The Chicago Blackhawks will practice on Monday at Fifth Third Arena with the worst point percentage in the entire NHL (.361). So we’re already taking submissions for this year’s tank t-shirt. Horrible for Hagens? Mediocre for Martone?

However, you know what hasn’t been a problem? Goaltending (and, frankly, overall team defense). Among NHL goaltenders who have made at least 5 appearances entering Sunday, Arvid Söderblom ranked first in the entire league in save percentage (.934). Petr Mrázek (.906) was tied for 20th. According to MoneyPuck, Söderblom ranks seventh in the NHL in goals saved above expected per 60 minutes (0.969).

The Blackhawks have allowed only 56 goals in 18 games, and nine of those have come with Chicago’s net empty. 47 goals against in 18 games is a fantastic number. For the sake of putting that in context, the Tampa Bay Lightning have allowed 45 goals in 16 games and the Washington Capitals have allowed 48 in 17 games (including empty net goals against), and they’re both playoff teams right now.

Which means… yes. Water is wet. The sun will rise in the east tomorrow. And, while we’re on the track of stating the obvious, the Blackhawks’ offense sucks right now. From the Ben Pope article below:

“[Including] Philipp Kurashev’s overtime winner Nov. 10, the Hawks have scored only six goals in a five-game span. They didn’t do that once between 2006 and 2016, but they’ve done it nine times in the last two years — including twice during the 14 games Bedard missed last January and February.”

I mean… Pope goes on to note that the comments from head coach Luke Richardson after the loss in Vancouver were a public acknowledgement that the roster he has to work with this year isn’t going to light it up.

We should have known that was the most likely scenario going into the season. When The Athletic posted their preseason projections for the Blackhawks, their model said the Hawks would finish the season with 77 points and had a 54 percent chance of finishing in the bottom 5 in the league once again this year.

So here we are in the middle of November with a team that doesn’t have much finish struggling to put goals on the board. I like Ben’s suggestions to fix things in the short term: leave the lines alone, get Connor Bedard going somehow and be smarter with the dump-ins. All relatively easily achievable.

But I also wonder with more and more trade speculation swirling around the league — Elliotte Friedman has been on a kick lately mentioning playoff teams hunting early for gritty veterans and the Blackhawks have (checks notes) a handful of those — if the Blackhawks don’t start looking sooner than later to start accommodating some of the rental veterans with a move to a better situation and make room for prospects in Rockford who might give the Blackhawks a better chance of being able to do some of the things everyone, including the head coach, know the current roster simply can’t with its current personnel.

• • Speaking of which… the Frank Nazar-less Rockford IceHogs were shutout 4-0 by the Chicago Wolves in Rosemont on Sunday evening. The IceHogs tweeted that Nazar was not in the lineup to deal with a personal family matter. Here’s hoping everything’s okay (and we see him in Chicago some time soon).
  • Mark Lazerus did the Lord’s work and asked the Blackhawks players their thoughts about the ongoing debacle that is Chicago Sports Network. It feels like they get it more than just about anyone else. Good (albeit depressing) read here from the weekend.

“We need to get it to people. And if you have to subscribe to watch us, you’re never going to become a new fan. You’re not going to pay the $19.99 a month.”

That’s a Blackhawks player talking. And he’s 100 percent correct.

My column on the CHSN fiasco: https://t.co/aOm667Tb56

— Mark Lazerus (@MarkLazerus) November 15, 2024

• In the prospect ranks, Blackhawks prospect Nick Lardis lead a post on Saturday night after recording a hat trick but he got his own entire post on Sunday afternoon when he did it again! He now ranks second in the OHL with 20 goals, is tied for the league lead with seven power play goals and his 101 shots on goal are the most in the entire league.
• Blackhawks’ 2024 third-round pick Jack Pridham just made the jump to join Kitchener in the OHL this week. He appeared in his second OHL game on Sunday afternoon and made it count. After recording an assist in his first game, Pridham scored his first OHL goal and added two assists on Sunday.

Steal at the blue line and makes no mistake on the breakaway for his first as a Ranger and first in the OHL ✅#RTown | #BattleBuilt | #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/IpHqiEzgsg— Kitchener Rangers (@OHLRangers) November 17, 2024

• Here are your NCAA point-per-game leaders thru this past weekend. I made it easy for you: there are two Blackhawks prospects in the top four overall in the entire nation! Denver’s Aidan Thompson‘s 9 goals and 20 points both rank second in the nation.

• The Colorado Avalanche put goaltender Alexandar Georgiev on IR on Sunday
• The NHL Dept. of Player Safety had to work on Sunday because Ryan Reaves took a ridiculous, dangerous, dirty, cheap shot on Darnell Nurse on Saturday night. Reaves was suspended five games on Sunday.