Nobody said rebuilding a franchise in the NHL should be easy, but it’s been a nightmare for the Chicago Blackhawks so far. Although having Connor Bedard on the roster is a sight to see, the negatives tend to outweigh the positives on a regular basis for Chicago. After a tough loss against the Minnesota Wild, interim head coach Anders Sorensen sent the young players on the team a very strong statement.
A rebuild isn’t completed overnight, and fans in Chicago have learned that the hard way. Endless sleepless nights of agony and frustration linger as Blackhawks Nation hopes this struggle will pave the way for a return to the glory days of the 2010s—this time led by generational talent Connor Bedard. The problem is, who else will step up to help the 19-year-old along the way?
That question has been one of the main goals for Sorensen since taking over as interim head coach. Looking to boost the development of the young prospects in the team’s pool, the Blackhawks have called up several young players in hopes of finding the next wave of Hawks talents. Chicago’s lineup has an average age of 28.4 years old, which ranks fourteenth in the NHL.
However, putting young, inexperienced players on the ice night in and night out isn’t exactly a recipe for success, at least not in the short term. Sorensen is well aware of this, but his aim is to plant the seeds for the future—even if that means biting the dust in the present.
Interim head coach Anders Sorensen of the Chicago Blackhawks speaks to the media after losing to the Winnipeg Jets at the United Center on December 07, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois.
“[The younger players] have to learn that this league is tough,” interim coach Anders Sorensen stated, via The Chicago Sun-Times. “It’s a hard league to play in, especially as a young player. You have to find your opportunities to create offense.
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“But you also have to find your shifts where you have to realize: There’s not much going on; I just have to play [it safe]. Especially as a D-man, you have to advance pucks, keep it efficient that way and obviously defend hard. Sometimes [for] young players, that can be a learning lesson. Today, it was for a lot of them.”
Still learning
Although Connor Bedard is unlike any other young player in the league, he is still only 19 years old, and only playing through his sophomore season, the magnitude of his ability often tends to overshadow those facts, but at the end of the day he is still learning and has his best game well ahead of him.
However, it’s clear Sorensen’s message wasn’t mainly intended for Bedard, as he has had to mature a lot since entering the league. The statement was mostly tageted towards youngsters such as Frank Nazar, Alex Vlasic, Ethan Del Mastro, Lukas Reichel, Colton Dach, and others.
Connor Bedard 98 of Chicago Blackhawks controls the puck during the NHL match against Dallas Stars at American Airlines Center.
Davidson’s message to the prospects
General Manager Kyle Davidson held a press conference midway through the 2024-25 NHL season to address the team’s performance. While the overall assessment wasn’t positive, he expressed appreciation for how the younger players stepped up. However, that also reflected his frustration with the veterans.
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“It’s about where we thought,” Davidson said about the prospects’ development. “Overall we’re very happy with their progress and that they are in a position to contribute in the NHL.”
