As Hawks enter another year of rebuild, here are some things to watch for

At the start of every pro season most fan bases are filled with hope.

Some — like supporters of the Kansas City Chiefs, New York Yankees or Florida Panthers — regularly hope for championships.

Some — like those who root for the Buffalo Bills or Toronto Maple Leafs — hope that this is FINALLY the year!

Others hope their talented, underdog squad can sneak up on the heavyweights and shock the world.

Then there are the perennial bottom feeders, where hope is often in short supply.

Here is where we find the White Sox, Bears and Blackhawks — a terrible trifecta, all somehow residing in the same city.

The Bears sell hope by changing coaching staffs like you change your underwear. Doesn't matter. The stink still lingers. The White Sox are a lost cause, always searching for a compass.

Meanwhile, the Hawks are living off the coattails of last decade's three Stanley Cup championships. Baby-faced GM Kyle Davidson has since razed the roster, essentially saying, “Trust me. We have a plan. And EVENTUALLY it will pay off.”

Here we are, about to see the rebuild enter its fourth year. Or is it 5? Or 6? I've lost track.

This season is about selling the hope of the young core. Maybe the slogan should be tweaked to: “Here come the Hawks, the mighty BABY Hawks!”

The season kicks off Tuesday against the two-time defending champion Panthers and continues Thursday in Boston. Then the home fans can cheer on Connor Bedard and Co. at the United Center on Saturday against Montreal.

In the months that follow, here are the things fans should hope to see:

Bedard becomes a complete player:

By most accounts, Connor Bedard did little to improve upon his rookie season — and many believe he regressed in terms of his understanding of how to play winning hockey. There were too many turnovers, errant passes and fancy moves that do not normally pay off at this level.

This season, it's time to understand all the nuances that go into a complete game.

“As a young player your whole life you're like: 'I'm gonna get 100 points,'” Nick Foligno said at the end of last season. “ There's so many 'I wants' for myself that you don't realize it takes away from what the team needs of you. And when the team does well, you end up doing well. It's such a cliche, but it is so true.

“When the team does well, nobody's worried about how many goals you scored that year. They just look at, 'Hey, the team went to the Western Conference finals.'”

Nazar shows he's worthy:

Winger Frank Nazar inked a seven-year, $46.2 million contract in August — the largest deal ever for a player with so little experience. I'm wary of players of these kind of deals because I want guys who remain hungry. It's human nature for some to take their foot off the gas when you know $46.2 million is coming.

Hawks fans must hope Nazar is built in the mold of Michael Jordan, Wayne Gretzky and Tom Brady. Pay them $5,000 or $50 million, and they'd play the same way.

Knight is lights out:

Goaltender Spencer Knight, acquired in a trade last season, quickly found out how much different it is to play in Chicago compared to Florida. The Panthers' defense is perhaps the No. 1 reason why Paul Maurice's squad has hoisted back-to-back Stanley Cups.

The Hawks' blue liners should be much improved this season, but when things breakdown Knight must show why Davidson sent Seth Jones to Florida at the March deadline.

Quarterly dividends:

The last four years have been abysmal in almost every way imaginable. Some examples include the Hawks' ranking:

Of course, it's difficult to keep morale up when you start 2-6-1, 5-12-0, 8-25-4 and 1-9-2.

This year, it's time to set a goal that focuses on improving on each 20-game segment.

So if the Hawks start 5-13-2, let's see them go something like 7-11-2 in Quarter 2. Then 9-10-1 in Quarter 3. Then 11-8-1 in Quarter 4. That's still only a 72-point season, but at least they can see the arrow is pointed up.

That would be the message new coach Jeff Blashill ought to be sending.

Then, fans can finally stop hoping and know that better times are on the horizon.

• John Dietz, a sports writer at the Daily Herald from 1998- 2024, covered the Blackhawks from 2014- 24. You can reach him at jdietz6917@hotmail.com.