The Blackhawks had an incredible night for the rebuild on Thursday

The Chicago Blackhawks were defeated by the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday night at the United Center. Sidney Crosby put on a show and left town with his 29th and 30th goals along with a big win.

The Blackhawks, however, actually had a really good night for their rebuild. This loss to Pittsburgh dropped them to 14-37-3 which is only good for 31 points. They are dead last in the entire NHL.

They got some help in the standings as well. Both the Anaheim Ducks and San Jose Sharks won on Thursday night which extended their lead over the Hawks.

Anaheim is 19-32-2 which is good for 40 points and 30th in the NHL. San Jose is now 15-33-5 for 35 points. Both of them are a little ahead of the Hawks now which will be good for them in the end.

The Chicago Blackhawks had a good night for the rebuild on Thursday

Chicago finishing in last place would lock them into the best odds for the 2024 NHL Draft Lottery. They won the lottery in 2023 which is what allowed them to win the Connor Bedard sweepstakes.

Speaking of Connor Bedard, he made his return after being out for over a month due to injury. He made a very nice play in the game which led to a Philipp Kurashev goal.

Seeing Bedard create offense and play well is the most important thing for the Hawks. He is scoring and they are still in line for a good draft pick again in 2024 so this year is going according to plan.

Despite missing a month, Bedard still leads all rookies in scoring. He also leads the Blackhawks in points as well. He is living up to all of the hype that came with him entering his rookie season.

All the Blackhawks wanted this season was to add another high draft pick while seeing Bedard take big steps. That is happening.

If the Blackhawks were able to add a guy like Macklin Celebrini, they would be able to run an outstanding 1-2 punch for over a decade. Even picking 2-5 would give them an incredible player for a long time. A night like Thursday could go a long way in seeing them realize that kind of dream.