2023-24 Season Recap

I know what you are thinking. "Is this really necessary?"

No, it's not.

There's nothing about recapping this season that is necessary. There isn't anything to be gained from looking back on disgusting stats and dark times. But here we are. We're going to take a little trip down memory lane today and look back on a season that was. I listed my personal favorite moments of the season, whether they're goals, games, or moments. We'll also take a look back at some of the darker times, the times we would rather forget about and move on from.

Grab a beer, get comfy, and strap in. Here's how the Hawks did in the 2023-2024 season.

The Season That Wasn't

The thing we all have to remember is that this season was never meant to be good. Tanking, although not as obvious as last year, was still very much an option. Getting a top-10 draft pick was a worst case scenario option for GM Kyle Davidson. Once the Hawks were blessed with Connor Bedard in the 2023 Draft, the rebuild was only sped up ever so slightly. Davidson found himself with the key player to build around, all that was left during the summer was to add a couple of veteran pieces and a player who could play with the new kid.

The players Kyle brought in during the Free Agency class of 2023 was a bit... underwhelming. But it fit his plan and direction. Taylor Hall was signed as the player to play with and mentor Bedard, as he had done so with so many other 1st round picks. Nick Foligno and Corey Perry were brought in for some depth, bite, and good ol' veteran presence. It wasn't much, but it was something. Davidson had a plan to stick to, and we all remember when a Hawks GM pulled out a reverse Uno card on a rebuild/retool.

Davidson had torn down the Hawks by the end of the 2022-23 season, now all he had to do was keep the team just above the cap floor and ice a team that would play interesting games night-in and night-out. I mean, Luke Richardson got one hell of a season in 2022 with the sorry roster he was given. Surely, there was no way this team would be that bad again and let's not forget, that 2022-23 team played some competitive games.

Things were looking interesting. There were no expectations. No reason to watch the standings. Connor Bedard would debut, Kevin Korchinski would play maybe 9 games before returning to the WHL, and the Hawks would probably finish somewhere near 5th worse in the standings.

Right?

The Best of Times

1. Connor Bedard Debuts

It wasn't his most exciting game and it wasn't his best. But the lead up to Bedard's NHL debut was exciting. It was the first time in a while where I was looking forward to something beyond "oh boy, hockey's back." Watching that kid play his first NHL game was special. You could observe him adjust to the NHL level of play and ooze with talent. After the game was finished, it was obvious. This kid was the real deal.

2. Kane Returns and 7 is Retired

This was a special game. You had the retirement of Chris Chelios' number which was planned to take place when the Red Wings came to Chicago. That alone was pretty cool. Leading up to the game there was a lot of nostalgia about the Hawks of the 90's. What's more, it felt like closure for Chelios. A final welcome back, and a much warmer one than his 2010 speech. The Red Wings rivalry seemed to have been lain to rest, although it's embers have left their mark on many Hawks fans.

While the Hawks of the 90s were remembered, the Hawks of the 2010's were also celebrated. Patrick Kane finally made his return to Chicago. It was long awaited. It was the first time Kane got to play against the Blackhawks. And it was while wearing a Red Wings sweater. Showtime received an outstanding ovation from all Hawks fans, both when his montage played and when he got the game winning goal in overtime. Oh. And Alex DeBrincat got a goal too.

The Red Wings rivalry may be dead, but that won't stop Hawks fans from chanting DETROIT SUCKS.

3. The Michigan

Speaking of states shaped like hands...

This was one of the very few times this season where I screamed in my living room. This goal was beautiful to watch unfold and you couldn't believe your eyes.

4. Nazar and Friends

The other time I screamed in my living room was when Frank Nazar scored his first goal, on his first shot, in his first NHL game.

It's been fun watching young players come into the league this season. Whether it was watching Wyatt Kaiser learn that the NHL is very hard or getting a tease of Landon Slaggert and Nazar at the end. The last time I was excited about the Hawks young core, Stan Bowman decided to abort his retool/rebuild.

5. Alex Vlasic

He surprised everyone and surpassed expectations. Vlasic showed what his time in the AHL did for him and he is a success story in terms of developing young defensemen. I thought he looked solid during his callups at the end of last season, this year he has been awesome and easily the Hawks best defender. That's saying something for a player of his experience. And as of April 25, it seems that he'll be here for a while.

Honorable Mentions: I think Kevin Korchinski deserves a mention here. I didn't expect him to last beyond game 9 this season, yet he earned his spot in the lineup for a whole season. Some are disappointed with the lack of offensive production (being that he is an offensive defenseman), but can you blame the kid? The fact that he played in 76 games is a win in my books. Let's not forget Korchinski's OT winner against the Leafs and a Jason Dickinson hatty to boot.

When Conor Bedard had his 4 point night against Tampa Bay and 2 goals against the Panthers, Hawks fans got a strong taste of what this kid is going to provide in the future. That stretch of Blackhawks hockey was one of the highlights this season and it contained this goal.

Petr Mrazek also deserves a spot down here. He finished with a .907 SV% on this team. I mean, have you seen how the Hawks played? Mrazek was a huge part of

The Worst of Times

1. Blackhawk Down

We all knew going into this season that it would be rough. What made it even more bad was the amount of injuries this team sustained. The one player brought in to play with Bedard, Taylor Hall, went down early on. Effectively forcing Bedard to generate offense with 3rd liners on his wing. Andreas Athanasiou, the one player who could hopefully get Lukas Reichel going, went down with an injury. And although not an injury, Corey Perry was removed from the team because he was being mean or something.

The nail in the coffin was Connor Bedard's injury when he took an open ice hit and fractured his jaw. The only good thing that came out of that was Bubble Bedsy.

Hawks fans must remember that one of the reasons why this season was so bad was because of the injuries. It's not the only reason, but it played a pretty large role.

2. Reichel.

Perhaps the biggest disappointment of the season was Reichel's production. For a prospect (technically?) who was hyped by Kyle Davidson over the summer, it was quite the letdown with what we saw. Initially, I pinned his lack of production due to his time at center. He was, after all, drafted as a winger. But once he was placed on the wing, we still got nothing.

It was nice to see him be more confident after his much needed reboot in Rockford. He looked good towards the end of the season with those flashes we love to see. But here's thing. Flashes aren't enough. Reichel is going to have to turn those flashes into consistent production. He's also not a bottom-6 player in the NHL. His play style fits on the top-6 line so it is my opinion that if he can't crack into the top-6, he won't have a future in Chicago.

3. Swiss Cheese

Arvid Soderblom was touted to become the interim number 1 goaltender. As we all witnessed... this was not the case. Soderblom had a rough season. Sure, he has zero supporting cast in front of him which must account for something. But he owns a lot of those bad nights. He finished with a .879 SV% and a 3.92 GAA.

The Numbers

We'll finish off with some stats and numbers. Not too much to discuss here. We all know that the Hawks were pretty bad in every category. View them for your enjoyment.

Next week I'll write about the off-season and what we can expect to happen during the summer. Let's just hope that we can close the book on this season and never see something like it again.