It’s no secret that the last couple of seasons have been absolutely miserable for the Chicago Blackhawks and their fanbase. After finishing at the bottom of the Central Division in each of the last two campaigns, the Hawks are destined for eighth place finish this year. Through 65 games in 2024-25, the club is 20-36-9 and only six points ahead of the San Jose Sharks, who are dead last in National Hockey League standings. After being a true dynasty for most of the 2010s — and winning Stanley Cups in 2010, 2013 and 2015 — it’s certainly been a tough stretch in the Windy City. But coming up on what will be five consecutive years without playoff hockey in Illinois, the dark days seem to be almost over. After making a couple of nice moves ahead of the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline, Hawks fans should be hopeful for the future. Here are a couple of key reasons why. Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson is ready to come out of the rebuild Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson has watched the on-ice product continue to struggle mightily over the last few years. But he made it clear in his post trade deadline media availability on Saturday that he’s hoping that will be a thing of the past starting next year. It’s safe to say we’re likely moving away from that,” Davidson said when asked about the organization continuing to accumulate draft capital. “We do have all these great assets that are future assets… but we’ve got some really nice pieces that we feel are valuable around the league.” The Blackhawks currently own a wealth of assets, including multiple first-round picks over the next couple of drafts along with significant salary cap space. But the goal is now to pursue talent that is already NHL ready. “We’ve got over $30 million in cap space next year and not too many guys to re-sign,” he said on Saturday. Based on the executive’s comments, it looks like Chicago will be aggressive both in free agency and on the trade market going forward. It’s probably time for the franchise to start making moves to come out of the rebuild, and based on Davidson’s comments, that’s exactly what’s going to happen. Expect the organization to swing for the fences this summer to significantly improve the roster ahead of the 2025-26 campaign. And the fact the front office didn’t trade away pending UFA Ryan Donato, who has been the team’s best player over the last several weeks, says a lot about Davidson’s commitment to continuity and leadership going forward. Chicago has its goalie of the future in Spencer Knight Along with management being ready to make a couple of moves this summer, one critical one has already happened. Although it resulted in key defenseman Seth Jones getting a change of scenery — and a chance to win a Stanley Cup with the powerhouse Florida Panthers — the Hawks might have found their goaltender of the future. Spencer Knight, who has been in the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program and buried in the American Hockey League over the last few seasons, seems ready for his chance to be a starting goalie. Since joining the Hawks, Knight has won two of his three starts, while only allowing six total goals in that span — and one of those games was against the high-flying Colorado Avalanche. Although it’s a small sample size, the netminding has struggled for years in Chicago, and Knight has the opportunity to earn the starting role come October. So far, the investment has paid dividends. Hawks have a future superstar to build around in Connor Bedard Matt Marton-Imagn Images Of course, the main thing the Blackhawks have going for them is a young phenom to build around in Connor Bedard. Although he’s been up-and-down in 2024-25, he doesn’t exactly have a ton of support on a consistently lacking roster. He won the Calder Trophy last year as the league’s top rookie after scoring 61 points in his first 68 games. And he’s been very solid in his sophomore campaign, managing 17 goals and 52 points in 65 games. The 19-year-old should just continue to get better, and that will be especially true once the team brings in a couple more ringers to join the quest to return to the level that saw the franchise win three Stanley Cups in six seasons. Along with Bedard, the Hawks boast a plethora of young talent who should also continue to improve, including Colton Dach, Frank Nazar and Lukas Reichel up front, as well as Alex Vlasic, Wyatt Kaiser and Artyom Levshunov on the blue line, among others. Chicago will almost certainly get another top-3 draft selection this summer Finally, while it’s very likely the Blackhawks roster will look a lot different in 2025-26 than it does right now, the club has already accumulated a ton of draft capital — and will have another high selection in the 2025 NHL Draft come June. After drafting Bedard No. 1 overall in 2023 and selecting Levshunov second in 2024, the franchise has a great chance for another high pick this time around. With 17 games left, it’s almost certain Chicago will finish either 31st or 32nd in league standings. After a shutout loss to the Colorado Avalanche on Monday night, they sit just six points up on the last place Sharks. The two teams will meet on Thursday night at the SAP Center in San Jose, and that could have serious draft implications. The team who finishes last will have a 25.5 percent chance to select No. 1 overall in June’s draft. Even if Chicago finishes 31st, they’ll almost certainly have another top-three pick to add to a stacked prospect pool. Chicago is just starting to put together all of the pieces it needs to come out of the rebuild in a big way. Knight looks poised to take over between the pipes full time, Bedard continues to get better, and the roster is full of young talent who should continue to take steps forward as they get more NHL experience. Add all of those to the fact that Davidson is ready to weaponize his cap space this summer, and the Hawks are very likely to be much, much more competitive next season and beyond. Although the 2020s have been miserable in Illinois, there are brighter times ahead for one of the most storied franchises in the National Hockey League.