The Chicago Blackhawks have a new look roster heading into the 2023-24 season. There are so many new faces that fans might need to take a little bit of time to get used to the group.
For the first time in over a decade, the Blackhawks do not have a captain, in fact the team won’t have Patrick Kane or Jonathan Toews in their lineup at all. The days of watching #19 and #88 in Blackhawks jerseys are over, but, fans will get to watch #98 this season.
Connor Bedard is entering the league with a lot of expectations. Fans across the NHL are expecting a lot from him, but this is just the first season of his career. Which leads into the first of three thoughts on the Blackhawks 2023-24 season.
Three thoughts heading into the Chicago Blackhawks 2023-24 season
1. The Chicago Blackhawks might have their star player, but it takes a team to win a championship.
The Blackhawks added Connor Bedard at the 2023 NHL Draft. Landing a franchise star is usually the hardest thing for a rebuilding team to do, but the Blackhawks were lucky and the ping pong balls landed their way.
Blackhawks fans are going to have to be patient for a few more years. Even though the team has their franchise icon, they need to build out the rest of the roster more, and that won’t happen over night.
The Blackhawks once again are going to be near the bottom of the standings. Sure, they added Taylor Hall and Corey Perry, but this roster is still incomplete, so for this season, winning is not everything. Which, leads right into the second thought for the 2023-24 season.