The Chicago Blackhawks are in a tough position six weeks away from the NHL trade deadline. They’re near the top of the standings, yet almost nothing about the team screams “elite” or even “very good.” They’re far from bad, but discussing the team’s past January lulls ignores how much its underlying numbers have dropped over the past two years.
This was a team playing over its head during the first couple months, and just as the analytics crowd predicted at the time, the wheels have begun to fall off. Since Dec. 18, Chicago has a 5-6-1 record and a minus-8 goal differential.