The dynasty that was the 2010s Blackhawks is long gone, and it does not look like they will reach those heights again anytime soon.

Like the season before it, 2024-25 was another dud, as the Blackhawks finished 25-46-11 for 61 points, the second fewest in the league. For the second consecutive season, only the San Jose Sharks finished with fewer points.

The Blackhawks did well to add a future pick while getting out of a not-so-great contract, trading Seth Jones and a 2026 fourth-round pick to the Florida Panthers for Spencer Knight and a 2026 first-round pick. They also traded former Oiler Taylor Hall to the Carolina Hurricanes for a 2025 third-round pick (they also ate Mikko Rantanen’s contract).

Thanks to their poor season, the Blackhawks picked third overall and selected Swedish centre Anton Frondell. They also used first-round picks on Vaclav Nestrasil (25th) and Mason West (29th).

Moving forward, Connor Bedard is the main piece of their core. Pegged as a generational talent before going first overall in 2023, Bedard has not had that type of season yet, posting 23 goals and 67 points in 82 games.

He was not the only young talent to play significant minutes. Frank Nazar appeared in 52 games with 12 goals and 26 points and recently signed an extension. German forward Lukas Reichel finished with eight goals and 22 points in 70 games. On defence, Alex Vlasic had four goals and 30 points in 82 games.

As you’d imagine, recent first-rounders are poised to make an impact soon. Kevin Korchinski, Sam Rinzel, Oliver Moore, Artyom Levshunov, and Frondell could factor in as early as next season, with Nestrasil, West, Sacha Boisvert, and Marek Vanacker in the pipeline.

That said, much of the 2024-25 scoring came from veterans. Ryan Donato led the team with 31 goals and 62 points in 80 games. Teuvo Teravainen had 15 goals and 58 points, Tyler Bertuzzi 23 goals and 46 points, Nick Foligno 15 goals and 35 points, and Ilya Mikheyev 20 goals and 34 points.

Between the pipes, Spencer Knight is the goaltender of the future after arriving in the Jones trade before the deadline. Last season, he posted a .896 save percentage and a 3.12 goals-against average in 15 games. Arvid Söderblom should also see significant time after recording a .898 save percentage and a 3.18 goals-against average.

So what did the Blackhawks do to improve this off-season? Honestly, not a whole lot.

They traded Joe Veleno to the Seattle Kraken for André Burakovsky, who scored 10 goals and 37 points last season. They also reacquired Sam Lafferty for a 2026 sixth-round pick and traded Ilya Safonov to the Vancouver Canucks for future considerations.

On the free-agent front, their moves were largely entry-level deals and extensions. Nazar signed a seven-year deal worth $6.6 million annually. Söderblom earned a two-year deal worth $2.75 million, and Donato signed a four-year deal worth $4 million.

Two veterans retired: Patrick Maroon and Alec Martinez. Both won Stanley Cups and were brought in to provide leadership for a young group. The more notable departure was Philipp Kurashev, who signed with the San Jose Sharks.

Kurashev did not have a great 2024-25, with seven goals and 14 points in 51 games, but he is a year removed from 18 goals and 54 points in 75 games in 2023-24.

First, they need to sign Bedard long-term. He remains a right-shot centre with ample upside, even if he never quite reaches the “generational” label.

They also need to be bad in 2025-26, because future first-rounder Gavin McKenna has the potential to be a real game-changer. Any organization landing the 17-year-old instantly brightens its future. Imagine him and Bedard as a 1C and 2C.