2017–18 Chicago Blackhawks season

The 2017–18 Chicago Blackhawks season was the 92nd season for the National Hockey League franchise that was established on September 25, 1926. The Hawks finished the season with 76 points (19 points out of the final playoff spot) to finish in last place in the Central Division of the Western Conference. The season marked the first time since 2008 where the Blackhawks failed to make the Stanley Cup playoffs and the team's worst regular season performance since 2007.
Prior to the season, the Hawks made several moves in an attempt to make up for the prior season's playoff disappointment. As a result, the team traded their second-leading goal scorer from the prior season, Artemi Panarin, to the Columbus Blue Jackets for former Blackhawk Brandon Saad. In addition, the team traded arguably their most reliable defenseman, Niklas Hjalmarsson, to the Arizona Coyotes for defenseman Connor Murphy. Numerous other moves were made in an attempt to change the team. Also, forward Marian Hossa announced he would not play for the Hawks during the season due to a skin condition that was aggravated by wearing hockey equipment. As a result, Hossa was placed on long-term injured reserve.
Patrick Kane led the team in scoring with 76 points while rookie forward Alex DeBrincat led the team in goals with 28. The Blackhawks had five players score 20 or more goals: DeBrincat, Kane (27), Nick Schmaltz (21), Artem Anisimov (20) and Jonathan Toews (20). Goalie Corey Crawford only played 28 games, missing the final 47 games of the season with an undisclosed injury.
Despite the disappointing season, team president John McDonough announced that general manager Stan Bowman and coach Joel Quenneville would return for the 2018–19 season.
==Standings==
===Divisional standings===
===Conference standings===
==Schedule and results==
===Pre-season===
The Blackhawks published their preseason schedule on June 8, 2017.
2017 preseason game log: 4–2–0 (Home: 2–1–0 ; Road: 2–1–0)	2017 preseason game log: 4–2–0 (Home: 2–1–0 ; Road: 2–1–0)	2017 preseason game log: 4–2–0 (Home: 2–1–0 ; Road: 2–1–0)	2017 preseason game log: 4–2–0 (Home: 2–1–0 ; Road: 2–1–0)	2017 preseason game log: 4–2–0 (Home: 2–1–0 ; Road: 2–1–0)	2017 preseason game log: 4–2–0 (Home: 2–1–0 ; Road: 2–1–0)	2017 preseason game log: 4–2–0 (Home: 2–1–0 ; Road: 2–1–0)	2017 preseason game log: 4–2–0 (Home: 2–1–0 ; Road: 2–1–0)	2017 preseason game log: 4–2–0 (Home: 2–1–0 ; Road: 2–1–0)	2017 preseason game log: 4–2–0 (Home: 2–1–0 ; Road: 2–1–0)
# 	Date 	Opponent 	Score 	OT 	Decision 	Arena 	Attendance 	Record 	Recap
1 	September 19 	@ Columbus 	5–2 	 	Forsberg 	Nationwide Arena 	10,548 	1–0–0 	W1
2 	September 21 	Detroit 	6–1 	 	Crawford 	United Center 	20,342 	2–0–0 	W2
3 	September 23 	Columbus 	2–3 	 	Berube 	United Center 	20,395 	2–1–0 	L1
4 	September 25 	@ Boston 	2–4 	 	Crawford 	TD Garden 	16,374 	2–2–0 	L2
5 	September 28 	@ Detroit 	4–2 	 	Forsberg 	Little Caesars Arena 	17,089 	3–2–0 	W1
6 	September 30 	Boston 	1–0 	 	Crawford 	United Center 	20,703 	4–2–0 	W2
===Regular season===
The Blackhawks released their regular season schedule on June 22, 2017.
2017–18 game log 	2017–18 game log 	2017–18 game log 	2017–18 game log 	2017–18 game log 	2017–18 game log 	2017–18 game log 	2017–18 game log 	2017–18 game log 	2017–18 game log 	2017–18 game log
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October: 5–5–2 (Home: 3–2–1 ; Road: 2–3–1)	October: 5–5–2 (Home: 3–2–1 ; Road: 2–3–1)	October: 5–5–2 (Home: 3–2–1 ; Road: 2–3–1)	October: 5–5–2 (Home: 3–2–1 ; Road: 2–3–1)	October: 5–5–2 (Home: 3–2–1 ; Road: 2–3–1)	October: 5–5–2 (Home: 3–2–1 ; Road: 2–3–1)	October: 5–5–2 (Home: 3–2–1 ; Road: 2–3–1)	October: 5–5–2 (Home: 3–2–1 ; Road: 2–3–1)	October: 5–5–2 (Home: 3–2–1 ; Road: 2–3–1)	October: 5–5–2 (Home: 3–2–1 ; Road: 2–3–1)	October: 5–5–2 (Home: 3–2–1 ; Road: 2–3–1)
# 	Date 	Opponent 	Score 	OT 	Decision 	Arena 	Attendance 	Record 	Pts 	Recap
1 	October 5 	Pittsburgh 	10–1 	 	Crawford 	United Center 	21,705 	1–0–0 	2 	W1
2 	October 7 	Columbus 	5–1 	 	Crawford 	United Center 	21,264 	2–0–0 	4 	W2
3 	October 9 	@ Toronto 	3–4 	OT 	Forsberg 	Air Canada Centre 	19,456 	2–0–1 	5 	O1
4 	October 10 	@ Montreal 	3–1 	 	Crawford 	Bell Centre 	21,302 	3–0–1 	7 	W1
5 	October 12 	Minnesota 	2–5 	 	Crawford 	United Center 	21,386 	3–1–1 	7 	L1
6 	October 14 	Nashville 	2–1 	OT 	Crawford 	United Center 	21,564 	4–1–1 	9 	W1
7 	October 18 	@ St. Louis 	2–5 	 	Crawford 	Scottrade Center 	18,752 	4–2–1 	9 	L1
8 	October 19 	Edmonton 	1–2 	OT 	Forsberg 	United Center 	21,444 	4–2–2 	10 	O1
9 	October 21 	@ Arizona 	4–2 	 	Crawford 	Gila River Arena 	13,777 	5–2–2 	12 	W1
10 	October 24 	@ Vegas 	2–4 	 	Crawford 	T-Mobile Arena 	18,108 	5–3–2 	12 	L1
11 	October 27 	Nashville 	1–2 	 	Crawford 	United Center 	21,524 	5–4–2 	12 	L2
12 	October 28 	@ Colorado 	3–6 	 	Forsberg 	Pepsi Center 	17,360 	5–5–2 	12 	L3
===Detailed records===
Western Conference 	Western Conference	Western Conference	Western Conference	Western Conference	Western Conference	Western Conference
Opponent 	Home 	Away 	Total 	Pts 	Goals scored 	Goals allowed
Central Division 	Central Division 	Central Division 	Central Division 	Central Division 	Central Division 	Central Division
Chicago Blackhawks 	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	—
Colorado Avalanche 	1–1–0 	0–2–0 	1–3–0 	2 	6 	17
Dallas Stars 	0–1–1 	0–1–1 	0–2–2 	2 	7 	15
Minnesota Wild 	1–2–0 	1–1–0 	2–3–0 	4 	9 	11
Nashville Predators 	1–1–0 	1–1–0 	2–2–0 	4 	7 	7
St. Louis Blues 	0–1–1 	1–1–0 	1–2–1 	3 	10 	17
Winnipeg Jets 	2–0–0 	1–2–0 	3–2–0 	6 	16 	14
Total 	5–6–2 	4–8–1 	9–14–3 	21 	58 	81
Pacific Division 	Pacific Division 	Pacific Division 	Pacific Division 	Pacific Division 	Pacific Division 	Pacific Division
Anaheim Ducks 	1–1–0 	0–1–0 	1–2–0 	2 	12 	12
Arizona Coyotes 	1–0–0 	1–1–0 	2–1–0 	4 	8 	9
Calgary Flames 	0–1–0 	0–0–2 	0–1–2 	2 	8 	11
Edmonton Oilers 	1–0–1 	1–0–0 	2–0–1 	5 	9 	6
Los Angeles Kings 	0–2–0 	1–0–0 	1–2–0 	2 	7 	9
San Jose Sharks 	1–0–1 	0–1–0 	1–1–1 	3 	8 	12
Vancouver Canucks 	0–1–0 	0–2–0 	0–3–0 	0 	6 	14
Vegas Golden Knights	0–1–0 	0–2–0 	0–3–0 	0 	8 	14
Total 	4–6–2 	3–7–2 	7–13–4 	18 	66 	87
Eastern Conference 	Eastern Conference 	Eastern Conference 	Eastern Conference 	Eastern Conference 	Eastern Conference 	Eastern Conference
Opponent 	Home 	Away 	Total 	Pts 	Goals scored 	Goals allowed
Atlantic Division 	Atlantic Division 	Atlantic Division 	Atlantic Division 	Atlantic Division 	Atlantic Division 	Atlantic Division
Boston Bruins 	1–0–0 	0–1–0 	1–1–0 	2 	7 	8
Buffalo Sabres 	1–0–0 	0–1–0 	1–1–0 	2 	6 	7
Detroit Red Wings 	0–1–0 	1–0–0 	1–1–0 	2 	5 	5
Florida Panthers 	1–0–0 	1–0–0 	2–0–0 	4 	7 	3
Montreal Canadiens 	0–1–0 	1–0–0 	1–1–0 	2 	3 	3
Ottawa Senators 	1–0–0 	1–0–0 	2–0–0 	4 	11 	4
Tampa Bay Lightning 	0–1–0 	0–0–1 	0–1–1 	1 	2 	5
Toronto Maple Leafs 	0–0–1 	0–0–1 	0–0–2 	2 	5 	7
Total 	4–3–1 	4–2–2 	8–5–3 	19 	48 	42
Metropolitan Division	Metropolitan Division	Metropolitan Division	Metropolitan Division	Metropolitan Division	Metropolitan Division	Metropolitan Division
Carolina Hurricanes 	0–1–0 	1–0–0 	1–1–0 	2 	6 	6
Columbus Blue Jackets	1–0–0 	0–1–0 	1–1–0 	2 	7 	4
New Jersey Devils 	0–1–0 	0–1–0 	0–2–0 	0 	6 	11
New York Islanders 	0–1–0 	1–0–0 	1–1–0 	2 	6 	8
New York Rangers 	1–0–0 	1–0–0 	2–0–0 	4 	8 	5
Philadelphia Flyers 	1–0–0 	0–1–0 	1–1–0 	2 	4 	3
Pittsburgh Penguins 	1–0–0 	1–0–0 	2–0–0 	4 	12 	2
Washington Capitals 	1–0–0 	0–1–0 	1–1–0 	2 	9 	7
Total 	5–3–0 	4–4–0 	9–7–0 	18 	58 	46
==Player statistics==
Final Stats
;Skaters
 Regular season
Player	 	 	 	 	 	
 	82	27	49	76	–20	30
 	82	28	24	52	6 	6
 	78	21	31	52	1 	18
 	74	20	32	52	–1 	47
 	82	18	17	35	–10	14
 	82	2 	30	32	–29	28
 	72	20	11	31	–17	22
 	81	7 	19	26	–3 	38
‡ 	57	8 	17	25	5 	58
 	50	7 	18	25	9 	10
 	70	10	11	21	–16	14
 	57	6 	14	20	–1 	22
‡ 	37	6 	10	16	3 	26
 	35	5 	11	16	1 	6
 	55	5 	10	15	–11	8
 	76	2 	12	14	–3 	34
 	47	4 	9 	13	–4 	54
 	41	3 	10	13	–2 	8
‡ 	57	7 	5 	12	–10	43
 	46	4 	7 	11	–9 	12
 	29	6 	4 	10	1 	12
 	53	3 	6 	9 	1 	36
† 	23	2 	6 	8 	0 	6
‡ 	31	1 	6 	7 	13 	12
 	23	1 	6 	7 	–1 	8
 	8 	1 	2 	3 	1 	0
 	11	0 	3 	3 	–2 	0
 	5 	0 	3 	3 	2 	0
 	13	2 	0 	2 	–4 	0
 	9 	1 	0 	1 	–1 	17
 	4 	1 	0 	1 	–1 	0
 	6 	0 	1 	1 	–1 	0
;Goaltenders
 Regular season
Player	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	35	30	1715	10	16	4	85	2.97	921	.908 	0	0	1	0
 	28	27	1584	16	9 	2	60	2.27	842	.929 	2	0	0	0
 	15	13	821 	3 	7 	3	46	3.36	452	.898 	0	0	0	2
 	13	10	667 	3 	6 	1	42	3.78	398	.894 	0	0	0	0
 	2 	2 	106 	1 	1 	0	7 	4.04	63 	.889 	0	0	0	2
 	1 	0 	14 	0 	0 	0	0 	0.00	7 	1.000	0	0	0	0
†Denotes player spent time with another team before joining Blackhawks. Stats reflect time with Blackhawks only. 
‡Left team mid-season. Stats reflect time with Blackhawks only.
==Awards and honours==
===Awards===
 Regular season
Player 	Award 	Awarded
 	NHL First Star of the Week 	November 6, 2017
 	NHL First Star of the Week 	December 18, 2017
P. Kane	NHL All-Star game selection	January 28, 2018
===Milestones===
 Regular season
Player 	Milestone 	Reached
 	1st career NHL game1st career NHL assist1st career NHL point 	October 5, 2017
 	1st career NHL game1st career NHL assist1st career NHL point 	October 5, 2017
 	600 career NHL points 	October 5, 2017
Jan Rutta 	1st career NHL goal 	October 7, 2017
Alex DeBrincat 	1st career NHL goal 	October 10, 2017
 	1st career NHL fight 	October 12, 2017
 	100th career NHL game 	November 9, 2017
 	100th career NHL point 	November 15, 2017
 	1st career NHL hat trick 	November 15, 2017
Alex DeBrincat 	1st career NHL hat trick 	November 27, 2017
 	400th career NHL game 	December 10, 2017
Patrick Sharp 	900th career NHL game 	December 12, 2017
 	300th career NHL goal 	December 24, 2017
 	1st career NHL game 	December 28, 2017
 	1st career NHL game1st career NHL start1st career NHL win 	December 29, 2017
 	1st career NHL goal 	December 29, 2017
 	100th career NHL game 	December 29, 2017
David Kampf 	1st career NHL assist1st career NHL point 	January 3, 2018
David Kampf 	1st career NHL goal 	January 12, 2018
 	1st career NHL goal 	January 20, 2018
Patrick Kane 	800th career NHL point 	January 20, 2018
Artem Anisimov 	300th career NHL point 	February 8, 2018
 	1st career NHL game 	February 10, 2018
Carl Dahlstrom 	1st career NHL assist1st career NHL point 	February 17, 2018
Patrick Kane 	500th career NHL assist 	February 17, 2018
Patrick Kane 	800th career NHL game 	February 19, 2018
 	1,600th career NHL regular season game coached 	February 21, 2018
 	1st career NHL game 	March 1, 2018
Matthew Highmore	1st career NHL goal1st career NHL point 	March 10, 2018
Joel Quenneville	2nd all time in NHL regular season games coached (1,608 games)	March 11, 2018
 	1st career NHL game 	March 26, 2018
 	1st career NHL game1st career NHL assist1st career NHL point 	March 29, 2018
 	1st career NHL game1st career NHL start1st career NHL win 	March 29, 2018
 	1,000th career NHL game 	March 29, 2018
 	1st career NHL game 	March 29, 2018
Victor Ejdsell 	1st career NHL point1st career NHL assist 	March 29, 2018
 	1st career NHL game 	March 30, 2018
Blake Hillman 	1st career NHL goal1st career NHL point 	April 4, 2018
==Transactions==
The Blackhawks have been involved in the following transactions during the 2017–18 season.
===Trades===
Date	Details 	Details 	Ref
 	To Arizona CoyotesNiklas Hjalmarsson 	To Chicago BlackhawksConnor MurphyLaurent Dauphin 	
 	To Columbus Blue JacketsArtemi PanarinTyler MotteNYI's 6th-round pick in 2017	To Chicago BlackhawksBrandon SaadAnton Forsberg5th-round pick in 2018 	
 	To Vegas Golden KnightsMarcus Kruger 	To Chicago BlackhawksFuture considerations 	
 	To Montreal CanadiensKyle Baun 	To Chicago BlackhawksAndreas Martinsen 	
 	To Arizona CoyotesLaurent DauphinRichard Panik 	To Chicago BlackhawksAdam ClendeningAnthony Duclair 	
 	To Ottawa SenatorsVille Pokka 	To Chicago BlackhawksChris DiDomenico 	
 	To Washington CapitalsMichal Kempny 	To Chicago BlackhawksConditional 3rd-round pick in 2018 	
 	To Nashville PredatorsRyan Hartman5th-round pick in 2018 	To Chicago BlackhawksVictor Ejdsell1st-round pick in 20184th-round pick in 2018	
 	To Boston BruinsTommy Wingels 	To Chicago BlackhawksConditional 5th-round pick in 2019 	
===Free agents acquired===
Date	Player 	Former team 	Contract terms(in U.S. dollars) 	Ref
 	Jean-Francois Berube	Vegas Golden Knights	2-year, $1.5 million 	
 	Lance Bouma 	Calgary Flames 	1-year, $1 million 	
 	Jordan Oesterle 	Edmonton Oilers 	2-year, $1.3 million 	
 	Patrick Sharp 	Dallas Stars 	1-year, $1 million 	
 	Tommy Wingels 	Ottawa Senators 	1-year, $750,000 	
 	Collin Delia 	Merrimack Warriors 	2-year, $1.85 million entry-level contract 	
 	Cody Franson 	Buffalo Sabres 	1-year, $1 million 	
 	Tyler Sikura 	Rockford IceHogs 	1-year, $650,000 	
 	Dominik Kahun 	EHC Red Bull München	2-year, $7.55 million entry-level contract 	
 	Kevin Lankinen 	HIFK 	2-year, $2.275 million entry-level contract 	
 	Darren Raddysh 	Rockford IceHogs 	2-year, $1.46 million entry-level contract 	
 	Jacob Nilsson 	Mora IK 	1-year, $1.1375 million entry-level contract	
===Free agents lost===
Date	Player 	New team 	Contract terms(in U.S. dollars)	Ref
 	Martin Lundberg 	Växjö Lakers 	Unknown 	
 	Pierre-Cedric Labrie	Nashville Predators	1-year, $650,000 	
 	Lars Johansson 	CSKA Moscow 	1-year 	
 	Michael Latta 	Arizona Coyotes 	1-year, $650,000 	
 	Dennis Rasmussen 	Anaheim Ducks 	1-year, $725,000 	
 	Johnny Oduya 	Ottawa Senators 	1-year, $1 million 	
 	Nolan Valleau 	Orlando Solar Bears	1-year 	
 	Brandon Mashinter 	San Jose Sharks 	1-year, $650,000 	
 	Mac Carruth 	Fehérvár AV19 	1-year 	
 	Andrew Desjardins 	Adler Mannheim 	1-year 	
 	Chris DiDomenico 	SCL Tigers 	2-year 	
===Claimed via waivers===
Player	Previous team	Date	Ref
 	 	 	
===Lost via waivers===
Player	New team	Date	Ref
 	 	 	
===Players released===
Date	Player	Via	Ref
===Lost via retirement===
Date	Player 	Ref
 	Brian Campbell	
===Player signings===
Date	Player 	Contract terms(in U.S. dollars) 	Ref
 	Anton Forsberg 	2-year, $1.5 million 	
 	Tomas Jurco 	1-year, $800,000 	
 	Ville Pokka 	1-year, $650,000 	
 	Erik Gustafsson 	1-year, $650,000 	
 	Erik Gustafsson 	2-year, $2.4 million contract extension 	
 	Jan Rutta 	1-year, $2.3 million contract extension 	
 	Dylan Sikura 	2-year, $2.775 million entry-level contract 	
 	Joni Tuulola 	2-year, $1.85 million entry-level contract 	
 	Blake Hillman 	2-year, $1.85 million entry-level contract 	
 	Dennis Gilbert 	3-year, $2.775 million entry-level contract 	
 	Lucas Carlsson 	3-year, $2.775 million entry-level contract 	
 	Andreas Martinsen	1-year, $650,000 contract extension 	
 	Henri Jokiharju 	3-year, $3.8375 million entry-level contract	
 	John Hayden 	2-year, $1.5 million contract extension 	
 	Vinnie Hinostroza	2-year, $3 million contract extension 	
==Draft picks==
Below are the Chicago Blackhawks' selections at the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, which was held on June 23 and 24, 2017 at the United Center in Chicago.
Round	# 	Player 	Pos	Nationality 	College/Junior/Club Team (League)
1 	291 	Henri Jokiharju 	D 	Finland 	Portland Winterhawks (WHL)
2 	57 	Ian Mitchell 	D 	Canada 	Spruce Grove Saints (AJHL)
3 	702 	Andrei Altybarmakyan	RW 	Russia 	SKA-Neva St. Petersburg (VHL)
3 	903 	Evan Barratt 	C 	USA 	U.S. National Team Development Program (USHL)
4 	1124	Tim Soderlund 	C 	Sweden 	Skellefteå AIK (SHL)
4 	119 	Roope Laavainen 	D 	Finland 	Jokerit U20 (Jr. A SM-liiga)
5 	1445	Parker Foo 	LW 	Canada 	Brooks Bandits (AJHL)
5 	150 	Jakub Galvas 	D 	Czech Republic	HC Olomouc (Czech Extraliga)
7 	2156	Josh Ess 	D 	USA 	Lakeville South (USHS)
Notes:
# The Anaheim Ducks' first-round pick went to the Chicago Blackhawks as the result of a trade on June 23, 2017, that sent a first-round pick in 2017 (26th overall) to Dallas in exchange for a third-round pick in 2017 (70th overall) and this pick.
# The Dallas Stars' third-round pick went to the Chicago Blackhawks as the result of a trade on June 23, 2017, that sent a first-round pick in 2017 (26th overall) to Dallas in exchange for Anaheim's first-round pick in 2017 (29th overall) and this pick.
# The Ottawa Senators' third-round pick went to the Chicago Blackhawks as the result of a trade on April 28, 2017, that sent Scott Darling to Carolina in exchange for this pick.
# The San Jose Sharks' fourth-round pick went to the Chicago Blackhawks as the result of a trade on June 24, 2017, that sent Carolina's fifth-round pick and a sixth-round pick both in 2017 (135th and 181st overall) to Vancouver in exchange for this pick.
# The St. Louis Blues' fifth-round pick went to the Chicago Blackhawks as the result of a trade on June 25, 2016, that sent a Florida's fifth-round pick in 2016 to St. Louis in exchange for this pick.
# The Anaheim Ducks' seventh-round pick went to the Chicago Blackhawks as the result of a trade on February 29, 2016, that sent Corey Tropp to Anaheim in exchange for Tim Jackman and this pick.
==References==
2017-18
Category:2017–18 NHL season by team