Do not look now but the Chicago Blackhawks are in the middle of a three-game win streak. Sure it is super early in the season but the Blackhawks were expected to be one of the worst teams in the NHL if not the worst team.
Yet, the Chicago Blackhawks already have six points in the standings through five games. The Hawks are pouring in the goals with 14 scored during the win streak.
The Blackhawks have surrendered the first goal in all five of their games but have come out on top in three of them.
The Chicago Blackhawks are the best team in the NHL in scoring when shorthanded. They are currently fifth in the league scoring on the power play.
Max Domi has three goals and Jason Dickinson is a plus-two. Sam Lafferty is tied for the team lead in points with five.
Lafferty has been playing well and is showing he can be a solid piece for the team’s future. Philipp Kurashev is skating well and Jujhar Khaira’s return from last season’s injury is a welcome sight.
It is still way too early to start dreaming of a Stanley Cup parade. The Chicago Blackhawks’ recent winning streak is probably a mirage. The Blackhawks are in the middle of a tanking season. General manager Kyle Davidson completely tore down the roster to the studs.
If Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews did not have no-movement clauses, they probably would have been traded away for prospects or picks before the season started. Tanking is never fun to sit through so when the Chicago Blackhawks win a game, savor it.
Every win chips away at the Chicago Blackhawks’ chances of winning the Draft Lottery.
The prize for winning the lottery is the opportunity to select Connor Bedard. The dynamic forward has a chance to impact the Blackhawks in a way that only Patrick Kane has done.
Even if the Hawks lose out on the No.1 overall pick, getting pick two or three is a nice consolation prize. A team can select Adam Fantilli who is lighting it up at the University of Michigan.
Matvei Michkov is the other prized prospect of the 2023 class. Teams would have to wait until 2026 for him to come over from the KHL. He is signed through the 2025-2026 season but he has the skill and speed that Davidson desires in a player.
These are three players with the ability to be the cornerstone of a Stanley Cup-winning team and end up in the Hall of Fame.
Bedard is the best of the three. A skilled player who is on pace to score 57 goals and register 62 assists this season for the Regina Pats of the WHL.
Right now the Chicago Blackhawks are not even in the picture to land Bedard. While it would be nice to watch the Blackhawks make a surprise run to the playoffs, goalie Petr Mrazek does not really have the ability to stand on his head and lead the Hawks on a Stanley Cup run.
The Blackhawks have started to replenish their prospect pool but they could really use Bedard or Fantilli to be the foundational piece for this rebuild. Winning only diminishes the Blackhawks’ chances of landing these skilled players.
At the same time, the Chicago Blackhawks have not legitimately made the playoffs since the 2017 season. They did make the expanded playoffs field in 2020 but if were not for a pandemic, the Blackhawks would have not come close to the playoffs.
The Stanley Cup playoffs are the one tournament where everyone who makes it has a chance to win the whole thing.
If the season opener against the Colorado Avalanche is any indication, the Hawks might have the smallest odds and it would be better to tank for Bedard. Plus, this roster is not good enough to sustain this success throughout the season.
The need to tank for a better future over the joy of winning today is the ultimate conflict for the Chicago Blackhawks this season.
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October 25, 2022 at 10:28PM
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There will be conflict when the Chicago Blackhawks win this season - Da Windy City
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