2017-18 record: 33-39-10 (73 points)
Missed the playoffs
Captain: Jonathan Toews
This is a time that many Chicago Blackhawks fans don't want to face, but reality hit them hard last year and now, it may be coming again, only for more than just a year. The Blackhawks will have to rebuild their pipeline, and to do, they will have to deal with depth issues up and down the lineup for the forseeable future. What's the good news? Patrick Kane is still here, which gives them some semblance of a chance to succeed.
Unfortunately, Kane was the majority of the offense, as the likes of Jonathan Toews, Brandon Saad, and Duncan Keith all had off years by their standards. Even worse, Keith and Brent Seabrook crumbled under the weight of having to carry a defense that sorely lacked depth and talent behind them. As a result, the Blackhawks were in the bottom third of both allowing and scoring goals. Whereas the majority of the core struggled, a couple of rookies played very well, tying for second in team scoring. While Alex DeBrincat got all the headlines for Chicago rookies, Nick Schmaltz was quietly effective and has a future as a second line center behind Toews, provided Toews rediscovers his form. The blue line only really gained a Brandon Manning that does absolutely nothing of note other than provide a warm body. In goal is where things really need to come together, as the team fell apart when Corey Crawford went out due to vertigo symptoms. Up to that point, he was, along with Kane, carrying the team to relevance. The good news is that Cam Ward still has something left and will provide better insurance than Anton Forsberg ever could. Still, it's hard to see how Chicago really improved, since there's still massive depth issues.
Prediction: 7th in the Central Division
The Blackhawks began the rebuilding process in terms of prospects last season. It may take some time before defensive depth is less of a problem again, and now that forward depth is also becoming an issue, it may be a while before the Blackhawks are anything more than a fringe playoff contender.
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