Chicago Blackhawks 2023-24 NHL Season Preview

Chicago Blackhawks 2023-24 NHL Season Preview

Last season was undeniably a success for the Chicago Blackhawks. Oh, they didn’t succeed on the ice, of course. The Blackhawks were just as bad as they were designed to be, struggling throughout the entire season en route to a 30th-place finish. But that turned out to be the magic spot for getting the lottery balls sealing generational prospect Connor Bedard’s NHL fate. The last time Chicago leap-frogged its way to the top of the draft to snag a highly talented scoring forward, it capitulated them on a stretch of three Stanley Cup wins in six seasons.

Time will tell whether a similar run of success is in the cards for the Bedard era. It won’t be happening this year, of course; even in Jonathan Toews‘ and Patrick Kane‘s rookie season, Chicago wasn’t a playoff-caliber team. They won’t be that in 2023-24. The bigger plot line for the Blackhawks this season is tracking the development of their young players, Bedard especially, to try and bring about brighter days as soon as (responsibly) possible.

Line Combinations (Via Daily Faceoff)

New Faces

Making the No. 1 pick is always an exciting moment for an organization. But the stakes raise even higher when a player like Connor Bedard is the reward. He’s probably the third most hyped No. 1 pick of the salary cap era behind Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid. Pretty good comparables. It will be interesting to see how Chicago uses its new shiny toy. A lot of the time, teams will start their best young talent on the second or third line to ease them into the difficult life of playing in the NHL. Bedard may be talented enough to be a rare exception to that rule, though.

To make life easier wherever he plays, GM Kyle Davidson acquired some reinforcements on shrewd buy-low moves. Ok, he didn’t exactly spend low on Nick Foligno and Corey Perry. But the cap is hardly a factor right now for the Blackhawks. Only Anaheim has more space to spend than Chicago. They’ll provide some nice leadership help for Bedard and other young talents and should be fine bottom-sixers. Ryan Donato is a nice buy-low candidate; he’s flashed skill at times, but the Blackhawks will be his fifth team in six seasons at age 27. He’ll try to be this year’s version of Max Domi, who parlayed a 49-point-in-60-game stretch in Chicago into a deep playoff run with the Stars and a nice contract in Toronto.

The big catch, however, is Taylor Hall. It’s not often you can acquire a former Hart Trophy winner one season removed from putting up 61 points. Hall’s under contract at a pricey $6 million cap hit until 2025, which is why Boston was willing to part ways with him (an underwhelming 2022-23 didn’t help matters). He’s undeniably Chicago’s best winger and should aid the development of Bedard, Lukas Reichel and others.

3 Players to Watch

1. Connor Bedard – Sometimes, the obvious answer is the right one. 71 goals and 143 points in 57 WHL games. Nine goals and 23 points in seven games at the World Juniors. Too many jaw-dropping highlights to count. Enough said.
2. Lukas Reichel – Bedard isn’t the only high-level youngster on the Blackhawks, of course. Drafted 17th overall in 2020, there are high expectations for the German winger as well. He looked up to the task of fulfilling them last season, tallying 15 points in 23 games on a team devoid of high-end talent. He’ll be a full-time NHLer for the first time this season and look to show Chicago has at least one Robin to its new Batman.
3. Kevin Korchinski – Speaking of young talents looking to establish themselves in the show, Korchinski has a strong chance to make Chicago out of camp in his draft-plus-two season. He scored 73 points in 54 games on the backend for the WHL’s Seattle Thunderbirds last year and is a smooth-operating blue-liner who plays a game made for the modern NHL. He may not be playing top-pair minutes right out of the chute. But Korchinski is a key part of Chicago’s future — and present.

Riser and Faller

Riser: Taylor Raddysh once looked like he would be a key part of the Tampa Bay Lightning’s future. The 2016 second-rounder worked his way to the NHL in 2021-22 but was sent to Chicago as part of the Brandon Hagel trade. However, that could wind up being a long-term positive for Raddysh, who would’ve been buried on Tampa Bay’s depth chart. Last year, he finished tied with Andreas Athanasiou for the team lead in goals with 20. Not bad for your second full NHL campaign.

Faller: Speaking of former Lightning players, Tyler Johnson is playing for his NHL future this season. He’ll be a UFA when it ends. The 32-year-old’s two seasons in Chicago have been plagued by injuries that have prevented him from seeing whether any bit of the excellent complementary piece he was in Tampa Bay is still in him. Nothing is guaranteed about Johnson’s future. A strong 2023-24 season would likely change that.

The Big Question

Just how good is Bedard going to be? A great first season isn’t a pre-requisite for a first-overall pick to develop into a star. Look at Jack Hughes — 21 points in year one, 99 in year four. But it’s always better to build on hype rather than let it bury you. Given the previous two top picks (Alexis Lafrenière and Juraj Slafkovský haven’t gotten off to the smoothest NHL starts, that adds a little bit more pressure for Bedard to shine from day one.

The Verdict

Chicago should once again finish at, or at least near, the bottom of the Central Division and NHL standings. Their fans will hardly care if Bedard and the rest of Chicago’s prospects are as advertised, though. The Blackhawks have some semblance of hope after some dark years on the ice and even darker revelations off of it. Maintaining it will be harder, which is what makes it the focus of their season.

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Advanced Stats via Natural Stat Trick and MoneyPuck.com; Contracts via CapFriendly