Led by Connor Bedard, the Chicago Blackhawks' rebuild is showing the right signs
DETROIT, Michigan – Sunday felt like it should have been a scheduled loss for the Chicago Blackhawks.
They were completing a six-game road trip that went across Western Canada, then jumped to the Eastern Time zone for a Sunday matinee in Detroit, effectively forcing the team to play a game at what felt like 11 am, coming out of the mountain time zone.
Injuries were also starting to have an impact. Frank Nazar took warmups but was unavailable, so the Blackhawks went with a bit of a disjointed 11-7 lineup.
They won 5-1.
Connor Bedard scored again, he’s now tied for second in the NHL with 25 points through 16 games. Artyom Levshunov had a pair of assists, and Oliver Moore scored his first NHL goal with 16 seconds remaining as an exclamation point on the win.
For all of the struggles the Blackhawks have dealt with during the rebuild, admittedly by their own design, Sunday was a glimpse into the future and a statement win – even if Detroit had a massive edge in shots on goal.
Good teams find ways to win bad games and make the most out of difficult situations. For the first time in the Bedard era, the Blackhawks seem to be doing that.
And on Sunday, Chicago did it with their back-up goalie, Arvid Soderblom, playing his best game of the season. They did so with special teams efficiency: a perfect 3-for-3 power play and 5-for-5 penalty kill. The Blackhawks also played to the score, understanding a third-period lead and limiting risks to get back to Chicago with a three-game win streak intact.
There’s a long time between now and April, but through 16 games, the Blackhawks are out-pacing everyone in the Central Division outside of the Stanley Cup-contending Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche.
For Chicago, it’s an exercise in some patience paying off, and allowing players to find their fit, right or wrong, at the NHL level. Levshunov is a great example. He continues to roll the dice too much in his decision-making, but he’s been trusted to learn from his mistakes. After a humbling scratch in the home opener, something Levshunov said he learned from, he’s added some more personal accountability.
The Blackhawks also seem to have the right fit of older players for this group, the types of insulators on and off the ice that allow the younger players to grow. Nick Foligno’s game has slowed, but he’s still the reliable “team dad” type that several younger players lean on. Tyler Bertuzzi has found a spot a way to mesh well with Bedard, albeit chaotically, creating more soft openings for the Blackhawks' cornerstone to work in.
Given Spencer Knight’s play, their goaltending has also been dynamic, ever since the netminder arrived in a trade from the Florida Panthers last season.
It’s interesting watching all of this through the lens of Blackhawks coach Jeff Blashill, who was previously tasked with leading, and failing to deliver, the proper rebuild in Detroit.
In Detroit, Blashill’s success with younger players was limited, as there was too much belief from the top in over-ripening players. The Red Wings may have it figured out, but the philosophy feels like only something Detroit knows how to leverage into results.
Blashill understands the stakes and how quickly the coach becomes the fall guy. He still took the Chicago job knowing he would rise or fall with Bedard, Nazar, and company.
It’s probably not enough for the playoffs this season. Many of the behemoths in the Western Conference are still going to get churning. But after some sour Novembers in Chicago, you can at least see the vision of where it all will eventually end up.