The Chicago Blackhawks have missed the playoffs for 5 years now. The last time they made it was 2020, and even then they were eliminated in the first round. It’s pretty on par with Chicago sports right now as a whole… BUT let me tell you why There is Always Next Year!

The NHL Draft lottery is only a few days away, and the Blackhawks have the second best odds at the number one overall pick. Hopefully this is the last time for a long time that fans eagerly await what pick the lottery balls tell us. The Hawks may not be in the playoffs (again) but the show is about to begin. Will they get Michael Misa in the draft? What kind of splash will be made in free agency? Who will their new coach be? I’m locked in and ready for the ride.

GM Kyle Davidson has three drafts under his belt with a fourth to come in a few days. Say what you want about the guy- he can draft. Because of this, the rebuild is looking very promising. Over his last 3 drafts, he has signed some serious talent- some of whom are already showing off their skills at the NHL level. Since 2022, Kyle Davidson has had 6 of his 8 first round picks appear in an NHL game. Those 6 are Connor Bedard (obviously), Kevin Korchinski, Frank Nazar, Sam Rinzel, Oliver Moore, and Artyom Levshunov. Each of which appear to be serious competitors who can contribute for years to come- especially Frank Nazar.

Nazar is going to be a difference maker in Chicago for (hopefully) a very long time. His speed is elite and that allows him to create more scoring chances. Towards the end of the season you could see he was getting more comfortable and confident in his abilities. He finished the season with 8 points in the teams last 9 games- and that included 5 goals. Nazar ended his season with 26 points in 53 games and a 44.6% faceoff percentage, and you have a feeling he’s only going to get better.

The Blackhawks started the season as the 5th-oldest team in the NHL and ended it as the one of the 5 youngest teams in the league. Its exciting to think about considering you still have prospects like Nick Lardis, Sacha Boisvert, and Drew Commesso all knocking on the door as well.

So now, Blackhawks fans, we wait. We wait to see what pick we have, we wait to see who signs as a free agent, and we eagerly await to find out who the next head coach will be. With David Carle withdrawing his name from consideration, the team should pivot towards one of Jon Cooper or Mike Sullivan. Start the prayer circles now for a perfect offseason- starting with the Blackhawks drafting Misa.

There is a lot of kool-aid to be drinking right now in Chicago between the Cubs, Bears, and Blackhawks- and I am drinking every drop of it.