Blackhawks is not much to wash away the bad taste. The team doesn’t resume play until February 26 due to Olympic Hockey.