When will the Blackhawks make the playoffs again?
The NHL Playoffs are in full swing right now. For Blackhawks fans, the question is: when is it our turn? Although they technically made the playoffs in 2020, it was only because of the unique COVID play-in format. The last “normal” time they got in was 2017, when they were unexpectedly swept by the Nashville Predators. From that point on, the team began a slow decline before the teardown started in 2022. Here’s a quick recap of the Blackhawks point totals over the last couple seasons:
2025–26: 72 pts
2024–25: 61 pts
2023–24: 52 pts (Rock bottom in terms of the teardown)
2022–23: 59 pts
2021–22: 68 pts
Photo by: Chicago Bllackhawks
To make the playoffs, you probably need 90 points at a minimum. Some seasons, that number is closer to 95. This season, we had 72. Remember that every win is worth 2 points in the standings. Therefore, the Blackhawks would need to win 10 more games to maybe get into a playoff position. This year they had 29 wins and 14 overtime losses (worth 1 point). So hypothetically, they would need to win 40 games and have 10 overtime losses to reach 90 points. Again the threshold does change per season.
The point is, can the Blackhawks reach 40 wins? It could happen, but odds are not great. The Blackhawks had 23 wins in 2024, 25 in 2025, and 29 in 2026. It’s possible to take a big jump; the Sharks went from 52 points in 2025 to 82 in 2026. However, the goal should be for Chicago to play meaningful games in March/April. Making the playoffs would be gravy on top.
Ideally, the 2027-2028 season is when the Blackhawks really begin the first of many playoff runs. This upcoming season may see them hang around the Wild Card race, and they could make if everything falls their way this summer. This would mean:
Getting a top-2 pick in the lottery (ideally)
Big acquisitions in the summer (ie, acquiring a Matthew Knies)
Multiple young players have big offseasons
There is one more thing worth discussing. In the NHL, there is one area of the standings that can be hard to get out of. It’s not the bottom, but rather the dreaded “mushy middle”. The mushy middle is a group of teams that are too good to really challenge for a high draft pick, but not good enough to have a realistic shot at winning the Stanley Cup. Teams in that range may make the playoffs, such as the Los Angeles Kings. But as we’ve seen, the Kings have not had much playoff success.
Blackhawks General Manager Kyle Davidson is trying to build a Stanley Cup contending team through the draft. Not a team that can just make the playoffs, but a team that can legitimately win it all. These past couple years of rebuilding and struggles will be worth it in the end. At least, that is the hope. As the young players continue to arrive and develop, playoffs should hopefully be happening soon. This rebuild depends on that.
