Three Stanley Cups in six years gave the Chicago Blackhawks a place among the NHL’s most successful teams. But more than a decade after their last title, the franchise is still struggling to get back into the playoffs. Thursday’s 4-1 defeat to Tampa Bay, which left Chicago with a 4-12-1 record, has brought the team’s long rebuild back into the conversation.
A post from HockeyWays on X sparked a debate among Blackhawks fans about whether the struggles are simply the cost of that championship run. The Blackhawks won the Cup in 2010, 2013, and 2015, but have made the playoffs only once since their third Cup.
“This is the price we pay for 3 Stanley cups,” one fan wrote.
Not everyone saw it that way.
“Some of us have known for quite some time,” another replied.
One fan was even more blunt:
“After TEN consecutive seasons in the basement. We’ve never seen something like this in the hard-cap era”
The discussion also brought up two other teams familiar with lengthy rebuilds.
“Flyers fans can relate,” one comment read.
Another said:
“They’re going full Sabres mode”
Chicago’s slide from three Stanley Cups to a long rebuild
Chicago’s run of success lasted well beyond its three championships. The Blackhawks reached the playoffs in nine consecutive seasons from 2009 to 2017. They have managed just one appearance since, in the expanded 2020 postseason, and have not won a playoff series since lifting the Cup in 2015.
Keeping that championship roster together was never going to be easy under the salary cap. Chicago traded Dustin Byfuglien, Andrew Ladd and Kris Versteeg after its 2010 title to get under the ceiling. Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane later accounted for a combined $21 million in cap space. In 2016, the team also moved Bryan Bickell and Teuvo Teravainen to Carolina, with Bickell’s $4 million salary part of the financial picture. The cap was a factor, but roster decisions and the difficulty of replacing an aging core also caught up with the Blackhawks.
By the time Kyle Davidson became general manager in 2022, the team had moved into a full rebuild. Alex DeBrincat, Kirby Dach and Brandon Hagel were traded, followed by Patrick Kane’s move to the New York Rangers in 2023.
The Blackhawks used the draft capital from that period to build around a younger group. Connor Bedard went first overall in 2023, followed by Artyom Levshunov at No. 2 in 2024 and Anton Frondell at No. 3 in 2025. Frank Nazar, Sam Rinzel, Oliver Moore and Roman Kantserov are among the other prospects the team hopes will form its next core.
There has been little improvement in the standings so far. Chicago finished 31st overall in each of the past three seasons. Its 29-39-14 record in 2025-26 gave it 72 points, 11 more than the previous year. Bedard did make progress, setting career highs with 30 goals and 45 assists in 69 games.
Davidson received a multiyear extension in April. The Blackhawks have since added Bowen Byram, brought Kane back and signed Bedard to a five-year, $75 million extension. Yet the start to this season has offered little reassurance, with Chicago sitting at 4-12-1.
The Sabres comparison is worth watching. Buffalo spent 14 seasons outside the playoffs before ending that drought last season, winning the Atlantic Division and reaching the second round. Chicago will be hoping its rebuild eventually produces the same kind of breakthrough.
Edited by Sonali Verma
