If the NHL season ended today, the Blackhawks would make the playoffs.
That statement doesn’t mean much, considering they’re only 10 games into an 82-game slog, but it’s still remarkable that it’s true. It’s been a long time since they’ve been that high in the standings at any moment in time.
With 12 points, the 5-3-2 Hawks sit just four points behind the upstart Mammoth for the Western Conference lead. Their plus-seven goal differential ranks fifth in the conference.
Nobody inside the locker room is getting fooled by this early-season success into believing they’ve reached the mountaintop yet, and rightly so — they definitely haven’t. They rank 26th in the league in five-on-five expected-goals ratio, which suggests their actual goal differential is likely unsustainable.
Winning helps everything, though, sustainability aside. There’s plenty of optimism and motivation around new coach Jeff Blashill’s team right now.
“We really have such a belief in here,” Connor Bedard said Tuesday. “Coming into the year, if you asked people that weren’t a part of our team [about] their expectations, it might’ve been low. But we never thought like that. Obviously it’s only 10 games in and we have a ton of work to do, but we just believe in one another.”
The Hawks have learned the hard way during the past few years what losing feels like. Now that they’ve finally tasted of the sweetness of winning, they’re hungry for more.
Alex Vlasic, who was as affected by the Hawks’ deep struggles in 2023-24 and 2024-25 as anyone, has vividly observed that contrast. Back in March, he talked about his difficulties maintaining a “happy attitude” through such a gloomy season. This October, he has had no such difficulties.
“Since I’ve been in the NHL, I’ve learned how hard it is to win,” Vlasic said recently. “And so far [this year], we’ve been doing a good job of it. I don’t want to get too far ahead of ourselves and jinx anything, but it’s just been a lot different than in years past.
“Losing takes a toll on everybody. Even the next day, coming into practice you’re a little more upset, a little more rattled. Winning takes that edge off.”
Could the 2025-26 Hawks actually follow the 2024-25 Canadiens’ path, stretching one month of overachieving into another and another before miraculously squeezing into the postseason?
That always seemed like a best-case scenario, but many experts would’ve considered it far-fetched. With every passing victory, however, it seems slightly more viable.
“There’s a mindset in here of wanting to be part of something special,” Nick Foligno said. “I know it sounds a little cheesy, but it’s true. Every guy here wants to be part of bringing this team back to where it was, and what it can be.”
It’s important not to get carried away, as Vlasic mentioned. It’s early enough in the season that almost every captain is saying the same things as Foligno, that almost every team still believes they’ll make the playoffs.
Parity has increased league-wide, too, with other projected bottom-feeders like the Penguins (sitting at 7-2-2), Flyers (5-3-1) and Kraken (5-2-3) also exceeding expectations.
The Hawks’ six-game road trip, which begins Thursday against the Jets, will test the legitimacy of their resurgence.
Over the past two seasons, the Hawks have recorded a horrendous 1-15-1 record in the six cities — Winnipeg, Edmonton, Seattle, Vancouver, Calgary and Detroit — they’re about to visit. A .500-or-so trip would bolster the evidence that this team really is different.
“We’ve been right there in every single game,” Vlasic said. “It’s fun to see guys competing, laying it all on the line for each other. That’s what gets me excited. Obviously you want to win, but [I want] just to see our team take off and take that next step.”
