The league seems to be going in a bleak direction due to the increasing salary cap and the rise of young players to stardom. This trend is mainly circulating around developing teams in small and big markets but presenting an emphasis specifically around teams that are undergoing a prolonged rebuild. With the Chicago Blackhawks tossing and turning between taking that next step towards contention, extending a forward that has had one semi-full year in the NHL seems to be perplexing to say the least.
A total mismanagement of a declining roster between Thomas Dimitroff and Dan Quinn in 2019 and 2020 led to a complete revamp in 2021. Two years of slow progression led to a season with credible expectations in 2023. That came crashing down in a division there for the taking, leading to Arthur Smith's dismissal. As exciting as the beginning of last season was under Raheem Morris, another late-season collapse resulted in another wasted opportunity to make the playoffs.