{"id":36558,"date":"2026-01-31T19:17:46","date_gmt":"2026-02-01T01:17:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/2026\/01\/31\/blackhawks-sharks-rebuilds-starting-to-diverge-as-sharks-pick-up-pace-hawks-stay-patient\/"},"modified":"2026-01-31T19:17:47","modified_gmt":"2026-02-01T01:17:47","slug":"blackhawks-sharks-rebuilds-starting-to-diverge-as-sharks-pick-up-pace-hawks-stay-patient","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/2026\/01\/31\/blackhawks-sharks-rebuilds-starting-to-diverge-as-sharks-pick-up-pace-hawks-stay-patient\/","title":{"rendered":"Blackhawks’, Sharks’ rebuilds starting to diverge as Sharks pick up pace, Hawks stay patient"},"content":{"rendered":"

Introduction to Rebuilds<\/h2>\n

The front offices of the Blackhawks and Sharks have moved in relative lockstep for several years. Both franchises opted for scorched-earth rebuilds, tore down their rosters, endured some horrendous seasons to get top draft picks, selected the two best young players in the NHL and accumulated the two best prospect pools around them.<\/p>\n

Divergence in Standings<\/h2>\n

This season, however, the first signs of divergence have emerged. The first is in the standings, where the Sharks appear to have an advantage \u2014 although how much that edge means is up for debate. Entering Saturday, the Sharks \u2014 with 58 points in 52 games \u2014 trailed the Ducks, who held the last wild-card spot in the Western Conference, by one point with two games in hand. The Hawks, with 51 points in 55 games, sat well behind, even though they are still on pace for significant improvement from last season.<\/p>\n

Analyzing the Difference<\/h2>\n

But the Sharks and Hawks entered the day with the same number of regulation victories: 16. The difference between them stems entirely from overtime\/shootout success, which usually is considered more luck than skill. The Sharks are 11-4 in games that go beyond regulation; the Hawks are 5-9. The Hawks\u2019 minus-30 goal differential has fallen behind the Sharks\u2019 minus-16, but the teams\u2019 expected-goals ratios during five-on-five play are nearly identical at 44.3% and 44.5%, according to Natural Stat Trick.<\/p>\n

Upcoming Matches<\/h2>\n

The Sharks are the only team the Hawks haven\u2019t faced this season, but that will change Monday at the United Center in the penultimate game before the Olympic break. The teams will play twice more in April.<\/p>\n

Divergence in Philosophy<\/h2>\n

The second divergence is in philosophy. Sharks general manager Mike Grier seems to think his team\u2019s window for playoff contention has opened and has shifted into \u2018\u2018buyer\u2019\u2019 mode. Grier recently traded two second-round picks to the Canucks for rental forward Kiefer Sherwood, a 30-year-old pending free agent whom nobody realized the Sharks would be interested in. Now Grier has pushed the Sharks into the sweepstakes for Rangers star Artemi Panarin, a 34-year-old forward who likely would require the equivalent of multiple first-round picks (in either pick or prospect form) to acquire.<\/p>\n

Rangers star Artemi Panarin is a reported Sharks trade target.
\n<\/span>
\nCarmen Mandato\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Hawks’ Approach<\/h2>\n

Hawks GM Kyle Davidson, on the other hand, is not about to begin parting with any future assets for short-term additions. He will be a seller, as usual, before the trade deadline, especially because he needs to move out a couple of veterans to clear late-season roster spots for prospects such as Anton Frondell and Nick Lardis. As Davidson reiterated for the umpteenth time in December, he plans to \u2018\u2018hand things over to the young players and let them run with it.\u2019\u2019 Only once the dust has settled \u2014 \u2018\u2018over the next year or two\u2019\u2019 \u2014 will he determine what holes can be filled with trade additions.<\/p>\n

Fan Reaction<\/h2>\n

A sizable portion of the Hawks\u2019 fan base reacted negatively to Davidson\u2019s words, raising a fuss about how slow his rebuild has been. They fear the Hawks are wasting Connor Bedard\u2019s early years and instilling a potentially hard-to-shake losing culture. The truth, however, is that Hawks fans as a whole are more satisfied with the rebuild now than they were awhile ago, likely because they\u2019re getting to see young players\u2019 development at the NHL level with their own eyes. In a Twitter\/X poll of 2,238 Hawks fans Thursday, 59.8% answered they think the rebuild is \u2018\u2018moving at the right pace,\u2019\u2019 rather than too quickly or too slowly.<\/p>\n

Comparison of Bedard and Celebrini<\/h2>\n

The Bedard vs. Macklin Celebrini debate appears destined to live on for many years. If things pan out as planned for both organizations, it has the potential to dominate the Western Conference conversation throughout the 2020s and 2030s in the same way Sidney Crosby vs. Alex Ovechkin did in the Eastern Conference throughout the 2000s and 2010s. Celebrini, who is in his second season, appears to have a step up on Bedard, who is in his third. But it feels as though the publicly perceived superiority might swing back and forth throughout their careers. Celebrini entered Saturday fourth in the NHL scoring race with 79 points in 52 games, while Bedard\u2019s shoulder injury and post-injury slump have limited him to 52 points in 42 games.<\/p>\n

Team Investments<\/h2>\n

Beyond those cornerstone players, the Hawks have invested somewhat more in young defensemen and the Sharks somewhat more in young forwards. Many Hawks fans already regret the team\u2019s decision to draft Artyom Levshunov over Ivan Demidov in 2024, even though it\u2019ll take years to determine Levshunov\u2019s true ceiling. Many Sharks fans, meanwhile, yearn for a right-handed defenseman, which is what Levshunov is.<\/p>\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n

The rebuilds of the Blackhawks and Sharks are starting to diverge, with the Sharks picking up pace and the Hawks staying patient. While the Sharks are shifting into ‘buyer’ mode, the Hawks are sticking to their plan of handing things over to the young players and letting them run with it. The Bedard vs. Celebrini debate will likely continue for years, with both players expected to dominate the Western Conference conversation. As the teams continue on their respective paths, it will be interesting to see how their approaches play out and which team will come out on top.<\/p>\n

FAQs<\/h2>\n