Blackhawks Have Long Road Back to Playoffs

The Chicago Blackhawks will miss the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the fifth year in a row.

Mar 15, 2025; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Chicago Blackhawks forward Connor Bedard (98) shoots during warm up prior to a game against the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images / Bob Frid-Imagn Images

The Chicago Blackhawks knew what they were signing up for when they entered this lengthy rebuild.

Chicago (20-40-9) was mathematically eliminated from the playoff picture following their 3-1 loss to the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday night. The Blackhawks last made the playoffs in 2020, but even then, they were the No. 12 seed in the bubble and made it to the playoffs by winning a qualifying series. The last time they made the playoffs under the regular format came in 2017, when they fell to the Nashville Predators in a shocking first-round sweep.

Make no mistake, this elimination comes as no surprise whatsoever.

Mar 7, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Blackhawks center Connor Bedard (98) celebrates after scoring the winning goal during the overtime period at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images / Matt Marton-Imagn Images

The Blackhawks have some good young players, with former No. 1 overall pick Connor Bedard leading the way, but a good portion of their roster consists of veteran filler pieces. Players such as 36-year-old Pat Maroon, 37-year-old Alec Martinez and 34-year-old T.J. Brodie are in Chicago mainly to give the prospects time to develop in the minor leagues, even if some of them have played decent hockey this season.

The Blackhawks' deficiencies are most notable on defense and in net. They rank 30th in both goals against per game (3.54) and shots allowed per game (31.5), and it's hard to win with numbers like that, even with the offense being significantly better than last season.

That said, this season hasn't been all bad.

Bedard has struggled at times, but for the most part, the 19-year-old phenom is coming along as expected. He leads the team with 54 points (19 goals, 35 assists) in 69 games, and is creating easily the most scoring chances of anyone on the roster. Once Chicago improves and gets him some better linemates, Bedard should become one of the league's brightest stars.

Chicago also continued to acquire futures by trading away players such as Taylor Hall, Seth Jones, Petr Mrazek and Craig Smith before the deadline. As a result, they now have two first-round picks and two second-round picks in the 2025 NHL Draft, as well as two first-round picks and three second-round picks in 2026.

In the trade that sent Jones to the Florida Panthers, the Blackhawks also acquired a potential goalie of the future in 23-year-old Spencer Knight. The former first-round pick's early results in Chicago have been encouraging, as he has a .909 save percentage and a 2.84 goals against average in six games.

This rebuild has been long and painful, but the Blackhawks are doing what they need to in order to eventually return to contention.

Make sure you bookmark Breakaway On SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, recruiting coverage, and more!

• Capitals Turnaround Fueled By Perfect Complimentary Pieces
• Canadiens Forward Playing Through Grief
• Sabres Score Dreaded Own Goal
• Oilers Lose Multiple Stars to Injury
• Capitals Clinch First NHL Playoff Spot