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Three players who hold the keys to the Blackhawks success

Success for the Chicago Blackhawks runs through just a few key players in the 2024-25 NHL Season.

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Petr Mrazek #34 of the Chicago Blackhawks takes in the National Anthem at the United Center
Petr Mrazek #34 | Chicago Blackhawks

The Chicago Blackhawks were the better team in a 5-2 loss to the Utah Hockey Club on Tuesday. Sometimes the better team doesn’t always win.



Some nights a goaltender will put the team on his back and steal a game. Other nights an individual performance from a forward or defenseman can change the game. The Blackhawks have a few of those difference makers on this team, and for the Hawks to win this season they are going to need these three players to step up.

Three players who hold the keys to the Chicago Blackhawks success.

Petr Mrazek

Petr Mrazek had a strong bounce back season last year with the Blackhawks. In 56 games, Mrazek registered a .907 save percentage and a goals against average of 3.05. On a struggling team, Mrazek was the Blackhawks best player often keeping them in games they didn’t deserve to be.

Mrazek showed that same capability throughout the loss to Utah. Utah had some great rushes in the first period and near the beginning of the third period, if Mrazek didn’t keep the Hawks in the game there they would have had no chance at a comeback near the end.

The Hawks need Mrazek to take on the majority of the workload until Laurent Brossoit returns from an injury.

Seth Jones

Seth Jones is the face of the Blackhawks blue line. Jones registered two shots on goal playing 26:42 minutes of the opening game against Utah. He even registered an assist on the Blackhawks first goal of the game.

While it wasn’t the best pass in the world to Bedard in traffic, getting the puck on Bedard’s stick is always a recipe for success.

Jones is quarterbacking the Blackhawks top power play. He led the team in ice time on the man advantage at 3:48. The Blackhawks need Jones to find that offensive creativity and replicate his first season in Chicago where he registered 51 points in 78 games.

Connor Bedard

Connor Bedard is no longer a rookie. The Blackhawks forward is no longer the new kid on the block, now he is the experience pro players in the locker room are looking to in key situations.

Guys like Tyler Bertuzzi and Teuvo Teravainen signed with the Blackhawks for an opportunity to play with a player like Bedard. As the years progress, Bedard is someone the Hawks are going to look at to take over and lead. A strong second season is just what is needed for the rebuild to reach its next level.

Bedard doesn’t need to be perfect. There are always going to be mistakes at times when playing with creativity and taking chances. But the Blackhawks need him to be smarter in his second season.

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