The Chicago Blackhawks never got into a groove last season and most of that had to do with roster construction. If they tried to run and gun with a team, it usually ended badly. Winning streaks were slim to none, with the team never moving past a consecutive win streak of three games. March was the high water mark for record with a .500 mark right on the dot.

Just don’t look at the records on either side of it.  With that in mind, Kyle Davidson went to free agency and brought in skill and veteran depth, something that should help a team that struggled to score goals and keep them out of their own net.

Rockford will be a revelation in its own right–with many of the top prospects likely skating there for the season. They’ll be readying for the big show, while the big club tries to nudge things forward.

So to quote Milhouse Van Houten   parodying a quote used from a classic novel, the Blackhawks are in the Looking Glass portion of the rebuild. Anticipation mounting of what could be–all the while hoping it actually hits as it should.

Blackhawks Division Rivals Have Also Improved

The opening night lineup will be very different than last year’s, which means that more talent and skill will be in not only the top six, but throughout the forwards groups. Defensive pairings will stand to benefit too, and arguably the tandem of Petr Mrazek and Laurent Brossoit should help push the rebuild forward.

Albeit it gradually. The Central Division has also improved and the division that had five playoff entrants in 2024 will likely have a couple more teams pushing its way into the conversation. All the while, the Blackhawks are trying to see a respectable showing and a consistency they haven’t experienced in some time.

The looking glass reference, then, includes the bizarre reality that though the Blackhawks have upgraded their roster, those same frustrations and lamentations will rear its ugly head again at times. The itch to see the top prospects in Artyom Levshunov, Frank Nazar, and Ethan Del Mastro in Chicago will be constant. But that development piece takes top priority.

So improvement–but still a ways away from where fans, management, and the players really want to be–with those division rivals vying for the the playoffs.

But improvement is on the horizon–and it’s the gradual steps of improvement that will eventually lead to the playoff conversation. Davidson now has to strike the balance that will take the Blackhawks to the next level.

“We added a lot of talent, a lot of experience and I think we elevated our group,” Davidson said.  “So, I’m really excited with how things turned out and how things are looking heading into training camp in September.”