The Chicago Blackhawks finished with the second-fewest points in the NHL last season, only having more than the San Jose Sharks. Heading into 2025-2026, it doesn’t look like their offseason did anything to give anyone a reason to expect a better performance.
NHL insider grades Chicago Blackhawks offseason
The Chicago Blackhawks were purposefully quiet during free agency. Despite being active in the draft, even making two first-round picks, this team is not well positioned to improve on its 2024-25 finish, meaning they will probably be back atop the lottery again.
Bleacher Report’s Adam Gretz gave them a D-. Only one team, the Los Angeles Kings, got worse than that. “The Blackhawks were again one of the NHL’s worst teams during the 2024-25 season and have not taken any meaningful steps to change that,” he said.
While the team did bring in André Burakovsky and Sam Lafferty as the biggest additions, they don’t move the needle in the short term or the long term. Gretz added, “Chicago’s plan here seems to be throwing all of its young players and prospects to the wolves in the hopes that they will improve and start making an impact.”
Some of the young players will get better and play well, but plenty will struggle, and this could end up being a total “disaster” for Chicago. “The Blackhawks won fewer games in Connor Bedard’s second season than they did in the year they tanked to draft him. It would not be a surprise if they do that again this season,” he added.
“Prospects offer intrigue, but they are still lottery tickets. The reality is this team stinks and did nothing to remove that scent,” Gretz brutally concluded. The Blackhawks want to give their young players a chance, but that doesn’t seem like a good idea if the team wants to be competitive.
They may not, especially with so many young players and with Gavin McKenna, a generational prospect, coming into the NHL in the next draft. Perhaps it’s all calculated, but the team is still in a bad place right now.
Chicago Blackhawks insider cautions against current tank job
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