NHL’s Top Issues Facing the Chicago Blackhawks: Bedard’s Sophomore Year, New Veterans and Hall
Welcome to a new edition of THN.com’s series examining the top issues for each NHL team. We began this series last week, and today, we’re looking at three top issues facing the Chicago Blackhawks. 1. What will the second year of the Connor Bedard Era look like? The rookie season of phenom Connor Bedard went more or less exactly as expected, except for the broken jaw that sidelined the youngster for 14 games.
But now, at age 19, Bedard will continue his ascent up the NHL food chain and carry the Blackhawks up the standings with him. Bedard’s 2023-24 totals of 22 goals and 61 points should increase significantly, with him becoming a point-per-game player over an 82-game schedule. Having more talented veterans on Chicago’s roster will only help Bedard, but let’s face it – it’s not as if he needs the help of others to be great.
Bedard’s instincts, skill set on offense and drive to succeed are precisely what the all-time greats are made of, and his sophomore NHL season will only underscore his impact on the Hawks as an organization and the league itself. It won’t be long until Bedard is pushing into the 100-point range – maybe not this coming season, but who knows, maybe it will happen sooner than later. Betting against Bedard is not a good idea, as he will show people the hype around him is well-justified.
2. Will Chicago’s slew of veteran additions make a difference in their pursuit of a playoff berth? Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson spent much of his salary cap space this summer on a bunch of experienced hands, including forwards Tyler Bertuzzi, Teuvo Teravainen, Ilya Mikheyev, Craig Smith and Pat Maroon, as well as defensemen Alec Martinez and T.J. Brodie and goalie Laurent Brossoit. While those additions should help Chicago improve on last season’s 23-53-6 record, it’s still highly unlikely the Hawks will be a playoff team. In the more competitive Central Division, Chicago must be significantly better just to get to the fringes of the playoff race.
Davidson is undoubtedly looking at the bigger picture to improve his group. Still, the reality is it’s challenging to make major competitive steps when you’ve fallen out of the playoff race. Ask the Detroit Red Wings, Buffalo Sabres and Ottawa Senators, among other teams, how tough it is to reclaim past glories. This isn’t to say it will never get better in Chicago, but rather, only to suggest it will take a good while longer before the Blackhawks are legitimate playoff threats. 3. Can Taylor Hall stay healthy?
With a $6-million salary, Hall is the Hawks’ top-paid forward, but the 32-year-old has been injury-prone in recent years, posting just one 81-game season in the past six seasons. And last year – his first in Chicago – lasted only 10 games before he was sidelined for the rest of the season. The Blackhawks were counting on Hall being a high-impact player on Bedard’s line, but it simply wasn’t to be. Now, as he enters a contract year, Hall will be under pressure to stay in the lineup and get back close to the 39-goal, 93-point season he posted in 2017-18 in New Jersey. If Hall can rebound with a strong year, he’s going to be highly valuable, maybe even as a trade chip at the deadline to a Cup contender. But if that doesn’t happen, he’ll likely stay on the roster and move on to a more competitive franchise – on a much cheaper salary – next summer. Hall has to show teams, the Hawks included, that he can remain healthy or face the label of a delicate asset. It’s really that simple.
