3 moves the Chicago Blackhawks can make to become fully relevant again

The Chicago Blackhawks are at a precarious stage in their rebuild.

They have an exciting young collection of blueline talent. The team also signed more of their exciting young forward prospects. Frank Nazar and Spencer Knight also showed they can join Connor Bedard as foundational pieces.

However, Bedard did not make a huge leap forward in a career with a legendary trajectory. He was good, but the hope was he would be great.

It got to the point that the national appeal of Bedard is starting to wear off.

That is why the Hawks are in this position where the rebuild must move the team forward. Otherwise, it is back to irrelevancy.

Right now, the Blackhawks still have the hope of better days, but if the franchise sticks with the status quo of just drafting more prospects while thinking Bedard can just buy more time with his talents, then eventually folks are no longer going to be willing to wait.

It is hard to be patient considering the Blackhawks have all this promise, but there are plenty of former players making noise in the playoffs. It makes you wonder why so many former players are thriving elsewhere while the Hawks have been cemented at the bottom of the standings.

That is why the front office has to complete this rebuild this offseason.

The centerpiece is in place with Bedard. The No. 1 goalie is on the roster. The defensive unit has the potential to have five players worthy of being the No. 1 defenseman on most teams. Promising forwards like Oliver Moore and Ryan Greene are on the roster with the ability to be top six players.

This is not the summer to have another prospect collection and signing

This morning, Mike Sullivan’s name hit the NHL coaching market, and the Chicago Blackhawks must attempt to make him the franchise’s 41st head coach.

During his ten-season run with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Sullivan accumulated a 409-255-89 record, seven playoff appearances, and back-to-back Stanley Cup wins in 2016 and 2017.

Additionally, during his career, he has coached for his country, serving as an assistant coach for the US during the 2006 Olympics, 2007 World Championships, and 2016 World Cup of Hockey. Most recently, he led Team USA to the 4 Nations Final as head coach. 

Needless to say, Sullivan has the most impressive resume of any of the coaches on the market the Hawks would consider signing, as the team certainly will not be pursuing former coach Joel Quenneville.

Furthermore, Sullivan is an ideal fit for the job. 

The next step in the Hawks’ rebuild is to make the playoffs and become legit Stanley Cup contenders. As can be seen above, Sullivan has a wealth of experience doing just that and knows what it takes to reach the pinnacle of the sport.

Sullivan has also coached generational players in Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, and, most recently, Erik Karlsson. He understands the pressure and expectations those players face and has proven that he can get the most out of them (except for Karlsson) when it matters most. 

Critics of Sullivan will point to the fact that the Penguins have not made it out of the first round since 2018 and that the team missed the playoffs each of the last three seasons. While this is not a good look, context is important. Anyone who has watched the NHL recently knows that the Penguins have not been the same dynastic team they were in their prime for quite a while. 

The Penguins have not received consistent quality starting goaltending for at least the past two seasons, and the overall depth of the roster is weak – the forward group has been remarkably top-heavy, and the defense corps has been middling at best.

It doesn’t help either that management traded away their first-round picks seemingly every year at the deadline and that GM Kyle Dubas has been attempting to extend their Cup window with acquisitions like Karlsson despite the fact that the team was too flawed to seriously contend in the first place. 

So, when you realize that Sullivan has had great players but otherwise inadequate rosters with no young players breaking into the lineup to supplement the aging core, the team’s struggles are understandable. 

The Hawks’ roster is now stocked with young talent teeming with potential and a goaltender of the future in Spencer Knight. If the team can add a premier free agent such as Mitch Marner this summer, all the pieces will be in place for Sullivan to take the helm and guide the franchise back to the playoffs. GM Kyle Davidson must sell this vision to Sullivan and secure the best coach on the market. 

Hire Mike Sullivan to be the next head coach.

David Carle rejecting the Blackhawks is a blow. He does not have his name on the Stanley Cup twice like Mike Sullivan.

Carle also never coached Sidney Crosby in the NHL. Sullivan has coached Bedard's idol and won championships with him.

Sullivan is the best available candidate on the head coaching market. If the Blackhawks want to show they are ready to turn the corner, hiring Sullivan would go a long way.

Beating fellow Original Six teams like the New York Rangers and Boston Bruins to land Sullivan would also speak volumes to where the outside world thinks about where the Hawks stand.

It would mean a champion coach thinks the Blackhawks are close to contending and not years away.

Draft Michael Misa or James Hagens in the top five.

There is no clear-cut top prospect like there was in 2023 with Bedard or last year with Macklin Celebrini. Even if the Blackhawks win the NHL Draft Lottery, they do not need defenseman Matthew Schaefer, who many draft resources think is probably the best prospect.

They need either a relatively bigger and faster forward in Misa or the skilled and fast Hagens. Porter Martone would also provide some needed size at forward; however, his skating is ranked below average. The Hawks love prospects who can skate like the wind.

Therefore, the Hawks must get Misa or Hagens to make up for not taking Ivan Demidov in last year's draft.

Hopefully, this is the last time the Blackhawks are picking in the top five for a long time. They must add a talented forward worthy of skating with Bedard for the next decade.

That is why a lot of fans wanted Demidov. While it was prudent to draft defenseman Artyom Levshunov at No. 2 overall, the Blackhawks will have an opportunity to get Bedard the long-term help he needs.

The Hawks also have Sam Rinzel, Kevin Korchinski, Alex Vlasic, and Ethan Del Mastro. They are set in the blueline for the rest of the decade. The team must add more help around Bedard and Misa or Hagens have the skill to provide that assistance.

emporary players to cover the time while those prospects marinate at the AHL, the NCAA, or the junior level.

This is the offseason to be the final touches on a roster that will contend for the Stanley Cup. It is the offseason to land the head coach and a couple key pieces to be fully relevant again.