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Chicago Blackhawks receive cautious advisory from their very own team reporter on current tank job
Photo credit: NHL.com
As the Chicago Blackhawks are in the midst of their current rebuild, a close team source believes that they aren't doing it the right way.
Team reporter Mark Lazerus believes that they aren't doing things the wisest and that they might be better off spending their money before it's too late.
Mark Lazerus is not onboard with the Blackhawks rebuild
The Blackhawks have been stockpiling future assets, including prospects and draft picks, for far too long to still be out of playoff contention next season, but sadly it seems as though that will be the case.
No veterans have been signed, no big-name players to offer support for Connor Bedard, who's already going on year 3 of his NHL career.
"I'd argue that no team in the salary-cap era has won the Stanley Cup by actively tanking. The closest one would be the 2010 Blackhawks, but organizational incompetence isn't quite the same thing as intentionally losing. Sure, you need a couple of big names at the top of the lineup, and the draft is an excellent way to get there. But no team successfully builds exclusively through the draft. Not those Blackhawks. Not these Florida Panthers. Not anyone. At some point, you have to start trying.»
Drafting well has certainly benefitted the Blackhawks' favor, with big-named prospects such as Frank Nazar, Connor Bedard and Artyom Levshunov shaping the future but they simply cannot be the only players on the team.
"The Blackhawks have tanked harder than any team has tanked since maybe the 1983-84 Pittsburgh Penguins. And with Chicago GM Kyle Davidson making an absurd 11 first-round picks in the last four drafts, and possibly Gavin McKenna waiting next summer, maybe I'll look foolish in the long run,» Lazerus admitted. «Wouldn't be the first time. But given how disastrous other full guts have gone (hello, Buffalo and Detroit!), all I can hear in my head is Tobias Fünke saying, 'But it might work for us."
The Blackhawks have been stuck in the NHL's gutter for three straight years, and fans are getting tired, ticket sales are plummeting, and the clock is ticking.
Lazerus' honest thoughts on the poor rebuild echo their entire fan base at the moment, which entail many being confused.
| POLL | ||
JUILLET 27 | 313 ANSWERS Chicago Blackhawks receive cautious advisory from their very own team reporter on current tank job Are you fed up with the Blackhawks' 'rebuilding' plan? | ||
| Yes | 228 | 72.8 % |
| No | 85 | 27.2 % |
| List of polls | ||
