The Chicago Blackhawks are not a good road team, so hoping for a successful result on their most recent four-game road trip was futile. Even with them on a four-game point streak and winning their last road game, the 0-3-1 result was not surprising.

The Blackhawks are 7-23-5 on the road this season. They have the fewest road wins in the NHL and have lost 23 of their last 26 games away from the United Center. This is not a new trend, either.  They had the worst road record last season at 7-32-2 and haven’t had a winning road record since they won the Presidents Trophy in the 2016-17 season.

Despite the poor results with one point in four games, there were four things to take away from the recent trip.

Connor Bedard Moves to Wing

Interim head coach Anders Sorensen made a small change to his top line against the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday. He put Connor Bedard on the right wing and moved Frank Nazar to center. The logic behind this move makes a lot of sense. Bedard has been riding the struggle bus since the team returned from the 4 Nations Face-Off break. Putting him on the wing takes pressure off him and allows him to rely more on his instincts. When a player, especially a young one, thinks too much on the ice, it slows him down.

The move didn’t produce immediate results, but spending 14 minutes in the penalty box doesn’t help. Bedard has received 10-minute misconducts in back-to-back games as his frustration builds. The first one against the San Jose Sharks on Thursday was a bit of a mystery, but he was one of four players given early exits towards the end of the game on Saturday.

Bedard’s road trip started off well with an assist against the Nashville Predators and nine shots on goal in the first two games. He had no points and only two shots on goal in the second half of the trip. In the 12 games since the Blackhawks returned to action, Bedard has one goal, three points, 29 shots on goal, and is a minus-11. On the plus side, he went 44.3% at the faceoff dot, a significant improvement from the 35.3% he had in the first 55 games of the season.

There are many factors in Bedard’s recent struggles. One thing that needs to remain constant is Nazar on his line. Stop messing around and keep these two together for the final 15 games of the season to let them develop some chemistry and confidence heading into the summer.

Artyom Levshunov Impresses in First NHL Stint

The Blackhawks calling up rookie defenseman Artyom Levshunov before Monday’s tilt against the Colorado Avalanche was a big surprise. The 19-year-old transitioned smoothly into the NHL and was on the top defensive pairing and first power-play unit by his third game.

Levshunov has shown the tools that made him the second-overall pick of last summer’s NHL Draft. He skates well for his size and can get even better. His positioning is sound on the ice, as he uses his stick and body to separate opponents from the puck. On Saturday, the young blue liner picked up his first NHL point on Wyatt Kaiser’s third-period goal.

“It’s been impressive to see him play his game and not be timid at all,” veteran defenseman Connor Murphy said in Vancouver. “It’s not easy being that young, especially as a defenseman playing a lot of defending minutes like we do. But he seems to have good gaps and be not afraid to keep pucks alive, and he’s strong when breaking them up, too.”

Despite Sorensen calling his game “ok,” Levshunov led all Blackhawks with 22:39 of total ice time. The only player who had more ice time was Canucks star Quinn Hughes. It’s uncertain how long Levshunov will stay in Chicago, but he’s been fun to watch. The way he’s played in his first three NHL games is very encouraging and should erase some doubt in those who disagreed with the pick.

Arvid Soderblom Starting to be a Concern

Goaltender Arvid Soderblom has been the biggest surprise of the 2024-25 season. He wasn’t even supposed to be in the NHL season after the signing of Laurent Brossoit in the summer. Things can change in the blink of an eye in this league, and Soderblom was called into service and became the Blackhawks’ best goaltender.

The goaltending picture changed before the trade deadline when Spencer Knight was acquired from the Florida Panthers and Petr Mrazek was traded to the Detroit Red Wings. Soderblom’s down tick in production started before Knight arrived, but it is more noticeable now that he’s here. Saturday night was Soderblom’s worst performance of the season, giving up six goals on only 15 shots.

Soderblom has just one win and a .863 save percentage (SV%) in his last 10 starts. Meanwhile, Drew Commesso entered Sunday with a 4-0-0 record and .967 SV% in his last four starts for the Rockford IceHogs. The Blackhawks will need Soderblom to regain his form from earlier in the season if they want to build momentum heading into the offseason.