Blackhawks trending towards another star acquisition to play alongside Connor Bedard over recent play

On Thanksgiving, league parity felt like a gift that might keep meaningful hockey alive into March. By Christmas, that same parity looks more like a draft ally than a playoff one.

The Blackhawks stumbled hard entering the holiday break, losing six straight games, five without Connor Bedard, and dropping 14 of their last 17 overall.

Bedard's remained out of the Blackhawks' lineup following an injury update from a sports doctor, and he will be reevaluated in the new year.

Despite the encouraging early stretch, they are back in last place again.

Still, the glass-half-full argument holds weight. Chicago remains on pace for 73 points, up from 61 last season and 52 the year before, with a minus 34 goal differential that marks real progress from minus 70 and minus 111.

If the season ended today, the Blackhawks would hold a 25.5 percent chance at the first overall pick, higher odds than either of the previous two draft lotteries. Progress on the ice paired with another elite prospect would be an ideal outcome for general manager Kyle Davidson.

As a fan, it feels strange admitting this slump might actually help, but the rebuild finally looks controlled instead of chaotic.

Chicago's place in the standings is less about failure and more about rivals accelerating faster. The San Jose Sharks, Anaheim Ducks, and Montreal Canadiens have all taken noticeable steps forward.

San Jose's leap stands out most. The Sharks are tracking toward 82 points after finishing with 52 last season, though their minus 20 goal differential still trails Chicago's. That overachievement may cost them both a playoff spot and a top-five pick.

But don't be worried, the Blackhawks will bolster their prospect pool with the large amount of draft capital that Kyle Davidson has acquired in previous trades.

Twenty-nine teams sit within 15 points of each other league-wide, with more than half the season remaining. In the West, the bottom ten teams are separated by just seven points, while only Colorado, Dallas, and Minnesota are pulling away.

Chicago resumes play Saturday in Dallas, opening a brutal six-games-in-nine-days stretch that includes two more back-to-backs.

That task becomes steeper without Bedard and Frank Nazar in the lineup.

The schedule stays tight through early February, with 21 games in 40 days, though 10 of the next 13 are at home. While the roster pushes through, Davidson's focus will increasingly drift toward the draft.

The world junior championship offers another scouting window, featuring Blackhawks prospects Anton Frondell, Vaclav Nestrasil, and AJ Spellacy, alongside 2026 draft headliners like Ivar Stenberg, Gavin McKenna, and Keaton Verhoeff.

McKenna enters with questions about his work rate, while Stenberg's rising hype faces its first major test. With another top pick likely coming, Chicago's next cornerstone may already be skating into view.