The Chicago Blackhawks have declared to be in a rebuild as told by General Manager Stan Bowman in a message to the fans as they look to re-establish their former dynasty.
To hear from your favorite team’s ownership that they’re committing to a rebuild is disheartening, especially when it’s the Chicago Blackhawks who are coming off a short, yet respectable Playoff run in the 2019-20 NHL season.
Despite having absolutely no reason to be there, they made the most of their opportunity by eliminating the Connor McDavids – er the Edmonton Oilers – while being able to stand against the Vegas Golden Knights in the First Round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, despite losing 4-1 in the series.
More from Puck Prose
- Detroit Red Wings 2023 Rookie Camp Has Plenty of Ups and Downs
- This Columbus Blue Jackets rookie doesn’t want to be forgotten
- 2 trades the Boston Bruins must make to secure the Stanley Cup
- 3 reasons the Avalanche won’t win the Stanley Cup in 2024
- This is a big year for Alex Turcotte and the Los Angeles Kings
Rather than building off their surprising playoff appearance, the insufferable General Manager of the Chicago Blackhawks, Stan Bowman, stabbed fans in the back yet again, as he and the rest of the front office released a message to the community stating that the organization is committing to a full rebuild.
This is the last thing you want to hear from a guy who dished out stars like Artemi Panarin, Teuvo Terravainen, Phillip Danault, Robin Lehner, and, most recently, Brandon Saad (for the second time), along with countless other prospects, while goalie Corey Crawford, a staple of those Stanley Cup successes, was allowed to walk in Free Agency and then sign with the New Jersey Devils.
Upon the kick-to-the-shin news, it was revealed that this direction did not reflect everyone’s feelings about the state of the organization, as projected in an interview between Chicago’s captain, Jonathan Toews, and Mark Lazerus of The Athletic. In the interview between Toews and The Athletic, the 3x Stanley Cup champion stated that management never informed him, nor the fellow core group of veterans about the front office’s intentions to forfeit the present in order to builld for a future that they’ll doubtfully be a part of.
It’s most surprising to the fans as well, given that the team already has a significant pool of youthful talent. The most notable names in their ranks include forwards Alex Debrincat (22-years old), Dylan Strome (23-years old), Alex Nylander (22-years old), and Kirby Dach (19-years old), along with defensemen Adam Boqvist (20-years old) and Nicolas Beaudin (21-years old).
In addition to this note, It was revealed during the 24-team Stanley Cup Playoffs that out of all of the teams contending for Lord Stanley’s trophy, the Chicago Blackhawks possessed the youngest roster, as the average age was just 25.6-years old. With the young players getting a taste of what it’s like to contend for the crown jewel of sports, it doesn’t take a genius to know that the experience obtained from this playoff run will only make them better as it gives the kids more confidence and poise. When it comes to management with the Hawks, though, nothing ever makes sense.
Only time will tell for Chicago, as in the next five years, it will be shown if the rebuild route was the right one for a team that was a modern dynasty. In this time frame, fans should expect to lose a lot of excitement around their favorite team, as they’ll see veterans like Duncan Keith, Patrick Kane, and Jonathan Toews, all of whom have become legends during their careers as a Blackhawk, depart from the Original Six franchise at some point or another either via retirement, or by yet another woeful trade by Stan Bowman.
The best-case scenario for the Hawks in the next five years is that, for one, they’ll finally terminate Bowman’s contract, and two, they’ll retain their promising young players while still being able to milk the remaining years out of Chicago’s favorite duo in Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews, both of whom will be 37-years old respectively. As for the worst-case scenario, well, let’s hope it doesn’t come to that point.