Blackhawks miss playoffs again due to scoring woes, record in 1-goal games

The Chicago Blackhawks failed to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the sixth consecutive season.

The Blackhawks (27-35-14) were eliminated from contention when they lost 3-1 to the Edmonton Oilers at Rogers Place on Thursday. 

After qualifying for the playoffs nine straight seasons from 2008-17 and winning the Stanley Cup in 2010, 2013 and 2015, the Blackhawks have made the playoffs once in the past nine seasons (2019-20).

Here's a look at what happened in the 2025-26 season for the Blackhawks and why things could be better next season.

The skinny

Potential unrestricted free agents: Ilya Mikheyevv, F; Sam Lafferty, F; Matt Grzelcyk, D

Potential restricted free agents: Connor Bedard, F; Kevin Korchinski, D; Ethan Del Mastro, D

Potential 2026 Draft picks: 9

What went wrong

Not enough scoring: Connor Bedard had a strong season. Tyler Bertuzzi did as well. Beyond that, however, the Blackhawks didn't have consistent or dependable production. Andre Burakovsky has one goal since Jan. 7. Ryan Donato has 14 goals after scoring a career-high 31 last season. Teuvo Teravainen's assist against the Oilers on Thursday was his first point since he had assist against the Utah Mammoth on March 12. The Blackhawks are averaging 2.54 goals per game this season, 31st in the NHL.

Growing pains: This isn't a knock on the Blackhawks, it's just the truth: they're very young, especially after trading veteran defenseman Connor Murphy, 33, and forwards Jason Dickinson, 30 (both to the Edmonton Oilers) and captain Nick Foligno, 38, to the Minnesota Wild. They're especially young on defense: Alex Vlasic and Louis Crevier are 24, Wyatt Kaiser is 23, Sam Rinzel is 21 and Artyom Levshunov is 20. Couple that with not much time to practice in this season's hectic schedule and it was tough to correct errors. Every experience is valuable, though, and they'll get there. 

Not so close calls: The Blackhawks were in more tight games this season, but didn't fare well in those contests. They had 13 wins in 34 one-goal games (13-7-14) and were 7-14 in games decided after regulation. Again, there wasn't much time to practice but the Blackhawks had a tough time getting over the top, especially on 3-on-3 in overtime, where they were 4-9. 

Reasons for optimism

Bedard: This was the forward's third season in the NHL, and it was also his best. Bedard leads the Blackhawks with 69 points (30 goals, 39 assists), including a career-high in goals and points. Bedard has also become more of a leader, and it would be surprising if he wasn't named captain this summer, or at the start of next season. There shouldn't be much doubt on Bedard signing with the Blackhawks this offseason. The question is, does the pending restricted free agent want to go long-term or shorter to see if the Blackhawks start building around him with established players to go along with their prospects?

Bertuzzi bounceback: He had his ups and downs in 2024-25 but Bertuzzi found more consistent scoring under Jeff Blashill, who also coached the forward with the Detroit Red Wings from 2016-22. Bertuzzi scored a career-high 31 goals, besting the 30 he had with the Red Wings in 2021-22, and has 55 points, closing in on the career high of 62 he had in 2021-22. With two seasons remaining on the four-year contract he signed on July 1, 2024, Bertuzzi is bringing the production the Blackhawks need.

Frondell's great debut: If it's a tough transition for an 18-year-old to adapt to the League, especially coming from overseas, no one told Anton Frondell. The 18-year-old has looked great since making his NHL debut in a 4-3 win against the New York Islanders on March 24, and has five points (one goal, four assists) in six games. Frondell could very well end up being on the wing with Bedard (he played left wing with Djurgardens IF of the Swedish Hockey League this season) but he's looked good at center, so there's no need to move him now. Regardless of where he plays, the No. 3 pick in the 2025 NHL Draft is another promising player for the Blackhawks.