2023 Chicago Blackhawks Predictions with Futures Odds and Expert NHL Picks
Summary of last season
The Chicago Blackhawks were one of the worst teams in the league last year, but now fans LOVE it. After winning the lottery and winning Connor Bedard, these Blackhawks fans are ok with the mishaps of last year. The netminding was the big issue all year, as they allowed 301 goals, which was tied for the 6th most count across the league. Their offense didn’t fare any better, as the team barely managed over 200 goals, with their 204 mark being the lowest in the NHL. They had a 16.4% Power Play Percentage, which ranked them in the bottom five of the league, while their Penalty Kill Percentage was not great either at 76.2%.
The Blackhawks did not have a single skater tally more than 50 points on the year. Midseason trades, Max Domi and Patrick Kane, led the team in points with 49 and 45, respectively. C Andreas Athanasiou appeared in 81 games for Chicago last year and was tied with RW Tyler Raddysh for the team lead in goals with 20. G Petr Mrazek was not great last season, as he posted a 10-22-3 record while allowing 3.66 GA/G and a poor .894% SV%. As a team, Chicago tried out six different netminders across the campaign and allowed 3.65 GA/G and had a unit SV% of .898.
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Seasons come and go, so now it’s time to take a look at what we can expect from the Chicago Blackhawks in 2023-24:
Key Additions/Losses
The big key addition and only time I will mention a draft pick in this series is rookie top overall pick Bedard. The 18-year-old projects to slot right in the Chicago front line. Chicago also added a nice piece from free agency by signing 27-year-old F Ryan Donato, who had 27 points for Seattle last year. They were also active in the trade market. Chicago added veteran skaters Corey Perry and Josh Bailey, giving up very little. They also acquired F’s Taylor Hall and Nick Foligno from Boston for D Ian Mitchell and Alec Regula. That’s a solid quartet of additions with minimal loss.
Blueliner Caleb Jones, who appeared in 73 games for Chicago last season, is gone, along with LW Jujhar Khaira.
X-Factors
Bedard- This kid has brought financial fortune to the team already as fans hastily picked up tickets to see the budding star this season. He will not only be at the center of all the fanfare, but he we will need to be one of the core pieces of production if Chicago wants to see any success this season. He will have Hall and Tyler Johnson join him on the first line, but he will really need to get going early if Chicago wants to improve on last year.
Goalie Outlook
Mrazek is back as the netminder for the Blackhawks this season. Arvid Soderblom, who went 2-10-2 last year, is listed as the backup. The two goalies combined to average 3.55 GA/G, .894 SV%, and allowed 180 goals in 54 games. Not great numbers from a season ago, and Chicago did nothing to improve the mess of a situation. Not only are those two heading into the season as the main options, but they are also the only options listed on their depth chart. This is going to be a weak point for this team again this season and will keep them from seeing success on the year.
Grade: D
Key Schedule Stretch
February 7th- March 2nd- This 11-game stretch features 10 home games a lone trip to Carolina. They do host playoff probables Pittsburgh, New York Rangers, and Colorado, which will likely be losses. However, they can play a bit of a spoiler role over the course of this stretch as they will host a few fringe playoff teams. Minnesota, Vancouver, Philadelphia, and Columbus should be a coin flip. But the nice stretch can includes Ottawa, Winnipeg, and Detroit.
Notable Odds
*DraftKings
Stanley Cup Champions - +20000
Conference Winner - +10000
Division Winner - +13000
To Make Playoffs- Yes- +800
Prediction
I do see improvement, especially in the offense, but not enough to expect this team to be 13 points better than they were a season ago. They did a good job adding some leadership pieces to plug and play around Bedard and the other young stars of this team. However, they could very well be flipped at some point to add more capital going forward. I like Bedard to live up to the hype and think he pairs nicely with Hall. However, there is no depth, and the goalie situation is one of the worst in the league. Chicago will sit around the mid 60’s this season but won’t get to 72.
Under 71.5 Team Total Points
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