It has been 17 months since I wrote, in April 2025, that the “fun part of the Blackhawks’ rebuild” was about to begin. I equated it to watching a coming-of-age movie play out in real life.
That hasn’t really happened yet.
Yes, the team was slightly more competitive last season, stirring up a little hope for a couple months before fading back into the basement. It was certainly more interesting for fans to follow.
And yes, Hawks players claimed they had fun last season, which makes sense for a group of guys in their early 20s who suddenly have an NHL team (almost) all to themselves. The vibes were good, even if wins weren’t frequent.
But up until this point, nothing resembling genuine, exciting fun — certainly not enough to catch the attention of either casual Chicago sports fans or fans of the other 31 NHL teams — has occurred.
Is that about to change?
Will this season mark the Hawks’ takeoff point? Will this season make it clear the last five years of pain were worth it? For that matter, will this season clearly distinguish itself from those five years of pain?
Will Patrick Kane’s comparisons of this young Hawks team to the late-2000s core he grew up with — the core that became a dynasty — prove accurate?
It should, yet again, be interesting. Likely more interesting than last season, in fact.
The presences of Kane, Bowen Byram, Anton Frondell and Roman Kantserov alongside Connor Bedard — five crucial players to whom general manager Kyle Davidson has tied his ambitions and his fate — all but ensure that.
One of the most frustrating aspects of the long rebuild was that, for years, very few of the young players Davidson was accumulating were in the NHL yet. They were essentially invisible.
Now, most of them are in the NHL — and not only that, but most of them gained enough NHL experience last season that it’s reasonable to expect significant improvement this season. Whether or not they achieve that will be telling.
Interesting, as last season proved, isn’t the same thing as fun, though. Natural-disaster documentaries are interesting, but they aren’t fun. Tragedies are interesting — many are even beloved — but “fun” isn’t usually the right word to describe them, either.
If the 2026-27 Hawks season is reminiscent of “Hamlet” or “Titanic,” it’s safe to say the franchise’s long-term outlook will darken in a hurry.
If it’s more like Cameron Frye’s character arc in “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” — replacing the Gordie Howe sweater with a Bedard jersey, of course — that will be a better sign.
Entering the season, Hawks players and coaches have expressed utmost belief in their potential this season, although it’s worth noting they did the same thing last September (and most teams do that before every season).
“It’s crazy the amount of skill these young kids have,” veteran addition Cole Smith said Monday.
If the Hawks survive October with a roughly .500 record before Bedard returns — and particularly if they do so with more balanced shot totals, without needing nightly heroics from goalie Spencer Knight — that would be a good sign.
The schedule starting with a three-game road trip, pitting the Hawks against three 2026 playoff teams hosting their respective home openers, poses a huge challenge right away.
“It’s probably not realistic to say, ‘We’re going to be perfect on Day One of the season,'” fellow veteran addition Ian Cole said. “But it’s just about making sure that learning curve is as steep as it possibly can and [that] everyone is getting on the same page very quickly.”
It remains true, as I wrote 17 months ago, that wins taste extra sweet when the bitter taste of losing remains fresh. The Ducks, for example, experienced that delightful phenomenon last season.
How many wins will Hawks players and fans taste this season? We’re about to find out.