{"id":370390,"date":"2025-12-26T02:21:08","date_gmt":"2025-12-26T02:21:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/370390\/"},"modified":"2025-12-26T02:21:08","modified_gmt":"2025-12-26T02:21:08","slug":"blackhawks-rebuild-is-test-case-for-other-nhl-franchises-considering-taking-the-leap","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/370390\/","title":{"rendered":"Blackhawks’ rebuild is test case for other NHL franchises considering taking the leap"},"content":{"rendered":"

A sizable portion of the Blackhawks<\/a>\u2019 fan base has become seriously impatient with and disgruntled about the slow progress of the rebuild.<\/p>\n

That was evident in the responses to the Sun-Times\u2019 story Wednesday about general manager Kyle Davidson\u2019s next steps<\/a>, particularly the part where he said youth development over the \u201cnext year or two\u201d will tell him what other moves should be made to augment the roster.<\/p>\n

\u201cTrade some picks for guys that are ready or been playing for a few years,\u201d replied one fan. \u201cGet in on some top end talent or you\u2019ll end up like Buffalo.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe easy part is over,\u201d replied another. \u201cHe has more prospects than can fit on an NHL roster. Most will flame [out]. It\u2019s past time to build with legit NHL players. Complaining about new cap space making it hard is a loser\u2019s lament. Make a move!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m scared we\u2019ll still be saying in three years, \u2018Rebuilds take time,\u2019\u201d replied another. “[Connor] Bedard\u2019s early years are being wasted so far.\u201d<\/p>\n

Those are valid points, even if Davidson could also give valid answers in response. Frustration levels might be reaching an all-time high amid the Hawks\u2019 sans-Bedard swoon, since they\u2019ve lost six consecutive games and 14 of their last 17.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s no denying the fact the Hawks\u2019 fan base as a whole has endured \u2014 or at least been forced to witness \u2014 unprecedented levels of futility in recent years. They\u2019ve gone 115-207-42 since fall 2021; that\u2019s just 115 wins in 364 games. Even the most long-term-focused mind would eventually get beaten down by that frequency of failure and disappointment.<\/p>\n

Hockey fans playing \u201cfranchise mode\u201d in NHL video games love enacting full-scale rebuilds because the satisfaction of eventually climbing back to the top of the mountain is immense. Meanwhile, the pain of the interim years can be ignored or even skipped through with a few clicks.<\/p>\n

But there\u2019s a reason why most actual NHL franchises are so wary of enacting full-scale rebuilds, even knowing the tremendous potential payoff: there\u2019s no \u201csimulate\u201d button in real life, and those interim years are unavoidably long and excruciating.<\/p>\n

Plus, most fans don\u2019t follow closely enough to know about the prospect pool or understand the philosophies of team-building in the NHL \u2014 which takes much longer than in the NFL or NBA due to the hard salary cap and the young age at which players are drafted. Humans crave instant gratification from their entertainment, and hockey is entertainment.<\/p>\n

The Canucks, for example, stand at the precipice now, debating whether or not to fully rebuild and tank for top draft picks or to retool on the fly after trading away Quinn Hughes.<\/p>\n

Considering their iffy roster composition and shallow prospect pool, they probably should rebuild. But their front office has rebuked that sentiment, instead purporting a \u201chybrid\u201d approach between the two extremes.<\/p>\n

Business objectives are almost certainly an underlying influence. The Canucks have some of the highest ticket prices in the league, and they\u2019re known for squeezing every possible dollar out of their fan base. Continuing to do so will require at least a semi-competitive product on the ice.<\/p>\n

In the Hawks\u2019 case, ticket sales have remained relatively strong through the rebuild, although they\u2019ve been boosted by marketing creativity and Bedard\u2019s allure. They rank eighth in attendance<\/a> this season (just like last season), drawing 18,473 per game. <\/p>\n

Chicago\u2019s large population and sports obsession offers unique advantages, though, compared to smaller markets.<\/p>\n

Even beyond the Canucks, there are plenty of rebuild candidates. The Maple Leafs, Penguins, Bruins, Predators and Kraken all have low ceilings as currently constructed. So far, however, all have shied away from taking the leap.<\/p>\n

How well things pan out for the Hawks (and Sharks) could influence their decisions. But the angst they see emanating out of the fan base likely gives them pause, with good reason.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A sizable portion of the Blackhawks\u2019 fan base has become seriously impatient with and disgruntled about the slow…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":370391,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[66],"tags":[385,99],"class_list":{"0":"post-370390","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nhl","8":"tag-nhl","9":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/370390","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=370390"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/370390\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/370391"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=370390"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=370390"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=370390"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}