3 Bright Spots in a Disastrous Chicago Blackhawks Season

Kantserov is also only one of two Blackhawks (Connor Bedard is obviously the other) to have double-digit point totals, with 11 points. He’s not great defensively, which most rookies aren’t, but he has consistently found the back of the net.

If and when the Blackhawks turn things around, Kantserov is going to be one of the focal points. He’s in the thick of the Calder Trophy race right now with easily the worst supporting cast of any of the other serious candidates.

Anton Frondell Is a Foundational Piece

While there is no hope for this season, there is another piece of solace the Blackhawks can take from this disaster: they have their top two centers. Bedard is obviously the face of the franchise, a guy who should be near the top of the league in scoring regularly. Behind him will be Frondell, who is shaping up to be a strong second-lin center.

Just 19 years old, Frondell has already become the team’s top matchup center. He plays against the best of the opposition on a nightly basis and holds his own for the most part. He sometimes sturggls, but that’s what happens when you lean heavily on a 19-year-old who isn’t a generational talent.

Frondell has shown everything needed to be a very good player in the NHL. Through 18 games, he has a respectable eight points on a team that simply cannot score outside of two guys. He showed everything he could be in a 5-4 win over the Boston Bruins, dominating possession while scoring two goals. The future is bright for Frondell, especially if the Blackhawks find a way to support him and Bedard.

Jeff Blashill Is Going to Be Fired Whether He Knows It or Not

This headline might fly in the face of recent statements by the franchise that they will stick with Blashill and general manager Kyle Davidson. It definitely doesn’t feel the right move even if the team is saying that they are not panicking.

The simple fact of the matter is that if the Blackhawks continue to play this poorly, a vote of confidence isn’t going to save him. Sure, it’s just his second season behind the bench in Chicago, but there isn’t even a smidge of progress through his first 100 games, of which his club has won just 33.

It feels very clear that the Blashill experiment – which fizzled out in Detroit when he was with the Red Wings – is not working. Blackhawks management can pretend to be patient and calm, but this is the kind of season where heads will inevitably roll.

Honorable Mention: Another Top Pick

Since this is a rebuild, another top pick couldn’t hurt, right? So, while it might not be ideal to be languishing at the bottom of the standings once again, it could be worse. Even with Artyom Levshunov showing real signs of progression, it certainly wouldn’t hurt to land someone like Landon DuPont.

Sure, the Blackhawks would have to then develop whoever they pick and that has proven to be a major issue, but why ruin things by getting too far ahead of ourselves? There’s plenty enough to be negative about this season as it is.