Chicago Blackhawks fans weigh in on state of the franchise

The Chicago Blackhawks continue their period of transition under GM Stan Bowman, but have his offseason moves been enough to get the team back to the winning ways that saw better than 22,000 fans pack United Center during the glory years of the 2010's? 

Gone are the likes of defensive mainstay Duncan Keith and (on paper, though his playing career is over) Brent Seabrook, who were both dealt over the summer. Arriving into the Windy City are the likes of Seth Jones, Jake McCabe, Tyler Johnson, Marc-Andre Fleury, Caleb Jones, and Jujhar Khaira. 

Mark Lazerus and Scott Powers of The Athletic recently compiled a fan survey regarding several topics concerning the current state of affairs of the Blackhawks, and some of the answers were a bit eye opening. 

Let's take a look at a few of them. 

Q: Are the Blackhawks on the right track?

A: 78.7% Yes, 21.3% No"

"We asked this same question 10 months ago, in the wake of the decision to let Corey Crawford walk and the public acknowledgment that a rebuild was underway. And last October, nearly two-thirds of you (65.9 percent) said the Blackhawks were not on the right track. 

Turns out adding a No. 1 defenseman (Seth Jones), a true shutdown defender (Jake McCabe), a two-time champion third-line center (Tyler Johnson) and the reigning Vezina Trophy winner (Marc-Andre Fleury) is 'the right track.'"

Q: What grade would you give the Blackhawks' offseason, strictly in terms of player personnel decisions?

A: 16.7% A, 61.3% B, 17.3% C, 3.9% D, 0.8% D

"The Blackhawks won the offseason. That is clear. Despite most fans being upset with the direction of the team in recent years, nearly everyone is fully behind Blackhawks’ roster moves this offseason. Seven-eight percent of voters gave the Blackhawks a grade of an A or B for their player personnel decisions. Just as impressive, they were given an F by just 0.8 percent of respondents. Those few fans must really be upset.

When you add all the Blackhawks added, then move Duncan Keith and his contract without retaining money, deal Brent Seabrook’s contract and announce your captain, Jonathan Toews, is returning, it’s hard to argue with the overall Blackhawks’ offseason. They certainly improved, at least on paper."

Q: Are the Blackhawks still in rebuild mode?

A: 60.5% No, 39.5% Yes

The Blackhawks are still pushing the idea that they’re still in a phase of the rebuild, but a majority of fans aren’t buying that. More than 60 percent of voters said the Blackhawks aren’t rebuilding any longer. Considering whom the Blackhawks brought in this offseason, most people believe the organization has accelerated the rebuild and is back to trying to win now. The Blackhawks will still have young players throughout their lineup this season, but it will be a more experienced group overall. Comparably, 67.6 percent of voters were behind the Blackhawks’ rebuild plan when we asked that question in November of 2020.

The rest of the answers can be viewed by reading the remainder of the article.