Blackhawks Must Balance Development & Experience To Succeed – Hockey Writers – Chicago Blackhawks

The Chicago Blackhawks are entering their third rebuilding season. The first two seasons were about tearing down and starting over. This 2024-25 season is the start of a rebuild. The organization has been busy this offseason, acquiring players to provide more support to their young core (especially Connor Bedard). But rebuilding takes time, patience and many strategic decisions. How can you best improve your prospects? How do you balance your salary cap; not just in one season, but in the future? And how do you put all the puzzle pieces in place so that everything comes together at once?

Related – Blackhawks' Bedard Effect Continues to Impact

Well, let's not get too far ahead. These are decisions that should be made by the officials, not the fans and the media. But we really like to put in our two cents, don't we?! One question that seems to come up often in Blackhawks circles is this; Will all the new veterans hold their hopes?

Let's analyze that question to see if we can come to some conclusions.

Too Many Veterans on the Blackhawks?

We all know by now that the Blackhawks added a bunch of veterans to their 2024-25 roster during the offseason. Here's a breakdown of all players who are 30 or older, or who will turn 30 during the season, and how long each contract runs:

That's 14 players who will be 30 or older during the season. Wow, so many “old” guys are taking up roster spots. With a 23-man roster, that leaves only nine spots for young players and prospects.

Looking at the rest of the roster, the players likely to take the remaining nine spots are Bedard, Philipp Kurashev, Lukas Reichel, Jason Dickinson (who just turned 29, so he's not counted), Ryan Donato, Joey Anderson. , Alex Vlasic, Kevin Korchinski and Wyatt Kaiser.

But what about those players who might be ready for the NHL, like Frank Nazar, Landon Slaggert, Isaac Phillips and Louis Crevier? Then there are the long shots, like forward Colton Dach and defensemen Ethan Del Mastro, Nolan Allan and, of course, 2024 second round pick Artyom Levshunov.

For these youngsters, their immediate future seems tied to the AHL Rockford IceHogs, considering the number of veterans who now make up the Blackhawks. Also, let's not forget head coach Luke Richardson's relationship with veterans. Remember last season when he kept playing Jarred Tinordi instead of someone like Kaiser for Phillips? At the time, Richardson was using Tinordi as a watchdog there. But he also relied on playing 34-year-old Tyler Johnson for 67 games over younger players like Reese Johnson and MacKenzie Entwistle.

Related – Blackhawks' Taylor Hall Needs to Return in 2024-25

Let's face it; coaches like consistency, and that's what you often find with experienced players. I realized that I wanted to stick with consistency compared to an unknown teenager, who will inevitably make many mistakes.

Also, remember that the veteran players are there to complement the talented young players who are already in the NHL, like Bedard, Kurashev and Reichel. It will only raise their game going forward, which is necessary. These children need to feel valued and given the right tools to succeed. Veterans can do that. (from 'Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson: Offseason moves will pave way for better development in NHL, AHL', The AthleticCHI – 7/5/2024).

But did they really need so many?!

The Up and Coming Blackhawks Hope

That's right. Let's look at the other side of the coin, and consider why this could be a good thing for the Blackhawks, and the young ones. There are many reasons why they should not be discouraged.

Most Veterans Are Lawyers

If you refer to the list of players above, all but four have only signed one or two year deals. Sure, there's Bertuzzi for four years, and we all know former general manager Stan Bowman signed Jones for the next 100 years (sorry, six more seasons). Teravainen and Mikheyev are both on the books for three more seasons. I think the good news is that all four of these players are the youngest of the “old” boys.

Everyone else, on the other hand, is only signed for one or two more seasons. Which means that there is not much money or time committed to these players. The Blackhawks have given themselves a lot of flexibility here. When these players' contracts expire, younger players should be given a chance to come in.

Development in Rockford Must Pay

Besides, is it such a bad thing to spend a few seasons in Rockford?! It worked out very well for defenseman Vlasic, who had a breakout 2023-24 campaign after spending a full season as the top dog with the IceHogs. Kaiser started with the Blackhawks last season. But he struggled out of the gate, then spent a few months with the IceHogs. He came back in late March looking like a completely different player. So much so that he is the favorite to make the team at a high level this season.

Related – Blackhawks Defensive Prospects Have Chance to Shine in 2024-25

Take the Reichel. However, there are a few theories as to why Reichel struggled so much last season; one of them being that he was forced to play on the line of scrimmage, and was not given the opportunity to play with his skills. But still, the time in Rockford was good for him as well, as he finished the season on a high note with the Blackhawks.

The risks will increase

What happens when you have a bunch of 30 items on your team? Yes, it's obvious that injuries will happen. Even more so if you are a veteran whose body has run through many grinding seasons.

Players are going to get hurt, and when that happens, it's going to be the next guy's guess, and a chance for prospects to get a taste of the NHL. This actually happened a lot last season; more than the Blackhawks wanted. Rookies were thrown into the fire when they probably weren't ready. Many times that can hinder the growth of hope. This is probably the reason the organization may have gone a little overboard with its veteran signings.

Here is a list of last season's junior players, and how many games each played.

Those are 10 prospects ready for the 2023-24 season, five of whom are making their NHL debuts. Others may have benefited from their time with the big team. Some may have been frustrated, and it affected their confidence. After all, everyone is different; everyone learns at a different curve, or responds differently.

The point here is that the Blackhawks will have more opportunities to give young players opportunities. Plus, they have more depth now. This will allow them to decide who will benefit from different situations, and be able to actually achieve it. In short, they will have more options to give everyone a chance to succeed.

The Blackhawks Balance Rule

All of this will make for a very exciting season for the Blackhawks. The abundance of experienced players will improve the team quickly, and give talented young players a leg up on last season. The fans should benefit from watching better hockey, and the team will benefit from more wins.

Yes, the Blackhawks want to be better this season than the last few seasons. But they may still have playoff aspirations. Therefore, the spraying of the young here and there should be a priority. Despite the mistakes they will inevitably make, it can also be a learning experience to build on their progress. Prospects will get their chance, while learning and time well spent in Rockford. They will not rush or be forced into bad positions, as happened to many last season. Plus, veterans won't be around forever, so kids can look forward to finally stepping into their shoes.

Related – Blackhawks season preview articles

It's a balancing act, for sure. It will be interesting to see how the organization combines the old and the new throughout the season. But I believe the Blackhawks are in a good position to use their veterans and develop their youth.

Let the games begin!