With much higher expectations than most of the players in the league, Connor Bedard will naturally draw more criticism when his play stagnates. Enter media criticism, but that should just give him some more fuel, right? One would think.

Anyway, whether you think the media should be so fixated on Bedard so much is irrelevant. What is relevant is that he’s not yet at the point where he can hide some of the many blunders we’ve seen from the Blackhawks this season.

And there are three players who should have, by now, done a better job playing the supporting cast role. Below, you’ll find one player whose play tanked in 2024-25, one who likely reached their ceiling, and another who’s good but is still prone to pointless droughts.

Philipp Kurashev

Philipp Kurashev’s somewhat breakout season last year is such a distant memory that it’s completely fine to ask whether it even happened. Part of me still doesn’t believe that he ended the year with 54 points and 18 goals in 75 games, especially since he’s racked up just eight points and four goals in 38 contests this year.

Yeah, he’s playing far fewer minutes, but that shouldn’t explain the massive drop-off. To me, Kurashev’s best role in the NHL was on the middle six, so between 13 and 15 minutes per game, on average, is where he needs to be.

But eight points in 38 games? No, none of us expected it. And while it’s true Connor Bedard could have played better hockey at varying points this season, at least he didn’t drop off like Kurashev. Nor did he improve so little that he lost substantial ice time, and that’s what the next player on this list entails.

Lukas Reichel

A former first-round pick, it’s long past time for Lukas Reichel to have become at least somewhat relevant. No, he’d never play at Connor Bedard’s caliber, but would productivity with middle six minutes have been too much to ask?

It seems so, with Reichel averaging just 12:17 of average total ice time this season, nearly two less than what he saw in 2023-24. But hey, at least he matched his points total already so that’s progress, right? Well, if you consider five goals and 16 points in 48 games as a giant step forward, then have at it.

Still, Reichel has struggled through more than his fair share of pointless streaks this season. And it’s quickly looking like a part-time role on the third line and primarily fourth-line minutes, at best, is Reichel’s ceiling.

Alex Vlasic

To be fair, Alex Vlasic deserves some slack, as he finally ended his points drought in that 6-2 win over the Nashville Predators. Vlasic tacked on two points in that game and gave the Hawks an additional point in the shootout loss to the St. Louis Blues. In that span, he also garnered a plus-2 rating.

Still, it doesn’t justify a player at Vlasic’s caliber snagging just one measly point in the 22 contests leading up to that win over the Predators. He went 0 for 27 on all shots on goal, and in that same span, he garnered a minus-2 rating.

Looking at Vlasic’s possession metrics, I’m impressed that the Hawks are scoring 11.4 percent of the time when he’s on the ice at even strength. But what concerns me is the fact that he’s been on the ice for 57 goals allowed in that same situation in 55 games. For the record, the Hawks allowed 58 goals last season with Vlasic on the ice at even strength in 76 games.