2026-27 NHL team preview: Chicago Blackhawks
LAST SEASON
The Blackhawks’ marketing team probably wished the club’s centennial season wasn’t a total crapshoot. In early April, the Hawks were eliminated from playoff contention for the sixth consecutive season, with the team finishing second last in the Western Conference with 72 points. The season started off well, with the Hawks not losing in regulation in consecutive games until late November. At one point, Spencer Knight looked like a legitimate Vezina Trophy contender, while Connor Bedard was playing at a 100-point pace through two months. Even Tyler Bertuzzi looked like his prime Detroit-era self.
The youth wave was the most fascinating storyline. Outside of the continued emergence of Bedard, Nazar and Knight, the team also saw Nick Lardis, Artyom Levshunov, Sam Rinzel, Ryan Greene and Oliver Moore step into NHL action. Lardis and Moore look ready to take on bigger roles this season, while Levshunov and Rinzel will battle for ice time on the right side behind new addition Bowen Byram. The Hawks were a young team last year – by design.
But reality started to creep in quickly; this team wasn’t built to win. Injuries to Bedard and Frank Nazar really slowed things down, and the team simply wasn’t deep enough for a real push. It wasn’t unexpected by any means – this team was still in a rebuild. But it felt like very little progress was ultimately made, leaving fans to look forward to the offseason.
Oh, and the summer ended up being QUITE interesting for the franchise. More on that below.
KEY ADDITIONS & DEPARTURES
Additions
Bowen Byram, D
Patrick Kane, RW
Roman Kantserov, RW
Ian Cole, D
Cole Smith, RW
Jordan Greenway, LW
Sacha Boisvert, C
Connor Mackey, D
Departures
Ilya Mikheyev, RW (TBL)
Sam Lafferty, RW (FLA)
André Burakovsky, LW (OTT)
Louis Crevier, D (BUF)
OFFENSE
Showtime is back, baby. Patrick Kane returns to the franchise that made him a future Hockey Hall of Famer, with No. 88 having scored 446 goals and 1,225 points in 1,161 games with the Blackhawks over 16 years. He’s far from his glory days after his hip resurfacing surgery, but he has still managed to surpass the 50-point barrier in each of the past two seasons (and would have in 2023-24 had he not missed the start of the campaign). The Hawks needed a veteran point-producer, and they got it.
Speaking of veterans, Bertuzzi’s return to a 50-point form had to be a massive shot in the arm for his confidence. Bertuzzi had 62 points in 2021-22 with the Red Wings, but he failed to crack the 30-goal, 50-point barrier over the next three years with four separate teams. Bertuzzi was excellent alongside Bedard, and it was good seeing him become a truly impactful scoring forward once more. The same couldn’t be said about Teuvo Teräväinen, though, who saw a 23-point drop in production last year in eight fewer games. The Finn is more of a supporting winger at this point, but if he could snag 40 points again this year, it’ll be a step in the right direction.
The team is all about the future, though, and the young guns are set for big roles again this season. Nazar, in particular, should assume the No. 1 center role out of the gate, while Anton Frondell should slot in on the second line. Many initially questioned Nazar’s $6.599-million cap hit, but if he can blast past the 50-point mark this year, he’ll quickly look like a steal.
Frondell, meanwhile, is one of the top prospects in the NHL and a legitimate Calder Trophy candidate. The idea of him ripping shots on the power play is exciting, and it wouldn’t be crazy to envision a world where the Frondell/Bertuzzi/Lardis line ends up becoming the most dangerous, given all three are quality shooters. Speaking of Lardis, it was fun watching him get up to speed last year. Many questioned if his OHL goal-scoring exploits (71 goals in 65 games in 2024-25) would continue once he turned pro. In the end, he was on pace for around 40 goals in a full AHL season and 20 in the NHL – that’s pretty special already.
After all the hype last season, Kantserov is ready for the big show. The 21-year-old had 36 goals and 64 points in 63 games this past year, leading the KHL in goals. The 2024 Gagarin Cup champ was downright dangerous every time he hit the ice, and, despite being a smaller forward at 5-foot-9, he’s absolutely fearless. I know the KHL isn’t as strong as it was pre-2022, but Kantserov’s season was the most productive by a U-22 forward in league history. That has to excite Blackhawks fans, and I fully expect him to play a top-six role right out of the gate.
For the depth, it’s hard not to like Moore’s speed. He’ll never be a high-end producer, but he should have a good, long career in an energy role while still putting up around 30-40 points a year. The same should go for Greene, who made the Hawks out of training camp after three years of college and never looked back. Ryan Donato had 62 points in 2024-25, but that always felt unrealistic (playing with Bedard helped). Look for Donato to continue at his reliable 30-point pace he has hovered around for the past half-decade. For a bit more size, Jordan Greenway (6-foot-6) and Cole Smith (6-foot-3) should make the bottom line a bit more difficult to play against.
The obvious elephant in the room is Bedard’s shoulder injury. The original diagnosis in early July was a four month recovery timeline, placing a return sometime in mid-November. When healthy, we know Bedard can be an absolute burner. He has only surpassed the 70-game barrier once, so it’s easier said than done. But with the Hawks boasting perhaps the best lineup they’ve had since Bedard went first overall in 2023, you know he’ll come back swinging in a big way once he gets to play with a franchise legend in Kane.
It’ll also be interesting to see what happens to Andrew Mangiapane. He dealt with a lower-body injury but should be good in time for training camp. A few years ago, there were serious questions as to whether Mangiapane could make it as a bottom-six player for Canada’s Olympic team. Those days are obviously way past gone, but a full, healthy season would be huge for him this year after a bit of a disastrous 2025-26.
DEFENSE
The Hawks wanted to make a big splash heading into the offseason, and they ended up moving the fourth overall pick to Buffalo to land Byram. The Hawks inked him to a six-year, $12.5M-AAV extension that kicks in next year, meaning he will play out the final year of his current $6.25M deal with heavy expectations. Fortunately, he’ll get plenty of ice time to prove himself – he’ll likely start the season on Chicago’s top pair.
Byram’s emergence should take some of Alex Vlasic’s responsibilities away. He played more than 21 minutes a night last year on the top pair, focusing more on his shutdown duties. Many Hawks fans want to see Vlasic paired with Byram, who can tackle more of the puck-moving duties. That could make for a fascinating duo, so we’ll see what happens. For the most part, expect Vlasic to be a steady presence yet again while focusing on making life difficult for attackers every single night.
A lot of eyes will be on both Rinzel and Levshunov to take another step forward. We’ll touch on that a little later, but Rinzel seems farther along in his development and should get the first crack at extra ice time. Both had their growing pains last year, but it’s very hard for a young blueliner to make it in a full-time role as a rookie (ask Kevin Korchinski all about that). Both Rinzel and Levshunov have size and mobility, so there’s a lot to like. It just might take a bit of time for either of them to really establish themselves.
With 6-foot-8 Louis Crevier out of the picture, the Hawks lack a truly terrifying presence on the point. Vlasic is the biggest at 6-foot-6, but the most physical guy they have might actually be 6-foot-1, 238-pound veteran Ian Cole. He’s set for his 10th career NHL team, building a reputation as a no-nonsense defensive defenseman. There’s nothing flashy or special about his game, but he blocks shots, takes scoring lanes away and can eat minutes. Cole is coming off a 23-point season – one of the best of his career – but don’t expect too much offensively.
The Hawks allowed the sixth most goals in the NHL last year while also boasting the second worst goal differential. On paper, this is a better blueline, especially if Byram can give the club a nice boost. It’s still not a great group, though, so expect some challenges along the way.
GOALTENDING
The Hawks traded Seth Jones to Florida in 2025, with Knight being a big part of the return. The young keeper rewarded Chicago’s confidence in him by boasting a career best 16.69 goals saved above expected at 5-on-5, putting him 13th in the NHL. His 33.47 GSAx at all strengths was good for sixth, which is a big reason why many pundits considered him a legitimate Vezina Trophy candidate early in the season. Knight fizzled out a bit as the Hawks struggled in the second half, but he was easily one of the team’s most valuable players.
Arvid Söderblom had a less desirable -2.63 GSAx at 5-on-5 last year, placing him closer to the bottom. It’s difficult being a backup on a team that clearly struggled in their own zone, but he did steal a few games along the way. Drew Commesso recently signed a two-year extension, though; he’ll be pushing for playing time, meaning Söderblom will need to really step things up this year.
Commesso had a strong year in the AHL, so it’ll be interesting to see if he can force his way into NHL duty. Stanislav Berezhnoy received a call-up last year, but didn’t get into NHL action. There’s also Adam Gajan, who recently turned pro after a strong sophomore campaign in the NCAA. He’ll want playing time, but it’ll be hard to get it with Commesso still in Rockford. It’s a bit of a logjam, but it’s never a bad thing to have quality goaltending depth.
COACHING
It’s never easy to enter a job where you know there’s no real chance of success in the short-term. That’s what Jeff Blashill dealt with last season, just like he did in Detroit years ago. Onlookers praised his ability to experiment throughout the lineup while also giving the young guys plenty of opportunities to prove themselves. There was a lot to love about his decision to try Frondell at center to close out the season after primarily playing on the wing in Sweden. The penalty kill also saw a nice improvement, too. Obviously, the overall season record was ugly, but Blashill had to deal with injuries to key players and a young core that was still trying to figure things out. Year 2 should be a solid improvement.
ROOKIES
The concept of both Frondell and Kantserov both being impact players out of the gate is both exciting and frightening. On one hand, that’s asking a lot out of two young forwards, even if they already have a few years of pro hockey under their belt. But, more importantly, it’s a sign of a bright future, with both establishing themselves among the top prospects in all of hockey. Frondell can play both center and wing, in particular, so it’ll be interesting to see if he gets moved around once Bedard makes the trek over.
Lardis isn’t Calder eligible anymore, given he played 41 games last year. But you can fully expect him to play a top-six role in his first full season. He’s a proven goal scorer, and as long as he lives up to the moniker, he’ll be integral to Chicago’s long-term success.
One longshot to make the team, but worth keeping an eye on, is Sacha Boisvert. He had a difficult year in college, finishing with just three goals and 17 points in 26 games with Boston University. It was a big step down from the 18 goals and 32 points he had at North Dakota the year before, and it made some question his development path. Boisvert signed his NHL entry-level contract in March and had two points in his final three games, showing greater confidence after getting some big-game action under his belt. The two-way center loves to shoot the puck, and he’ll have plenty of opportunities to do it in Rockford – and potentially push for games with the big club.
BURNING QUESTIONS
1. How big of an impact will Showtime have? Oct. 6 at the United Center is going to be a must-watch affair. Even after leaving Chicago, Kane remained a fan favorite in the city after helping the team to three Stanley Cup championships. At 37, his glory days are well behind him. But if he can still produce in the 50-60-point range this year, especially once Bedard gets back in the lineup, that’ll make him worth every single penny. Kane has only played 70+ games once over the past four years (he just missed out last year), so it’s been hard to get a full healthy season out of him. But he’s still a highly valuable winger who’ll make the Blackhawks significantly more dangerous this season.
- 2. Will Byram silence the doubters? Pretty much nobody thought Byram deserved the big-money deal GM Kyle Davidson sent his way earlier this summer. That’s a boatload of money for someone who has never been a true top defenseman on any team. At his best, he can play a lot of minutes and put up some impressive numbers. He had 42 points last year, after all, and should have no issue cracking that again this season. We’re in a completely new world where contracts are going to continue going up, but it’s still absolutely bonkers to think he’ll be the first blueliner to reach the $12-million mark. That won’t officially take place until 2027-28, but Byram has a LOOOONNNG way to go to prove he’s worthy of the cap hit.
3. Will Levshunov, Rinzel live up to potential? We’ve established already that it’s tough to be a young NHLer; let alone a U-23 defenseman. Most don’t tend to figure it out until they’re 23, as both Vlasic and Byram have found out in recent years. So there’s still plenty of runway for both Levshunov (20) and Rinzel (22) to find their footing after so-so rookie seasons. For now, defensive reliability is the primary goal; any offense is secondary. The game-to-game stability will go a long way in ensuring they can keep their ice time and prove to the fanbase they’re long-term core members. The spotlight will be much higher on Levshunov, whom the Hawks took at No. 2 in 2024 over the likes of recent Calder Trophy finalists Beckett Sennecke and Ivan Demidov.
Prediction
The Blackhawks would love to mirror the San Jose Sharks’ trajectory from last year: rising from the basement to become a fringe playoff threat. With the NHL’s top prospect pool, Chicago no longer desperately needs lottery picks. Instead, the priority is on development and ice time for their young core. While they aren’t fully competitive yet, Chicago needs to take a major step forward this season, which could include trading future assets for immediate help. Missing their best player to start the year makes a playoff push highly unlikely, but if all goes well, expect them to finish much closer to 20th than 32nd.
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