The Chicago Blackhawks can learn a lot from the New Jersey Devils

The Chicago Blackhawks are amongst the worst teams in the NHL. They entered play this weekend with the worst points percentage in the NHL. With Connor Bedard in their sights, there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Of course, it would be nice to land a player like that because he is a generational talent (which is not a phrase that should get thrown around too often). The players on the team don’t care about that but you can bet that management does.

Their latest game came on Saturday night against the New Jersey Devils. Jonathan Toews, who knows a thing or two about tanking a rebuilding, made his return to the lineup on Saturday.

To be honest, all you have to do is look over to that Devils team to see why being really bad for a few years can help you if you are smart.

The Devils were one of the worst teams in the NHL for about ten years. If it weren’t for one miraculous Hart Trophy-winning season from Taylor Hall in 2017-18, they’d be working on their 11th straight season without a postseason berth.

The Chicago Blackhawks can learn a lot from the New Jersey Devils.

Because they were so bad, they got to make some very impactful draft picks near the top. They won the draft lottery twice which landed them both Nico Hischier and Jack Hughes. They are their two best players and will be there down the middle for a long time.

They also drafted some other impactful players that are in their lineup really high. Some of them aren’t even in the lineup yet which is very exciting for that organization. As it comes together even more, the losing will have been worth it.

They have also been really good at drafting with their other picks. Some of them even helped them make a trade for a guy like Timo Meier. This is a big part of it in addition to the high picks.

The Blackhawks should have taken some notes as they took a beating from them by a final score of 6-3. A lot of the players that have been mentioned here were huge in winning the game.

The Blackhawks will be selecting really high but the lottery balls will determine how high. Either way, it would be nice to see them earn the best chances at the top pick. If they do, things will change for a long time (again, just look at New Jersey).