NHL Power Rankings: Bruins climb as the Golden Knights fall

28. Chicago Blackhawks (-3)

This is not the same Chicago Blackhawks team that everyone is used to. The bandwagon is getting smaller and smaller. Many of the big names are the same, but the results are not. Head coach Joel Quenneville could find himself unemployed by the offseason and many teams will be lined up to hire him. Quenneville is not to blame for the Blackhawks’ struggles. They just don’t have the same level of talent they did in years past. They are a top-heavy team in terms of salary, which limits their depth. Moving on from players like Artem Panarin and Niklas Hjalmarsson have hurt the Blackhawks’ ability to be a consistent threat. General Manager Stan Bowman will need to scramble this offseason and acquire young, cheap talent to make the Blackhawks a contender again with their current core of players like Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews.

This week started out well for Chicago, who was able to beat the Boston Bruins on Sunday, only to get throttled by the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday. Next up were the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday. Patrick Kane usually has an impressive performance when he is in front of his hometown crowd. It wasn’t enough as the Chicago dropped another game, losing 5-3. They needed to rebound quickly as they played their division rival St. Louis Blues on Sunday, but fell in overtime 5-4. This upcoming week will be an interesting one for the Blackhawks; they will need a strong performance against the surging Colorado Avalanche, then things get a little easier as they play the Vancouver Canucks and New York Islanders.