Back in early October, just a handful of games into the 2025-26 Blackhawks season, I spotlighted comments from head coach Jeff Blashill and goaltender Spencer Knight that got my attention.
They were talking about mindset and process. And the Blackhawks approaching things with an approach of building an understanding of what it takes to be a playoff team.
“I really appreciate his eye for details,” Knight said about Blashill at the time. “[He’s] building a style that is sustainable over time — to win not just one hockey game in October, but…that can win continuously over the course of a season and hopefully into the postseason.”
The hope for Blackhawks fans before the season was that they would be more competitive this year. Being in more games would show progress, even if they didn’t all end up as wins. So far this season, more games are ending up in the W column than many expected. And we’re seeing more and more players talking about that playoff-focused process with belief that can no longer be ignored or written off as fanciful dreaming.
I want to grab a chunk out of Mark Lazerus’ really good column at The Athletic from after the win in Vancouver to chat about this morning. Laz has admittedly been critical of the Blackhawks’ approach to the rebuild, and with good cause. He was far from alone in that criticism.
But he is among those who are, at some level, converting to believers in what the Blackhawks are doing right now.
This segment from that column (which, again, I highly recommend reading completely) summarizes a lot of the reason for optimism from those who are around the team:
Now they have proof of concept. Proof that this works, that they work. The Blackhawks have had a realistic chance at two points in 13 of their first 14 games, a face-plant in Winnipeg to open this six-game road trip the only exception. A year ago at this time, [Nick] Foligno was talking about the old saw that in order to be a playoff team in the NHL, you have to be within a handful of points of a playoff spot at Thanksgiving. It was earnest, but it was also wildly unrealistic. Almost laughable.
It doesn’t feel nearly as laughable right now.
“And how awesome is that?” Foligno said. “To me, that’s the exciting part. Now we’re playing meaningful games. That’s what I was talking about last year — meaningful games doesn’t only mean that you’re in first or second place in the league. It’s like, are you playing games that matter? Are you playing games that can get you into the playoffs, that can keep you in the mix for as long as you can? And that’s what I want to see our team understand.”
There are a few ways of looking at this Blackhawks start. The 6-5-3 record is solid, but middling. As even Foligno pointed out, they’re not really a .500 team, because they’ve lost more games than they’ve won. But the underlying numbers are intriguing. The Blackhawks are now the fourth-best five-on-five team in the league in the only stat that matters — goals. They’ve outscored their opponents 32-25 at five-on-five. So if the power play can start clicking (it went 1-for-1 in Vancouver, with Bedard hitting Bertuzzi for one of his patented backdoor bank shots) or the pedestrian penalty kill can get back to its early-season levels (2-for-2 on Wednesday), there’s no reason to think the Blackhawks can’t keep this up.
The one thing I will note in addition to this is that the consistent talk from guys like Foligno and Connor Bedard and Jason Dickinson and some others even during the last two bad years for the Blackhawks has been about having the mindset that they’re working towards a place where the Blackhawks are playing meaningful games — and then competing in those games, and then winning those games.
That’s the progression from a rebuilding team to a building team — and, then, into a competitive team.
Nick Wosika-Imagn ImagesBlackhawks Learning Curve
When I have written about the traits the Blackhawks target in drafts, a couple that have come up frequently are things that aren’t on-ice specific. The Blackhawks have collected guys who have worn a letter somewhere in their hockey journeys. And they’ve hoarded guys who have been on winning teams.
As Hawk Harrelson used to say, you’ve gotta have TWTW: the will to win. That mindset is foundational for a culture in which the right process can succeed.
First, you have to want to be in close, competitive games. Then, you learn what it takes to win those games. The next step is to take that education and put it into practice and start being in tight games against good teams.
The next step is consistently winning those games.
This season is still about the Blackhawks’ learning curve. And there will still be learning moments into the next year or two as more young players matriculate their way to the NHL level. But the first part of the progression is wanting to learn how to win.
We’re seeing a younger, more talented Blackhawks team on the ice this year than we’ve seen in a while. We’re also watching as they learn in real time, from one shift to the next and one period to the next. After the game in Vancouver, Blashill talked about that learning curve and making adjustments.
“I don’t think it was a lack of want or care or effort, so then it’s about correcting mistakes and finding a way to go out and do a better job,” Blashill said. “I thought we were really good in the third. We talked about, ‘Good teams find a way to win this game. You’re on the road. It’s 0-0. You probably haven’t played your best. Go out and have a great period.’ And I thought we did.”
Patrick Flowers wrote a great piece about the excitement for the transition we’re seeing from the Blackhawks on the ice this year. There’s reason for optimism. And fans should feel free to buy in as much as the players have.
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