Looking Ahead; How the Blackhawks Can Rebuild Their Dynasty

Despite disappointing results, the Blackhawks can still salvage the season by making the right moves ahead of the trade deadline.

The outlook of the Chicago Blackhawks’ season has continually been on the ropes. After a stretch where they picked up 6 out of 10 possible points, the Hawks find themselves back in the loss column. They have gone 1-6-1 since coming out of the All-Star break. Among those losses are 4-2 and 6-1 defeats to the Canucks and Coyotes respectively.

In both contests though, the Blackhawks have outplayed their opponents on paper. They out shot them, took less penalty minutes, and won the face-off battle in both games. Traditionally this is a winning combination, but the game is changing and it has seemingly blown by the once great dynasty.

Speed and puck-possession are the name of the game now, and as an aging group, speed is self-explanatory. But a team that was built on protecting the puck is no longer dominating the possession game and it’s costing them severely.

Duncan Keith has been one of the best two-way defensemen in the league for the past decade. He has averaged over 25 minutes of ice time since the 2007-2008 season and leads the team this year with just over 24 minutes per game.

Keith has always played the pivotal role of transition man from defense to offense for the Blackhawks. Now though, we are starting to see the wear and tear of playing 25 minutes a night and the effects it has on his game.

The blue-liner is on pace to post back-to-back 70+ giveaway seasons for the first time in his career. In fact, it could be only the fourth time in 13 seasons with more than 70 in the category. More perplexing though, is Keith’s -13 plus/minus rating. He is on pace to finish the year at -18, which would be his lowest total ever.

The Blackhawks aren’t getting any younger. The team is 12 points out of a playoff spot and sputtering through a 7-game losing streak. They have a solid, youthful group of forwards to build around, but they lack a great defensive prospect.

It’s probable that the team will land a lottery pick in this year’s draft and they could go after a top prospect there. Rasmus Dahlin likely will not fall to them, but there is a solid group of young defensemen who could be great options.

Quinn Hughes is a guy that’s comparable to Erik Karlsson. While undersized, Hughes has phenomenal speed and vision to create offense in crowded areas. He carries the puck well along the blue line and he’s great on his edges when trying to shake defenders.

Another name to know is Jared McIsaac. More of a traditional defenseman, McIsaac has a solid frame to build off of. He offers a good amount of physicality, but still displays solid vision and passing ability.

The Blackhawks certainly don’t have to wait for the draft either. The outlook for the rest of the season isn’t very bright, so they could look to move pieces like Keith or Brent Seabrook as the trade-deadline looms.