Chicago Blackhawks Take One Step Forward and Two Steps Back
The halfway point of the 2025-26 NHL season has passed, and the Chicago Blackhawks have battled everything possible: good teams, bad teams, multiple shoulder injuries, a jaw injury, and the flu. It’s like an episode of Grey’s Anatomy.
After 51 games, the Blackhawks are struggling this season with 30 losses and only 21 wins.
Connor Bedard remains at the top of the team, with 48 points in 38 games played, despite missing 13 games with an injury and illness. Bedard continues to improve this season, already at 20 goals. He scored 23 goals last season, so he’s well on his way to beating his own record.
Frank Nazar took a puck to the face and was out for 14 games. He returned against the Carolina Hurricanes on Jan. 22, equipped with a chin protector.
The Blackhawks lack a strong sense of personality in the media–the closest they got was relentless “6-7” jokes made by Bedard and Nazar at the beginning of the season. Thankfully, the jokes have died out, but so has the personality.
The lack of personality off the ice has made its way to the team’s performance on the ice. Most players seem to be struggling to connect, causing a messy, lost game most nights.
There was a strong connection between Bedard and Nazar as the season kicked off, but that has worn out, as both players were injured for a substantial amount of time.
Other teams in the NHL don’t seem to have this issue.
Take the San Jose Sharks for an example. WillMack, as fans online affectionately refer to Will Smith and Macklin Celebrini, have chemistry both on and off the ice. It bleeds into their performance during games.
Same with Jamie Drysdale and Trevor Zegras of the Philadelphia Flyers. The two used to play for the Anaheim Ducks, where they were called the Duck Duo and scored their first goals just two minutes apart. Friends off the ice, solid teammates on the ice.
Bedard and Nazar have come the closest, but the two haven’t charmed fans enough yet. Bedard has been called Bedsy since before he entered the NHL, but nothing has stuck for Nazar yet. If the two can perform better together, online fans will surely deem them worthy of a nickname in due time.
Despite being so far into the season, players don’t feel in sync, instead playing slow and sloppy hockey–passes to the abyss and no players ready for rebounds. The team seems to come out swinging after puck drop, but immediately lose their steam.
The Blackhawks are staying strong when it comes to fights, however. In a game against the Calgary Flames on Jan. 15, the teams had two scrums, one of which included Artyom Levshunov grabbing a referee by accident.
One young player is showing a lot of promise: Oliver Moore won the game in the shootout against the Carolina Hurricanes, on his 21st birthday. He also got into his first fight.
Truly a 21st birthday for the books.
This season won’t have the record that the Blackhawks were hoping for, but it hasn’t been a total bust—the team is still on track to perform better than last season.
