The Chicago Blackhawks haven’t made the playoffs in a non-COVID year in a long time. However, the rebuild, as it is known today, didn’t begin until 2022. No team with the accomplished version of Patrick Kane or Jonathan Toews on it was truly rebuilding.
It wasn’t until they started moving off all their top players that the rebuild was in motion. The two franchise icons, along with players like Alex DeBrincat, Brandon Hagel, Kirby Dach, and Seth Jones, amongst others, were all traded away for assets that help build towards the future.
Across the NHL’s Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2026 is proof that the Blackhawks can take their rebuild to new heights. On Monday night, two teams that are out of a long rebuild will face off in a winner-take-all game seven. This match will decide whether the Buffalo Sabres or Montreal Canadiens will meet the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Final.
For Buffalo, they haven’t been in the postseason since 2011, but their current success stems only from the rebuild that mostly began after they traded Jack Eichel. Their disagreements over how to handle his injury forced him out, which in turn forced them to change their organizational plans.
Buffalo made some big-time additions to their lineup over the year via trade and free agency, like Tage Thompson, Alex Tuch, Josh Doan, Bowen Byram, and Ryan McLeod.
There were also a couple of number one picks to bolster their roster in Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power, who are two very different defensemen that bring an element of the game that the team needs. Other top-ten picks like Zach Benson and Jack Quinn make a difference as well.
On the Montreal side of things, they had a similar path when it comes to the roster. Juraj Slafkovsky was the first overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, one year after Buffalo selected Power first. Other first-round talents like Cole Caufield and Ivan Demidov play a key role in their prolific play.
Montreal has also made big trades for players like Kirby Dach, Noah Dobson, and Philip Danault, amongst others, who help them win. Even their captain, Nick Suzuki, was acquired via a trade before he became a star NHL player, and now he's one of their main catalysts. Like Buffalo, all of this talent acquisition was the result of a strong rebuild.
When it comes to coaching, the two sides couldn't have taken a more opposite approach. The Sabres brought back their old coach and franchise icon, Lindy Ruff, while the Montreal Canadiens hired former NHL superstar Marty St. Louis.
With Jeff Blashill, the Blackhawks have a strong-minded coach leading the way who takes a calculated approach to his handling of the team.
In terms of the roster, you can see the similarities between these two game seven clubs and the Blackhawks. With Connor Bedard, Anton Frondell, Frank Nazar, Oliver Moore, Artyom Levshunov, and Sam Rinzel, amongst others, all developing, they could become a winning core as they gain experience.
There is also a 4th overall pick coming into the mix this summer, which could add another contributing piece if they select and develop wisely.
For each of these teams, Buffalo and Montreal, it clicked at different rates. For Montreal, there was a slow and steady climb. For Buffalo, it went from being horrible to elite in the middle of the 2025-26 season.
The Blackhawks seem to be emulating the former after an 11-point improvement this year. As long as they keep adding talent, developing it, and making smart hockey moves to supplement their roster, they will have a turnaround like this eventually.
Game seven between Montreal and Buffalo can be seen on ESPN at 6:30 PM CT.
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