Blackhawks notes: MacKenzie Entwistle feeling frustrated in fourth season of losing

After years of continuity within the Blackhawks’ core, the heavy turnover in recent years has made the list of longest-tenured Hawks look strange.

Veteran defenseman Connor Murphy, in his seventh season in Chicago, is the longest-tenured player by far. He’s the only guy left who predates the pandemic. After him are three forwards who debuted during the abridged 2021 no-fans season: Philipp Kurashev (who debuted Jan. 15 that season), Reese Johnson (Jan. 31) and MacKenzie Entwistle (March 23).

Entwistle insists he hasn’t thought much about that, but given he’s only 24 years old and logged just his 138th career NHL appearance Wednesday against the Blue Jackets, he admits it’s “definitely a little weird.”

The more thought-provoking aspect for him is that the Hawks entered Wednesday with a meager 42-76-19 all-time record in his games played. From an organizational perspective, all that losing helps build a brighter future, but from an individual perspective, it’s draining.

“There’s not much I can say besides, yeah, it is frustrating,” Entwistle said. “The only way we can turn it around is the guys in this dressing room.”

In theory, one valuable thing he could bring is an ability to put each season’s highs and lows into context — by relating back to lessons learned from highs and lows over the past three Hawks seasons, for which many of his current teams weren’t present. But because of the vast differences in each season’s roster, he finds it difficult to even try to compare situations year-over-year.

Nonetheless, he has focused on making his voice heard more often in meetings recently.

“We’re together for the whole season, so I don’t think you can be scared to speak your mind and say what you think the team [needs],” he said. “Because we’re all growing together; we’re all trying to get better together. Whether it’s a good or bad thing that you’ve got to say, sometimes you have tough conversations with some guys.”

Hall out again

Taylor Hall did not travel with the Hawks to face the Jackets, coach Luke Richardson told reporters in Columbus. He instead stayed behind in Chicago for some medical testing.

Details are hazy, but considering this is Hall’s fourth absence already this season, this isn’t a good sign. He has already missed time twice due to a shoulder injury and once due to a leg/knee injury, from which he just returned Saturday. In 10 games played, he has recorded four points.