2020-21 Chicago Blackhawks: What went wrong - NBC Sports
Our "What Went Wrong" series aims to analyze why each team missed the playoffs.
www.nbcsports.comHere’s a concise update on the 2021–22 Chicago Blackhawks season.
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Overview: The Blackhawks finished 7th in the Central Division and 14th in the Western Conference, with a 28–42–12 record. This was a rebuilding year marked by coaching changes and organizational upheaval. The season featured a difficult start and the subsequent firing of head coach Jeremy Colliton, highlighting a team in transition.[3]
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Key players: Patrick Kane led the team in scoring with 92 points (66 assists, 26 goals), while Alex DeBrincat topped goals with 41. Marc-Andre Fleury led the team in wins among goaltenders with 19. The season also saw significant turnover in leadership and a push to integrate younger players as part of the rebuild.[3]
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Notable events: The Blackhawks opened the season with six straight losses, setting a franchise record for the most consecutive winless minutes to start a season and placing enormous pressure on the coaching staff (ultimately resulting in Colliton’s dismissal and Derek King taking over as interim coach).[3]
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Rebuild context: The season occurred during an ongoing rebuild after the Jenner & Block report and front-office changes earlier in the year, with Kyle Davidson assuming the GM role partway through the campaign and the organization prioritizing asset accumulation and player development for the next era.[3]
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Aftermath and implications: The 2021–22 season intensified focus on prospect development (e.g., Connor Bedard’s era in Chicago ahead of the 2023–24 cycle) and laid groundwork for a long-term rebuild, even as the team aimed to stabilize on-ice performance and return to competitiveness in following seasons.[3]
Illustration: If you’d like, I can pull together a compact season timeline (games, key trades, coaching changes) or compare the 2021–22 stats to the franchise’s historical averages to give more context. Would you prefer a timeline or a stats-focused snapshot?
Citations: The above reflects season standings, coaching changes, and leading scorers as reported for the 2021–22 Chicago Blackhawks season.[3]