Let's face a dose of reality at this point. The Chicago Blackhawks are finishing up yet another dismal season and with an overall record of 21-43-9 and a 1-8-1 record in their last ten games, the inevitability of another hapless campaign looms over this once-proud franchise.
Wasn't Connor Bedard going to be the savior of this team and bring the Stanley Cup back to the Windy City? Again, let's face another dose of reality that while Connor Bedard is a really good hockey player and will no doubt have a great career, he's just a teenager and betting the farm on a single young player to carry the franchise simply is a pipe dream.
Hockey is a team sport and great teams are built around good players working together in harmony. There are already rumors that Connor Bedard may be looking for an exit strategy out of Chicago, even though Bedard himself has discounted those rumors and seems to be in the Windy City for the long haul.
If fans and pundits alike are looking for a silver lining to the clouds hanging over the Blackhawks, this team is about to get even younger next season but that may not necessarily be a bad thing.
Welcome to the Blackhawks, Sam Rinzel.
The pain that he University of Minnesota Golden Gophers just experienced with their elimination from the NCAA men's hockey tournament should be instant joy for the Chicago Blackhawks. Defenseman Sam Rinzel just signed an entry level contract (ELC) with the Blackhawks for this season as he leaves the collegiate ranks for professional hockey.
Rinzel was signed to a three-year deal with a salary cap hit of $942,000 and an average annual value (AAV) of $1.363 million dollars. The two-year blueliner with the Minnesota Golden Gophers was the 25th overall selection of the Blackhawks back in 2022 out of high school and had a stellar season this year with ten goals and 22 assists in 40 games played.
Because Rinzel's contract begins effective immediately, he won't be eligible to play for the AHL Rockford IceHogs but his future will no doubt include a Rockford-Chicago shuffle as he develops into an offensive-minded blueliner for the Blackhawks down the road.
Oliver Moore is heading to the Windy City as well.
The youth hockey movement is alive and apparently well in Chicago as the Blackhawks have also targeted former 2023 first round draft pick Oliver Moore to an entry level contract (ELC) as well. Due to the Minnesota Golden Gophers' exit from the NCAA hockey tournament, Moore is making the leap into the professional ranks after two seasons of college hockey.
Moore brings immediate offensive firepower to the Blackhawks and due to signing a professional contract this season, he could very well end up playing before the end of the regular season. Moore had 12 goals and 21 assists in 38 games played this season at the collegiate level and also brings a stellar resume with him after winning goad medals with Team USA in the World Juniors as well.
The addition of another young goal scorer to the Blackhawks certainly is a step in the right direction with the apparent youth movement in Chicago in full force. Could a Bedard-Moore line be in the works?
If Blackhawks' general manager Kyle Davidson is playing his cards right, the rebuilding process in the Windy City may really start paying large dividends by next season. For Kyle Davidson's career sake, heading north in the Central Division will be the only option to save his tenure in Chicago.