The Chicago Blackhawks are entering 2025 at arguably their lowest point in the season.
After completing their first three-game winning streak since February of 2023, the team followed up that hopeful stretch with a five-game losing streak, including a 6-2 loss at the Winter Classic.
Throughout the recent losing streak, the Blackhawks have been outscored 27-12 in those five games.
Frustrations are rising once again from the fanbase and from within the locker room, as players such as Connor Bedard, Taylor Hall, and Nick Foligno all voiced their frustrations after the lack of effort in the team’s Winter Classic performance.
Connor Bedard said the Blackhawks “got dog-walked” and he “feels bad” for their fans 😬
(h/t @MarkLazerus) pic.twitter.com/A0cHTTTr8G
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) January 1, 2025
With players having voiced their frustrations multiple times this season, the question has to be asked of whether a roster shakeup is in order for the Blackhawks.
The recent move of firing Luke Richardson and promoting Anders Sorensen as Head Coach yielded a 4-3 record before the five-game skid, but now it might be more clear that this roster isn’t working like General Manager Kyle Davidson thought it would.
So far, the only changes made to the roster this season have been in the form of call-ups from the Rockford IceHogs (AHL). Colton Dach will be the newest player to make his Blackhawks debut after being called-up on Thursday morning.
the Dachtor is in👨⚕️
📝 https://t.co/590rhHG2JI | @Enterprise pic.twitter.com/PHO8esHD4j
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) January 2, 2025
Calling up young players is what fans had been wanting to see since it became more apparent that the current group on the roster has not been gelling nor playing with the urgency they need to be more competitive.
With the veteran group not living up to expectations, it might be time for Kyle Davidson to make a trade to bring in a player who could take advantage of an opportunity in Chicago, or to create space for the young players to come up.
A player like Philipp Kurashev seems to be the most likely trade option for the Blackhawks as he has lost his spot and has been scratched more frequently as of late. Though, it is worth mentioning that his value has to be at a low point and would not bring much back in a trade.
There are not many players who could bring back a lot of value in a trade, but a player who could garner some interest is Taylor Hall. The 33-year old is on the final year of his contract and the Blackhawks could easily retain some of his $6-million-dollar salary to give him a chance to compete for a Stanley Cup.
While there is still lot of the season left for the Blackhawks to improve their on-ice product. The current state of the team has shown that another shake-up could be what is best for this group of players.
