2021–22 Chicago Blackhawks season

The 2021–22 Chicago Blackhawks season was the 96th season for the National Hockey League franchise that was established on September 25, 1926. The Blackhawks were led by Jeremy Colliton until he was fired on November 6, 2021, after the team started with a 1–9–2 record; he has been replaced by interim coach Derek King. The Blackhawks play as members of the newly realigned Central Division.
After the prior season was shortened and realigned due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the NHL announced that divisions and conferences would be used for the season. Realignment of divisions occurred as the Seattle Kraken began their first season in the Pacific Division while the Arizona Coyotes moved to the Central Division.
The Blackhawks were eliminated from playoff contention of April 5, 2022, after wins by the Dallas Stars and Nashville Predators.
==Off-season==
===Trades and acquisitions===
The Blackhawks traded two-time Norris Trophy-winner Duncan Keith to Edmonton on July 12, 2021, after 16 years with the Hawks. The Hawks received Caleb Jones, brother of Columbus defenseman Seth Jones in the trade. On July 23, the Hawks acquired Seth Jones from Columbus and signed him to an eight-year extension. Four days later, goaltender Marc-André Fleury was traded by Vegas to the Blackhawks.
===Return of Toews===
Blackhawk captain Jonathan Toews returned to the team for the season after missing the entire 2020–21 season due to an undisclosed injury which was later revealed to be chronic immune response syndrome.
==Season summary==
===Sexual assault allegations===
In June 2021, Kyle Beach (who did not disclose his name until after the Blackhawks released their report), a former Blackhawks prospect, filed a lawsuit against the Blackhawks organization for failing to file a proper police report or properly handle his report that he was sexually assaulted by video coach Brad Aldrich during the 2010 Stanley Cup playoffs. On October 26, the Blackhawks released the findings of the investigation conducted by Jenner & Block and announced general manager/president of hockey operations Stan Bowman and senior vice president of hockey operations Al MacIsaac resigned. The Blackhawks promoted Kyle Davidson to serve as their interim general manager, and then formally named him general manager on March 1, 2022. The team also received a $2-million fine from the NHL for failing to adequately and timely address Beach's allegations.
===Poor start and firing of Jeremy Colliton===
Opening their season with six straight losses, the Blackhawks broke a 51-year-old NHL record previously held by the 1970–71 California Golden Seals for the most minutes played at the start of a season without holding a lead. At nine consecutive losses, the Blackhawks set a new record for worst season start in franchise history in a 1–0 loss to the St. Louis Blues on October 30, 2021.
Colliton was fired following the team's 11th loss of the season and with a record 1–9–2. King won his first game as head coach on November 7.
==Standings==
===Divisional standings===
===Conference standings===
==Schedule and results==
===Preseason===
The preseason schedule was published on July 19, 2021.
2021 preseason game log: 3–1–2 (Home: 1–1–1 ; Road: 2–0–1)	2021 preseason game log: 3–1–2 (Home: 1–1–1 ; Road: 2–0–1)	2021 preseason game log: 3–1–2 (Home: 1–1–1 ; Road: 2–0–1)	2021 preseason game log: 3–1–2 (Home: 1–1–1 ; Road: 2–0–1)	2021 preseason game log: 3–1–2 (Home: 1–1–1 ; Road: 2–0–1)	2021 preseason game log: 3–1–2 (Home: 1–1–1 ; Road: 2–0–1)	2021 preseason game log: 3–1–2 (Home: 1–1–1 ; Road: 2–0–1)	2021 preseason game log: 3–1–2 (Home: 1–1–1 ; Road: 2–0–1)	2021 preseason game log: 3–1–2 (Home: 1–1–1 ; Road: 2–0–1)	2021 preseason game log: 3–1–2 (Home: 1–1–1 ; Road: 2–0–1)	2021 preseason game log: 3–1–2 (Home: 1–1–1 ; Road: 2–0–1)
# 	Date 	Opponent 	Score 	OT 	Decision 	Arena 	Attendance 	Record 	Streak 	Recap
1 	September 29 	Detroit 	3–4 	SO 	Lankinen 	United Center 	— 	0–0–1 	O1 	
2 	October 1 	St. Louis 	3–6 	 	Fleury 	United Center 	16,445 	0–1–1 	L1 	
3 	October 2 	@ St. Louis 	5–1 	 	Subban 	Cable Dahmer Arena 	— 	1–1–1 	W1 	
4 	October 4 	@ Detroit 	6–4 	 	Fleury 	Little Caesars Arena 	14,769 	2–1–1 	W2 	
5 	October 7 	@ Minnesota 	2–3 	OT 	Lankinen 	Xcel Energy Center 	14,419 	2–1–2 	O1 	
6 	October 9 	Minnesota 	5–1 	 	Fleury 	United Center 	17,657 	3–1–2 	W1 	
===Regular season===
The regular season schedule was published on July 23, 2021.
2021–22 game log 	2021–22 game log 	2021–22 game log 	2021–22 game log 	2021–22 game log 	2021–22 game log 	2021–22 game log 	2021–22 game log 	2021–22 game log 	2021–22 game log
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October: 0–7–2 (Home: 0–3–1; Road: 0–4–1)	October: 0–7–2 (Home: 0–3–1; Road: 0–4–1)	October: 0–7–2 (Home: 0–3–1; Road: 0–4–1)	October: 0–7–2 (Home: 0–3–1; Road: 0–4–1)	October: 0–7–2 (Home: 0–3–1; Road: 0–4–1)	October: 0–7–2 (Home: 0–3–1; Road: 0–4–1)	October: 0–7–2 (Home: 0–3–1; Road: 0–4–1)	October: 0–7–2 (Home: 0–3–1; Road: 0–4–1)	October: 0–7–2 (Home: 0–3–1; Road: 0–4–1)	October: 0–7–2 (Home: 0–3–1; Road: 0–4–1)
# 	Date 	Opponent 	Score 	OT 	Decision 	Attendance 	Record 	Pts 	Recap
1 	October 13 	@ Colorado 	2–4 	 	Fleury 	18,037 	0–1–0 	0 	
2 	October 15 	@ New Jersey 	3–4 	OT 	Lankinen 	16,514 	0–1–1 	1 	
3 	October 16 	@ Pittsburgh 	2–5 	 	Fleury 	18,420 	0–2–1 	1 	
4 	October 19 	NY Islanders 	1–4 	 	Fleury 	20,279 	0–3–1 	1 	
5 	October 21 	Vancouver 	1–4 	 	Lankinen 	20,490 	0–4–1 	1 	
6 	October 24 	Detroit 	3–6 	 	Fleury 	19,042 	0–5–1 	1 	
7 	October 27 	Toronto 	2–3 	OT 	Lankinen 	18,616 	0–5–2 	2 	
8 	October 29 	@ Carolina 	3–6 	 	Lankinen 	16,434 	0–6–2 	2 	
9 	October 30 	@ St. Louis 	0–1 	 	Fleury 	16,856 	0–7–2 	2 	
==Player statistics==
===Skaters===
Regular season
Player	 	 	 	 	 	
 	78	26	66	92	−19	18
 	82	41	37	78	−13	19
 	78	5 	46	51	−37	28
 	69	22	26	48	−6 	28
‡ 	55	21	16	37	−14	23
 	71	12	25	37	−14	39
 	78	15	17	32	−16	16
 	70	9 	17	26	−18	43
 	75	4 	18	22	−27	33
 	67	6 	15	21	−16	12
 	59	3 	15	18	−4 	14
 	51	5 	10	15	−3 	18
 	55	5 	7 	12	−16	23
 	52	2 	10	12	−8 	36
† 	46	5 	6 	11	−16	21
‡ 	59	3 	8 	11	−10	36
† 	21	6 	4 	10	−4 	2
 	57	4 	6 	10	−14	47
 	69	4 	4 	8 	−21	33
 	52	4 	3 	7 	−14	22
 	26	3 	4 	7 	−8 	12
 	37	1 	5 	6 	−13	16
 	27	3 	0 	3 	−4 	13
‡ 	8 	1 	1 	2 	−3 	4
 	15	1 	1 	2 	−2 	2
 	21	0 	2 	2 	−6 	11
† 	21	1 	0 	1 	−10	14
 	15	1 	0 	1 	−1 	12
 	9 	0 	1 	1 	−3 	15
 	8 	0 	1 	1 	−3 	0
 	15	0 	1 	1 	1 	2
 	11	0 	1 	1 	−8 	0
 	2 	0 	0 	0 	0 	0
 	6 	0 	0 	0 	+1 	0
 	5 	0 	0 	0 	−3 	2
 	2 	0 	0 	0 	−1 	0
 	4 	0 	0 	0 	−1 	4
===Goaltenders===
Regular season
Player	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
‡ 	45	45	2,626:58	19	21	5	129	2.95	1,398	.908	4	0	1	2
 	32	29	1,815:35	8 	15	6	106	3.50	973 	.891	0	0	1	0
 	8 	6 	343:06 	1 	4 	1	22 	3.85	218 	.899	0	0	0	0
 	3 	2 	155:49 	0 	2 	0	13 	5.01	95 	.863	0	0	0	0
†Denotes player spent time with another team before joining the Blackhawks. Stats reflect time with the Blackhawks only.
‡Denotes player was traded mid-season. Stats reflect time with the Blackhawks only.
Bold/italics denotes franchise record.
==Transactions==
The Blackhawks have been involved in the following transactions during the 2021–22 season.
===Trades===
Date	Details 	Details 	Ref
 	To Edmonton OilersDuncan KeithTim Soderlund 	To Chicago BlackhawksCaleb JonesConditional1 2nd-round pick in 2022 	
 	To Columbus Blue JacketsAdam Boqvist1st-round pick in 2021 (Cole Sillinger)2nd-round pick in 2021 (Aleksi Heimosalmi)Conditional2 1st-round pick in 2022 or 2023	To Chicago BlackhawksSeth JonesTBL 1st-round pick in 2021 (Nolan Allan)6th-round pick in 2022	
 	To Carolina Hurricanes3rd-round pick in 2022 	To Chicago Blackhawks3rd-round pick in 2021 (Taige Harding) 	
 	To Vegas Golden KnightsMikael Hakkarainen 	To Chicago BlackhawksMarc-Andre Fleury 	
 	To Tampa Bay LightningBrent Seabrook 	To Chicago BlackhawksTyler Johnson2nd-round pick in 2023 	
 	To Calgary FlamesNikita Zadorov 	To Chicago BlackhawksTOR 3rd-round pick in 2022 	
 	To Toronto Maple LeafsChad Krys 	To Chicago BlackhawksKurtis Gabriel 	
 	To Pittsburgh PenguinsAlexander Nylander 	To Chicago BlackhawksSam Lafferty 	
 	To Tampa Bay LightningBrandon Hagel4th-round pick in 20224th-round pick in 2024 	To Chicago BlackhawksTaylor RaddyshBoris Katchouk1st-round pick in 20231st-round pick in 2024	
 	To Minnesota WildMarc-Andre Fleury 	To Chicago BlackhawksConditional3 2nd-round pick in 2022 	
 	To Calgary FlamesRyan Carpenter 	To Chicago Blackhawks5th-round pick in 2024 	
Notes:
# Chicago will receive a second-round pick in 2022 if Edmonton reaches the 2022 Stanley Cup Finals and Keith is among the top-four defensemen on the Oilers in time-on-ice during the first three rounds of the playoffs; otherwise Chicago will receive a third-round pick in 2022.
# Columbus will receive Chicago's 1st-round pick in 2022 if the pick is outside the top two selections; otherwise Columbus will receive Chicago's 1st-round pick in 2023.
# Chicago will receive Minnesota's 1st-round pick in 2022 if they reach the 2022 Western Conference Final and Fleury has at least four wins in the first two rounds; otherwise they will receive a 2nd-round pick.
===Players acquired===
Date	Player 	Former team 	Term 	Via 	Ref
 	Jujhar Khaira 	Edmonton Oilers 	2-year	Free agency	
 	Jake McCabe 	Buffalo Sabres 	4-year	Free agency	
 	Erik Gustafsson	Montreal Canadiens 	1-year	Free agency	
 	Cale Morris 	Rockford IceHogs (AHL)	1-year	Free agency	
 	Jaxson Stauber 	Providence Friars (HE)	2-year	Free agency	
===Players lost===
Date	Player 	New team 	Term 	Via 	Ref
 	John Quenneville 	Seattle Kraken 	 	Expansion draft 	
 	Vinnie Hinostroza	Buffalo Sabres 	1-year	Free agency 	
 	David Kampf 	Toronto Maple Leafs 	2-year	Free agency 	
 	Pius Suter 	Detroit Red Wings 	2-year	Free agency 	
 	Anton Lindholm 	HC Dinamo Minsk (KHL)	1-year	Free agency 	
 	Josh Dickinson 	Toledo Walleye (ECHL)	1-year	Free agency 	
 	Zack Smith 	 	 	Retirement 	
 	Matej Chalupa 	 	 	Contract termination	
 	Adam Gaudette 	Ottawa Senators 	 	Waivers 	
===Signings===
Date	Player 	Term 	Contract type	Ref
 	Adam Gaudette 	1-year	Re-signing 	
 	Seth Jones 	8-year	Extension 	
 	Brandon Hagel 	3-year	Re-signing 	
 	Mike Hardman 	2-year	Re-signing 	
 	Alexander Nylander 	1-year	Re-signing 	
 	MacKenzie Entwistle	2-year	Re-signing 	
 	Connor Murphy 	4-year	Extension 	
 	Nolan Allan 	3-year	Entry-level 	
 	Colton Dach 	3-year	Entry-level 	
 	Louis Crevier 	3-year	Entry-level 	
 	Alex Vlasic 	3-year	Entry-level 	
 	Reese Johnson 	2-year	Extension 	
 	Ethan Del Mastro 	3-year	Entry-level 	
 	Sam Lafferty 	2-year	Extension 	
==Draft picks==
Below are the Chicago Blackhawks' selections at the 2021 NHL Entry Draft, which were held on July 23 to 24, 2021. It was held virtually via Video conference call from the NHL Network studio in Secaucus, New Jersey.
Round	# 	Player 	Pos.	Nationality	Team (League)
1 	32 	Nolan Allan 	D 	 	Prince Albert Raiders (WHL)
2 	62 	Colton Dach 	C 	 	Saskatoon Blades (WHL)
3 	91 	Taige Harding 	D 	 	Fort McMurray Oil Barons (AJHL)
4 	105	Ethan Del Mastro 	D 	 	Mississauga Steelheads (OHL)
4 	108	Victor Stjernborg	C 	 	Vaxjo Lakers (SHL)
6 	172	Ilya Safonov 	C 	 	Irbis Kazan (MHL)
7 	204	Connor Kelley 	D 	 	Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs (NCHC)
7 	216	Jalen Luypen 	D 	 	Edmonton Oil Kings (WHL)
==References==
Category:Chicago Blackhawks seasons
Blackhawks