Written by Gina Anton
RALEIGH, N.C. – The Chicago Blackhawks were supposed to be taking the next step.
Instead, they may have reached the point where waiting for that step to happen is no longer an option.
Chicago’s 9-2 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday was more than another loss in a disappointing start. It exposed the growing gap between what the Blackhawks expected this season to look like and what they have actually become.
The loss was Chicago’s sixth straight and eighth in its last nine games, dropping the Blackhawks to 4-13-1. They also finished a three-game road trip without a win, being outscored 18-6 along the way.
Against Carolina, the problems were impossible to hide. The Hurricanes scored seven unanswered goals before Roman Kantserov and Connor Bedard finally put Chicago on the board in the third period. Spencer Knight allowed six goals on 17 shots before being replaced by Arvid Soderblom, while Carolina eventually finished with nine goals.
For a team that entered the season expecting to compete for a playoff spot, this is no longer simply a slow start. It is a problem that requires a response.
The Expectations Have Changed
Chicago’s rebuild was never going to be completed overnight. The organization has spent years accumulating young talent and building around Bedard, but this season was supposed to provide a clearer indication that the Blackhawks were moving beyond the rebuilding stage.
Instead, they sit at the bottom of the Central Division.
Bedard leads the team with 14 points through 18 games, while Kantserov has emerged as an important scoring threat with nine goals. But only those two players have more than 10 points, and Chicago is tied for last in the NHL at 2.17 goals per game.
That lack of production has made it clear that Bedard cannot be expected to solve the problem by himself.
The pressure now falls on general manager Kyle Davidson to determine whether this roster is capable of meeting the expectations placed on it entering the season.
Davidson May Have to Make a Move
Chicago has already been connected to the trade market, with Davidson reportedly looking for scoring help on the wing. After Saturday’s loss, Elliotte Friedman reported that the Blackhawks had become “very active” on the trade market.
Chicago has assets it could use to make a significant move, including first-round selections and additional draft capital. But making a trade simply because the team is struggling could create another problem.
The bigger question is whether Chicago is one significant addition away from becoming the team it expected to be, or whether the problems are deeper than a missing scorer.
Saturday suggested the latter.
More Than an Offensive Problem
Adding another forward could help, but Carolina exposed more than Chicago’s lack of scoring. It exposed how quickly the Blackhawks can unravel when a game moves away from them.
The Hurricanes scored three times in the first period and four more in the second, with defensive breakdowns and poor decisions contributing to the collapse. Falling behind 7-0 through two periods against one of the NHL’s best teams raises questions about structure, execution and confidence.
Coach Jeff Blashill acknowledged the severity of the performance afterward.
“We’ve got to make this kind of a bottom point in the year,” Blashill said. “We have to find a way to claw our way out of this.”
The Blackhawks now have four days before returning home Thursday against the Buffalo Sabres. That gives Davidson and the coaching staff time to evaluate what needs to change.
Following the loss, Chicago also held a players-only meeting. Bedard said the group remains tight-knit but acknowledged the reality of the situation.
“At the end of the day, it’s a results league, and we’ve got to be better,” Bedard said.
That may be the reality Chicago can no longer avoid. The Blackhawks can believe in the plan and the players being developed around Bedard. But belief does not change the standings.
At 4-13-1, Chicago has already created a hole that will be difficult to climb out of. Davidson now has to decide whether the answer is a trade, a coaching adjustment or a larger change to the roster.
Chicago can no longer rely on time alone to turn things around. After years of building toward becoming a contender, the Blackhawks are approaching a point where the decisions they make now could determine how much longer that process takes.
