The Chicago Blackhawks wrapped up their season on Tuesday with a 4-3 win over the Ottawa Senators. The Blackhawks are entering the offseason on a two-game winning streak.
However, the winning streak is little consolation for a season where they ended with a 25-46-11 record, the second-worst in the NHL.
The Chicago Blackhawks had a conflict
Per Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times, there appeared to be conflict between veterans and young players on the Blackhawks, especially as ice time was given to the youth toward the end of the season. Interim head coach Anders Sorensen hinted at issues in the locker room between veterans and the up-and-comers.
“There were bad stretches throughout the year, and there were different reasons for that,” Sorensen said. “I think there’s a lot of undercurrent that people don’t know about, that goes behind [the scenes], that nobody’s going to talk about.”
This Anders Sorensen quote today was interesting: "There were bad stretches throughout the year, and there were different reasons for that. I think there's a lot of undercurrent that people don't know about, that goes behind [the scenes], that nobody's going to talk about."
I…
— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) April 17, 2025
Dominic James turned down a contract
© Timothy Arrick/For the Livingston Daily / USA TODAY NETWORK
Some young players appeared deterred by the lack of progress the Blackhawks made in Connor Bedard’s second season in Chicago.
Per Pope, general manager Kyle Davidson said forward prospect Dominic James turned down an opportunity with the Blackhawks and will head into free agency.
“Davidson says the Blackhawks offered Dominic James a ‘pretty (expletive) good opportunity,/ but it currently seems like he’s going to free agency in August. ‘No ill will,'” Pope posted on X.
The Blachawks selected James in the sixth round of the 2022 draft. He was expected to spend the next season with the Rockford IceHogs after a standout career with the Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs.
The team captain finished his college career with 77 points on 30 goals and 47 assists. He scored 14 goals and 16 assists in his last season with the Bulldogs.
Now James is headed to free agency for a chance to sign with a team in a better position than one that appointed a coach with no experience to head coach of the IceHogs this season, when Sorensen took over the Blackhawks after Luke Richardson was fired.
For More Chicago Sports:
Follow me on Twitter at @JordanSig, and follow us @ChiCitySports23. You can also reach out to Jordan Sigler via email at jordanmsigler@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in ALL of Chicago sports, click here! Chicago Bears, Chicago Bulls, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Chicago Blackhawks.
Chicago Blackhawks GM had a serious health scare
Read MoreFor More Great Chicago Sports Content
Get the latest Chicago sports news, analysis, and breaking stories on the Bears, Bulls, Blackhawks, Cubs, White Sox, Sky, and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News, so you never miss a story on your favorite Chicago teams.
Follow us on Twitter at @chicitysports23 for more great content. We appreciate you taking time to read our articles. To interact more with our community and keep up to date on the latest in Chicago sports news, JOIN OUR FREE FACEBOOK GROUP by CLICKING HERE
