The Chicago Blackhawks are in serious danger of missing the postseason for the first time in 10 seasons.

The decline of core players, overhaul of defense and an injury to the starting goaltender have put Chicago in a tough spot this year.

“This is probably as tough [of a season] as I’ve seen,” said Head Coach Joel Quenneville, according to a Feb. 13 Chicago Tribune article. “It’s not fun.”

Core players were counted on to pick up the slack following the loss of Marian Hossa to injury this past season.

Jonathan Toews, team captain and center is experiencing a lack of production for the third consecutive season, as he’s on pace to score less than 60 points.

When right winger Patrick Kane is not putting points on the board, he’s nearly invisible. He is turning the puck over and making unforced errors in the offensive and neutral zones, helping lead to his career-worst -13 goal differential rating.

Half of the Blackhawks’ defense corps was overhauled during the 2017 offseason. Brian Campbell retired, Niklas Hjalmarsson was traded and Trevor van Riemsdyk was claimed in the expansion draft by the Vegas Golden Knights, according to ESPN.

Defenseman Duncan Keith scored his first goal of the season on Feb. 15, 58 games into the season. While Keith has never been known as a prolific goal scorer from the back end, that is a goal drought that simply defies logic.

Brent Seabrook, another mainstay on the Blackhawks defense over their run of success, is a shell of his former self. His lack of speed is apparent in an increasingly fast league.

The new additions on defense of Cody Franson, Connor Murphy and Jordan Oesterle have stepped into the fold with disappointing results.

This team relies too heavily on the aging Keith. and until they can find more stable defensemen, do not expect much to change.

Starting goaltender Corey Crawford was having a great season, perhaps even the best of his career. Crawford had an exemplary .929 save percentage with two shutouts before he was injured, according to ESPN. Unfortunately, Crawford got hurt, forcing Anton Forsberg to take over in net.

Forsberg has played well in a backup role to Crawford, allowing less than three goals per game, according to ESPN. However, he’s still a rookie and he does not appear to have a high level of mental fortitude. In games that Forsberg gives up a bad goal, things fall apart for the young man rather quickly.

“Every day we’re trying to find a way to get the team enthused,” Quenneville said, according to a Feb 13 Chicago Tribune article. “It’s not easy coming in and thinking it’s hard to be positive. It’s almost [as if] we can’t accept that this is the way it is. Efforts need to change that.”

The Blackhawks were in a playoff spot when Crawford went down to injury, and now they are last in the division. That should sum up the season perfectly.

Step one of fixing the Blackhawks for next season will be at the Feb. 26 trade deadline. The priority should be shipping out veterans on the last year of their contracts and other players that are not a part of their future like Artem Anisimov.

Anisimov should net a nice return, perhaps as high as a first round pick in the draft. Any other assets acquired from players like Bouma or Wingels is a bonus.

“Anisimov is certainly a guy that I know teams have been calling the [Blackhawks] about,” said Adam Burish, NBC Chicago analyst, according to a Feb. 19 ESPN article.

Next comes the draft, where the Blackhawks have a slim chance of winning the draft lottery, given their record not being amongst the worst in the league.

Last summer’s draft showcased three teams moving up to make the top three selections.

If fortune favors Chicago, prized defenseman Rasmus Dahlin from the Swedish Hockey League could pair up with Keith on a suddenly much improved blue line.

Assuming all of these long shots line up perfectly, free agency could look very exciting. Hinging on the unloading of Anisimov and his contract is a chance to push towards signing superstar center John Tavares, who currently leads the New York Islanders with 64 points in 61 games, in free agency.

This may look a bit far fetched, but the Blackhawks may be a couple pieces away from being back as Stanley Cup contenders for the foreseeable future.

This core group had some good years together, but this Blackhawks team is in a tough time spot where they need to consider a major roster overhaul.