Blackhawks’ Offseason Outlook Looks Gloomy For One Brutal Reason

The Blackhawks are getting a reality check, and it is the kind that tends to land hardest when optimism is running on fumes. One particularly discouraging factor is casting a long shadow over the offseason, which is exactly the sort of thing that makes rebuild talk sound a little less theoretical. Chicago already knows patience is part of the plan, but this issue makes the road look even longer.