We’re officially in the dog days of the hockey offseason, with the 2023 NHL Draft in the books, and most of the major free agency signings done. Summer development camps are completed, and training camps won’t get underway until late September.
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The Chicago Blackhawks are in rebuilding mode, and their roster has seen incredible turnover in the last year. More big changes are likely on the horizon. Rebuilds can be quite frustrating and require patience. But if you look at it through the right lens, this can also be a very exciting time for a hockey club. So to get us through this slow time before the season begins, let’s look at five things to look forward to in the Blackhawks’ 2023-24 campaign.
Improvement at the Forward Position
The rebuilding Blackhawks were fortunate enough to have Patrick Kane on their roster for most of last season. Obviously, having a playmaker the likes of Kane can lead to some pretty exciting hockey. But the 34-year-old had a down year while dealing with an ongoing hip issue. He registered 16 goals and 45 points in 54 games, but even that’s a bit misleading. His totals were padded by a February where he really turned it on to prove he was a worthy trade deadline pick-up. The majority of the season Kane was a bit of a non-factor on a bad team.
Captain Jonathan Toews recorded a respectable 15 goals and 31 points in 53 games with the team. But his campaign was dampened by his own ongoing health issues. Tyler Johnson had his spurts, yet he struggled with injuries as well. Newcomers Andreas Athanasiou and Max Domi brought some talent to the table; the former for his speed and breakaway abilities and the latter for his tenacity and chemistry with Kane. Taylor Raddysh took a step in his development and finished the season tied with Athanasiou with the team-leading 20 goals. Lukas Reichel showed promise, but he only played in 23 games with the big club. Jason Dickinson and Sam Lafferty had some flashes, and Philipp Kurashev put together a decent year. But other than that, the forward corps was comprised of a lot of bottom-six players grinding it out.
This season should be a different story, and definitely an improvement of talent and potential at the forward position. It goes without saying No. 1 overall pick and generational talent Connor Bedard is going to be a player to watch. Heck, I could have easily put him in his own category of things to look forward to.
Look for Reichel to be an everyday player this season. His development should be fun to witness now that he’ll be given more free reign. Athanasiou and Raddysh are still around, with much more experience under their belt and familiarity with the Blackhawks’ system. The same goes for Dickinson and Kurashev (currently a free agent but expected to be re-signed).
Let’s move on to the veteran talent the organization added this summer. Taylor Hall is a 2010 first overall pick who boasts 20 or more goals in seven seasons of his 13-year career. Nick Foligno and Corey Perry both offer their own styles of leadership, as well as some scoring punch in the bottom-six. Ryan Donato had two solid seasons with the Seattle Kraken and will be hungry to prove himself.
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All in all, when you compare last season’s roster to this season’s, it’s a better group with more potential to succeed.
Blackhawks Evolving Defense
Unlike at the forward position, I don’t think the Blackhawks’ defense will be better than last season. There are simply too many moving parts and new prospects that will be integrated into the system. But the exciting part is that we’ll get to see them develop and evolve right before of our eyes.
Last year the Blackhawks had Jake McCabe, who boasted an excellent bounce-back season after knee surgery. Even with a bad Blackhawks’ squad, McCabe finished highest on the team with a plus/minus of plus-7. He wasn’t exactly sheltered either, playing on all three defensive pairings as needed. The veteran presence of Jack Johnson was helpful for consistency, although his stats were awful (minus-27). But again, that’s what happens on a bad team.
Seth Jones, Connor Murphy and Jarred Tinordi were staples last year and they will offer the same this coming season. But all the new blood that’s being infused into the blue line will make for some growing pains.
Many pundits have 22-year-old Alex Vlasic slotted onto the first defensive pairing with Jones. Vlasic suited up for six games last season, and looked like he was ready for the NHL. But doing it on a full-time basis will require some further acclimation.
Isaak Phillips played in 16 games, and chances are high he will compete for a full-time role as well. Other prospect options include Filip Roos (17 NHL games) and Wyatt Kaiser (nine NHL games).
Let’s not forget 19-year-old Kevin Korchinski, who was the Blackkhawks’ seventh overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft. Korchinski is coming off an excellent season with the WHL Seattle Thunderbirds. Because of Canadian Hockey League stipulations, the 19-year-old isn’t eligible to play in the American Hockey League. It’s either the NHL or back to the WHL. Without much left to prove in the WHL, many feel Korchinski will play at least part of the season with the Blackhawks. He can get his feet wet, and then return to the minors to further work on what he learned in the NHL. Obviously Korchinski will be gunning to make it a difficult decision for the organization to send him back down.
So, the Blackhawks blue line will be a work in progress next season, and they’ll have their ups and downs. Who will surprise and who will disappoint? Who will rise to the top? It will be an interesting storyline to follow.
Goalie Growth
In net, the Blackhawks have veteran Petr Mrazek penciled in as the likely starter. But Mrazek has quite the injury history, specifically with groin issues. It’s only practical for the organization to expect the 31-year-old will be out with an injury at some point. This is where predicted backup goalie Arvid Soderblom will have a chance to shine. Heck, he might just usurp Mrazek regardless of injuries.
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In 2021-22 and 2022-23, Soderblom played in 71 total games for the Rockford IceHogs. He had a combined .912 save percentage and 2.84 goals against average in those two seasons. He established himself as the go-to goaltender with the IceHogs last season, and was in net for all five of their playoff appearances. He further suited up for 15 contests with the Blackhawks last season, posting a .894 SV% and a 3.45 GAA.
Not the best NHL stats, but the consensus is the 23-year-old is ready for the big leagues. This paves the way for Jaxson Stauber and Drew Commesso to be the tandem for the IceHogs, although I would expect them to both get looks with the Blackhawks at some point. Or the organization could pick up another veteran goaltender as a bit of an insurance policy. We shall see how it all plays out, but whoever is in net will have their work cut out for them considering the developing defensive corps in front of them.
Richardson Shaping His Team
Head coach Luke Richardson has one full season under his belt with the Blackhawks. He brings a plethora of experience as a former player, an AHL head coach and an assistant coach at the NHL level. But this season was all about him getting acclimated to being the man with the final word for a team that’s part of the best league in the world.
It was a big adjustment and there was a learning curve. But I think it’s safe to say Richardson exceeded everyone’s expectations. He came in with his strong presence and calm but confident demeanor, as well as established himself as someone who cares. He proved to the players that he could be trusted, and in turn they gave him everything they had.
Richardson has a way with the younger players, but he’s also respected by the veterans. He was somehow able to get more overall out of his ragtag squad than the sum of its parts. And in the meantime, he was developing a culture of open communication, teamwork and accountability.
Did I mention it was Richardson’s first year last season?! If that’s any indication, there’s nowhere to go but up. He happy with the path of the team, but it’s just the beginning. “This is the direction (in which) we wanted to start. And that’s what it is. It’s a start.”
Richardson and his staff will have a lot more weapons to work with this coming campaign, and they now have that much more experience themselves. It’s encouraging to see how far they’ve come, and what they’ll accomplish in the future.
The Wow Factor for the Blackhawks
Taking a look at the big picture, the Blackhawks should be a really fun team to watch next season. They’ll have the No. 1 overall pick in Bedard, an 18-year-old phenom. There will be a multitude of prospects on offense, defense and in net finding their way in the NHL. They’ll have veterans who’ve been strategically placed to help the youngsters and jumpstart the rebuild. Everyone will have something to prove. Add in a coaching staff that’s motivated to take the next step in the Blackhawks’ development, and suddenly there’s a plethora of reasons to tune in.
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Sure, there are still a lot of holes and improvements to be made. Young players will lack talent and have growing pains. The team will need to work hard to become a cohesive unit in all phases of play. But overall they should be better than they were last season. Hopefully the players will build chemistry, and some of those intangibles will fall into place. I predict more winning this season than last, and more general excitement surrounding the Blackhawks. Who will establish themselves as the leaders? Who will dig deep and be the next man up when needed? Who’s going to wow us with their play?!
It all starts on Oct. 10!