*Connor Bedard and Alex Vlasic: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports*

April 23 | Author: Justin Lynch

It is easy for the average Chicago Blackhawks fan to look back on the 24-25 season and surmise it was a failure. The team finished in the same position in the standings, 31st, failing to take that step forward that some may have expected in Year 3 of the Davidson rebuild.

But that would be an incomplete way of analyzing the year. While progress may not have been made record-wise, it would be foolish to claim the squad is not trending in the right direction in the long term. There has been a lot of negativity around the Blackhawks from many mainstream NHL media outlets of late, and I would like to propose a more positive outlook moving forward.

Here are ten positives we can take away from this latest 2025 Blackhawks season.

1. Frank Nazar

*Frank Nazar: Michael Reaves/Getty Images*

Perhaps no development was more positive to conclude this Hawks season than the play of Frank Nazar.

Frank the Tank you could argue was the best Hawks player the second half of the season, particularly post 4 Nations break. His 26 points in 53 games don’t necessarily jump off the page, but the eye test. He was noticeable in every game, always driving the play and creating chances out of nothing. His speed, hockey IQ, and two way play will be a force to be reckoned with for years to come. All signs point to this kid being that coveted 2C of the future. How poetic the final goal of the season came from him in overtime from Connor Bedard.

2. The Youth Movement

Frank Nazar is just one example of this. The most meaningful impact of this past season was probably the gradual implementation of the youth movement. If you are a listener of Chicago Hockey Radio, the “Real Blackhawks”.

We saw this especially to conclude the season as key core players like Artyom Levshunov were called up, Oliver Moore and Sam Rinzel coming up and signing their ELCs, etc… To exemplify the point of how young the Blackhawks roster was to complete the season, at one point the Hawks dressed a blueline that was younger than that of Western Michigan’s defense in the Frozen Four.

But, more important than just having all these young kids making their NHL debuts was the impact they made on the ice. The majority of the youth did not look out of place,

Sam Rinzel for instance came in and immediately made his mark on the backend.

One could make the debate that he is already the best Hawks defenseman. Most of these guys likely won’t need extended time, if any, with Rockford next season; making the prospect of an entire season of letting the kids cook next year an exciting one.

3. Culture Coming Together

Piggybacking off this youth movement point, you could see a real culture start to develop within this Blackhawks team as the year wore on and the team got younger. You could feel a weight visibly lift off the shoulders of the team in regards to body language and tone, and guys looked happier and more relaxed (I can confirm as I’ve watched every interview put out on the Hawks website to help collect clips for CHR).

You could even see it in the social media content the Hawks were putting out. The vibes appeared to become more San Jose-like, the guys were having fun again. It is important for this core to develop the right mentality for future success.

Hawks captain Nick Foligno discussed this in his end of season media interview, how he could see that next wave of leadership begin to grow in the Hawks locker room, citing names such as Frank Nazar, Connor Bedard, Alex Vlasic and even Spencer Knight.

4. Goalie tandem of the future

The future goalie prospects for this Blackhawks team was a big question heading into this season.

They aren’t anymore.

Kyle Davidson went out and acquired Spencer Knight at the trade deadline in return for Seth Jones. KD effectively killed two birds with one stone, landing the Hawks their franchise goalie and moving on from Seth when it was clear it was never going to work for both sides.

This move could be the biggest legacy move of Davidson’s tenure as Hawks GM. Spencer Knight is the Hawks starting goalie of the future, the type of netminder you win Stanley Cups with down the road.

Add in perhaps among the most surprising stories of this past season, the improvement of Arvid Soderblom. He has earned himself an extension and opportunity to back-up Knight next season. Whether he is the Blackhawks backup of the future will be determined.

The fact you still have Drew Commesso as an option in Rockford waiting in the wings is comforting.

5. Alex Vlasic Breakout

*Alex Vlasic: Michael Reaves/Getty Images*

After an impressive 23-24 season that earned him a long term contract extension, Alex Vlasic picked up where he left off and asserted himself as a part of this D core for the future. The 4.6 million dollar contract until 2030 is looking like more and more of a steal by the day.

While Seth Jones was still a member of the Hawks and out with an injury for a month, Vlasic was the Hawks 1D when it came to everything including special teams. That is where he saw tremendous progress this season in terms of offensive production, we already knew he could defend well. Vlasic nearly doubled his output from last season with 30 points compared to 16.

The Hawks have to feel pretty confident about a future blueline that includes a top-three of Vlasic, Rinzel and Levshunov. Vlasic proved he can be more than a second pair guy this season.

6. Another top pick on the way

*Michael Misa, Saginaw Spirit: Natalie Shaver/OHL Images*

The Draft Lottery is on the way, we don’t know the exact date yet but based on precedent it will likely be early May. What we do know is the Hawks have the second best draft odds once again behind the Sharks and are guaranteed a top 4 pick in the draft.

Whatever happens, the Hawks will be leaving this 2025 Draft with another core piece to add to the already loaded prospect pool. If you can get lucky and land Michael Misa to compliment Bedard, that would be an absolute win.

If not, guys like James Hagens and Porter Martone are solid options as well to bolster the forward group in need of it.

7. Learning Season for Bedard

After all the talk, the reports of Connor Bedard’s “sophomore slump” were greatly exaggerated: 23 goals, 44 assists and 67 points were all career highs. He played in 14 more games to reach those totals, but that in itself is a positive. You have to be available and Bedard was one of only four Hawks to play in all 82 games this season. And he was once again the Hawks leading producer.

Look, with all that being said I am lying to myself and to you if I claim to be satisfied with Connor’s second season. It was disappointing, plain and simple. But, I think the lessons learned in a trying season will be valuable for his growth in the long run.

Bedard knows where he needs to improve, gaining speed is a definite area. Overall however, the fact he still put up comparable numbers to his Calder winning rookie season despite the regression narrative surrounding him all year is a positive. More consistent linemates and better coaching next season should be a big help for him.

8. Small steps forward

*Chicago Blackhawks at the 2025 NHL Winter Classic: Daniel Bartel-Imagn Images*

With all that said about the Hawks lack of improvement in the standings this year, that is not to say they did not get better. The way it looked in the standings, 25 wins and 61 points was a jump from the prior year’s 23 win 52 point campaign.

I know, it was a smaller leap than we expected. But I do find it humorous if you look at another team in a similar position in their rebuilding process as the Hawks in the San Jose Sharks you would think their season went so much better than Chicago’s based off of the NHL media narratives all year. You would think they are so much further ahead in the rebuild with a brighter future. Yet they finished 9 points behind the Hawks and saw little progression despite a strong rookie season from Macklin Celebrini.

But apparently they are having so much more fun over there, I think not. Say what you will about the Tank era Hawks, at least we don’t finish last every year.

9. Special Teams success

Despite finishing bottom 3 in standings once again, the Hawks special teams were productive. The power play converted 7th in the league at 24.9% while the penalty kill ranked 14th at 79.3%. The fact the Hawks iced top half of the league special teams despite being a bottom-feeder was extraordinary.

On the other hand, it does go to show how awful the team played at even strength. A lot of that comes down to coaching, if the Hawks can maintain special teams success next season while making gains at 5 on 5 play that will go a long way towards making that long anticipated next step.

10. Weeding out distractions
The Hawks started off the season with a very old, veteran laden roster. This was very much not the case to end the year. In that time in transition the Hawks started to figure out which members of the veteran brass want to be a part of this thing and stick around to drive this bus and mentor the youth. The Hawks also took the time to release the team of distractions, paving the way for the youth takeover.

The elephant in the room here is Seth Jones. You have to have veterans on this team who want to be a Blackhawk and are willing to sacrifice personal pride to reach the top of the mountain. I think that culture change I alluded to early in the article started to really turn with the Jones-Knight trade. Hawks fans, look back on that transaction as the turning point of this franchise.

Honorable mention: Ryan Donato Linsanity Season

I would be remiss if I did not include Ryan Donato’s pleasant surprise of a season in some fashion. With a 31 goal and assist season with 62 points, he doubled his career high. At the moment he is awaiting an extension, we shall see what that looks like.

According to Donato, he wishes to stick around as he loves it in Chicago and appreciates the opportunity he has been given. Until that happens unfortunately we can only speculate as to what his future looks like here. Let’s hope Davidson gets that done for the right term and price. It would be a shame to let him walk in free agency and lose him for nothing.

Ten Positives to the 2025 Blackhawks Season