"The wake up on Monday morning only five points out of a wild card spot in the Western Conference - close enough that there will be potentially important games down the stretch. But, at the same time, the Blackhawks are also beginning their ascent out of their scorched earth rebuild. Young players are beginning to take over their lineup and lead the team. They're relying heavily on young players to run the power play and kill penalties. And the centerpieces of the offense are Connor Bedard and Frank Nazar."
"I don't think there's any indecision there. I don't think the Blackhawks have any disillusion about where exactly their place is in the standings, and when the time is going to be right to strike. They're going to try to take advantage of some of the pending UFAs that they have in their lineup to continue to stockpile and build up that asset pool."
Chicago sits five points out of a Western Conference wild-card spot, creating meaningful late-season game possibilities while still in the early stages of a scorched-earth rebuild. Young players increasingly run special teams and anchor the lineup, with Connor Bedard and Frank Nazar as offensive centerpieces. The club faces a deadline choice between buying to chase a playoff push or selling pending unrestricted free agents to accumulate assets. Pending UFAs should be evaluated by desired term for retention, with names added to trade lists if extension terms are unacceptable. Current market dynamics favor sellers, improving trade return potential.
Read at Bleacher Nation
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