FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — There’s a wide gap between expectations and vibes for the Blackhawks.
Expectations for their 2025-26 season, which begins Tuesday against the Panthers (4 p.m., ESPN, 720-AM), are low — particularly outside the organization. Most projection models consider the Hawks the worst team in the NHL. Their point-total line for the season at FanDuel is 69.5, the fewest in the league.
The vibes in the Hawks’ locker room, however, are positive. Yes, every team around the league feels optimistic entering every season, but there is a noticeably fresh energy that didn’t exist entering the last few seasons.
Captain Nick Foligno has noticed that contrast. While he remained positive throughout the last two seasons, now that he feels what things are like these days, he acknowledges there were some bleak, depressing times during that stretch.
‘‘Unfortunately, you have to go through those growing pains,’’ Foligno said recently. ‘‘But you come out the other side learning a lot more about yourself. Everyone can appreciate the spot we’re in now, having gone through some of the stuff we went through.
‘‘Maybe that’s a nice sign for a few more years [from now]. They’ll look back at this spot and be appreciative of how we got through it. Now we’re in the fun years.’’
There are a few reasons for the good vibes. The biggest is that this is a younger Hawks team with more upside, potentially enough to exceed expectations.
It’s not as young as it will be next season or as young as it might have been if Oliver Moore and Kevin Korchinski had made the team, but it’s still young. There are 13 players 24 or younger on the opening roster. Last season, there were only four.
Those youngsters are also a hungry, hard-working, down-to-earth, friendly bunch. Their presences and personalities are lifting the mood.
Thanks to their longer-term perspective — with their whole careers in front of them — they’re likely to handle the losses and short-term adversity better than the crop of jaded veterans who played out the dog days of their careers with the Hawks last season, too.
And then there’s the new coaching staff, which, unlike the roster, is significantly more experienced and proven than the 2024-25 staff.
Jeff Blashill ran an intense training camp and clearly has a stern side, but he seems to be a good guy with a subtle sense of humor off the ice. His players appreciate that combination.
‘‘We’ve always tried to . . . understand the situation we’re in,’’ Foligno said. ‘‘But it’s a business, and we’re here to win, right? So the standard has to always be kept. That’s where sometimes it would get frustrating for all of us, when we didn’t feel like that [was happening].
‘‘Now, with the way ‘Blash’ has set the tone, I don’t think that’s going to be an issue going forward. There’s an understanding of, ‘This is where you have to get to.’ He stops practice and we skate if we don’t make passes. Little things like that hold everyone to a certain standard.’’
The Hawks likely will have a tough time Tuesday against the back-to-back champion Panthers, but how they fare against their next six opponents — none projected to finish with more than 92 points — could be telling.
Their youth will lead to inconsistency, and Blashill noted Monday the Hawks will have to learn ‘‘how to not have big valleys and get closer to the peaks.’’ But at least there’s genuine excitement for that roller coaster ahead.
‘‘As a young group, it’s been good for us to learn what it’s like to be at the bottom of the totem pole and how we can do the right things and hopefully get to the top one day,’’ defenseman Alex Vlasic said. ‘‘It’ll make it that much sweeter.’’
