Why the Blackhawks are closer to contention than you think

The Chicago Blackhawks are a lot closer to being a problem than many would like to believe. With Seth Jones‘ contract cleared from the books and two premium assets acquired in return after his trade to Florida, Chicago has many key components of a Stanley Cup contender.

The reason they seem far from that description? Many of those components are not of legal drinking age in the United States. Much has been made of Connor Bedard‘s frustration this season, but he’s a 19-year-old phenom who is used to dominating and having team success. This type of losing is new for someone as ultracompetitive as Bedard. Patience is a virtue.

But the potential for Chicago’s results to improve quickly is high, especially with the rising NHL salary cap giving the team the ability to sign high-impact free agents to complement Bedard and the rest of the young group.

“You need a lot to win a Cup. To have a puncher’s chance, you need an elite center [or two], an elite defenseman, a reliable second pair and good goaltender,” an Eastern Conference executive said. “That’s a good formula to go on. You can have a lot of good pieces, but if you don’t have the key pieces, you’re in trouble. The prevailing belief in hockey is that elite talent is hard to come by, unless you draft it.”

Based on drafting early in the first round for the past few seasons, the Blackhawks appear to have found what could be a championship core. A former team executive noted that while it’s good to be aggressive in free agency, nailing draft picks is the most critical part of team-building.

“It is rare that a Jack Eichel or a Sam Reinhart become available. Look at Tampa. They’ve made changes, but they don’t win a single Cup without the guys they drafted. Stamkos, Hedman, Vasilevskiy, Point, Kucherov and Cirelli. Not just first-round guys, you have to find guys outside the first round, too,” the executive said. “[Chicago] have had plenty of top picks and I expect many of those players to be impact players in this league. If they can bring along some of their midround picks, they’ll be in business.”

BEDARD CHECKS ALL the boxes as an elite center. He’s still developing and there’s a long way to go until he reaches his potential, but no one should be doubting the centerpiece of Chicago’s organization.

Bedard’s development this season has been fun to watch. His defensive game will need to improve, but he’s starting to put the offensive side of his game together with very little help. Nathan MacKinnon wasn’t a point-per-game player until his fifth season. He scored 38 in 64 games during his second season, and Bedard has 49 through 61 through his. Not everyone is going to be Connor McDavid the moment they step into the league, and the Avalanche will be the first to tell you that patience is worth it for players such as MacKinnon and Bedard.

The second piece for a Cup contender is an elite defenseman. With Jones gone, there will be plenty of opportunity for Chicago’s young defensemen to get important minutes.

Artyom Levshunov — the No. 2 pick in 2024 — has really come along in the AHL this season, and his production is starting to reflect it. The 6-foot-2, right-handed defenseman has recorded 21 points through 48 games, and makes quality defensive plays on a nightly basis. His skating is a tremendous asset, enabling him to track down some of the league’s quickest skaters. He’s playing major minutes at even strength and on both special teams, and is learning to impose his will on opponents. There is no need to rush him to the NHL because if he continues on this path, there is a real chance he’s a staple on Chicago’s top pair for a long time.

Looking ahead to the 2025 draft, if Chicago wins the lottery and gets to select No. 1, there’s an impact defenseman available. By adding Erie Otters blueliner Matthew Schaefer, my No. 1 prospect, they will be set for more than a decade on the back end. Schaefer is expected to be an elite, all-situations defenseman in the NHL, meaning that Chicago might be looking at the next Cale Makar/Nathan MacKinnon type of dynamic duo.

Pairing Schaefer with Levshunov has the potential to be one of the best tandems in the NHL if both players reach 85% of their projected ceiling. Even without Schaefer, Levshunov is capable of being the elite defenseman that a Cup contender needs.

The third part of the equation is a reliable second pair. Alex Vlasic has shown he’s more than capable of playing big minutes and is exactly the type of player you want anchoring the second pair. He’s playing admirably on the top pair, and could be a long-term solution with Levshunov. He’s signed through 2029-30 with a $4.6 million average annual value — a great deal for the Blackhawks, given the rising salary cap.

Kevin Korchinski and Ethan Del Mastro are also contenders to be part of a quality second pair. Del Mastro is holding his own in that spot as a 22-year-old, and could be a shutdown type with his size and skating ability. Korchinski is an excellent skater who can produce points. The 20-year-old is an effective defender in transition and makes quality plays under pressure. His puck-moving abilities should see him become an effective second-pair defender who can score 40-plus points per season, if his defensive zone play continues to improve.

A GOOD GOALTENDER is important, especially in the playoffs. Sergei Bobrovsky, Adin Hill and Andrei Vasilevskiy were standouts for their respective teams in their recent Stanley Cup wins.

Chicago has a few goaltenders in the system who have potential, but the acquisition of Spencer Knight is a major step forward for the organization. He was fantastic in his first start, making 41 saves in a 5-1 win against the Los Angeles Kings.

In his 23-year-old season, Knight has a .912 save percentage in 24 games, good for ninth in the NHL. He’s most certainly going to face more difficult shots and scoring chances in Chicago than he did in Florida, but Knight has developed into a solid goaltender. He’s capable of being a platoon starter and there is potential for him to become a quality No. 1 in the next two seasons.

Arvid Soderblom has a respectable .906 this season and could be a capable 1B to Knight. Drew Commesso and Adam Gajan are in the system but might be a few years away. Goaltending development is difficult to project, but the more cracks you have at it, the better off the organization will be.

SERIOUS CONTENDERS NEED good players beyond that core group. Chicago has a few young players who are already playing in the NHL, and an extensive group of prospects on the cusp.

• Frank Nazar has potential to be an impactful offensive player. He was over a point-per-game pace in the AHL, and has scored 14 points in 32 NHL games.

• Colton Dach and Lukas Reichel are finding their way as complementary players in the bottom six.

• Oliver Moore, Sacha Boisvert and Nick Lardis could become middle-six forwards for Chicago, with well-rounded offensive toolboxes and in Moore’s case, breakneck speed.

• Sam Rinzel is a big defenseman with a solid transition game who could fit nicely on Chicago’s bottom pair in the next couple of seasons.

Chicago has the key pieces that many contenders want to have — and none of them are older than 23. The team is incredibly young, with stocked prospect cupboards that can be used to acquire proven NHL talent via trade.

Not only that, but with the amount of cap space at their disposal, the Blackhawks will be able to go after big-name free agents should the likes of Mitch Marner or Mikko Rantanen be available July 1. There is a real possibility that Chicago is much better next season, especially if it makes a splash in free agency.

If the Blackhawks don’t, they still will take a step forward, with eyes on contending for a playoff spot in 2026-27. At that point, Bedard and Levshunov will be 21, Knight will be 25 and whomever they draft in 2025 will be 19 or 20. The window for the Blackhawks hasn’t opened yet, but it’s coming soon. And when it does, it might be open for a very long time.