Saturday night brings the first preseason game day of the Chicago Blackhawks’ fall, and it comes fast. The club is only three days into training camp, but the game group is already headed to Minnesota after a morning skate in Chicago, with puck drop against the Wild set for 7:00 p.m. (CT) at Grand Casino Arena.
Head coach Jeff Blashill said Friday that the lineup should lean heavily on AHL players, which would leave the NHL group more time to keep building chemistry in practice. A Game Day Preview later this afternoon is expected to lay out the projected lineups and starting goaltenders for the first preseason meeting with Minnesota.
Friday also delivered the first real special-teams work of camp. The power play and penalty kill started to take shape, and the Blackhawks’ seven NHL newcomers are already looking central to that part of the season. That group includes Kane, Frondell, Kantserov, and Bowen Byram, while Jordan Greenway, Cole Smith, and Ian Cole also picked up important special-teams roles during the drills.
Connor Bedard remains a major focus as he continues to skate on his own before practice. He has been making his way back after offseason shoulder surgery, and he has recently started to put more force behind his wrist shots. On Saturday, before the non-game group hit the ice, his shooting looked more natural and he was firing the puck with more power.
Still, there’s no reason to jump ahead of the process. Kyle Davidson addressed Bedard’s status on Thursday and made clear that the forward still has steps to clear before he can return. Davidson said:
“He feels great. But much like with his jaw injury, there’s a healing component that’s not visible on the ice that doctors must sign off on. We want to make sure he goes through the proper steps… In terms of an altered timeline, we’re not there yet.”
Training camp’s opening day already answered a few roster questions, too. Chicago split its 50-player group into NHL and non-NHL units right away, and the NHL side quickly established forward lines and defense pairings. That gave an early look at who is expected to center the top line in Bedard’s place, where Patrick Kane’s linemates will be, and how rookies Roman Kantserov and Anton Frondell fit in.
Elsewhere in the organization, there was another small connection worth noting for prospect watchers: Marco D’Amico spoke with Vancouver Canucks 2026 top draft choice Caleb Malhotra ahead of his freshman NCAA season at Boston University, and Malhotra mentioned having Blackhawks defenseman prospect Xavier Villeneuve nearby. The two were roommates at the NHL Draft Combine and are now teammates with the Terriers as first-year players.
Around the league, Kirill Marchenko sidestepped questions about his future with the Columbus Blue Jackets, Evgeni Malkin left the door open to playing beyond this season, and Gavin McKenna is set for his preseason NHL debut. Detroit’s Moritz Seider also said he was saddened by Kane’s departure from the Red Wings, while noting he likes seeing Kane back in his original sweater and colors. Seider added that he believes Kane wanted to return to Detroit, but Chicago’s offer was too good to pass up.
Jacob Markstrom is back with the Florida Panthers, the team that originally drafted him in the second round of the 2008 NHL Draft, and Aleksander Barkov said Markstrom looks right at home in Sunrise. In New Jersey, a Devils player can fill Bjugstad’s role this season, and there’s also a note about playing on a line with John Tavares and William Nylander.
In Other News...
Blackhawks Special Teams Reveal One Key Battle Is Still Wide Open
With a shortened training camp forcing the Chicago Blackhawks to get to the important stuff quickly, special teams have been at the center of the early work. Head coach Jeff Blashill has already mapped out the shape of the power play and penalty kill groups, giving the staff a first look at who fits where and how the team wants to use its new pieces when the games start to matter.
There is still one spot that looks unsettled, though, and camp has already shown how much flexibility the Blackhawks want on those units. Blashill has been mixing and matching to get players different reps, a sign that the final look on special teams may not be decided just yet. With versatility becoming part of the evaluation, the battle for roles inside those units remains one of the more interesting things to watch over the rest of camp. [Read more 🡒]
Blackhawks Preseason Opener Puts Early Roster Pressure On Young Contenders
The Blackhawks preseason gets rolling against the Wild with a lineup that leans heavily on prospects and players fighting to stay in the conversation. It is the kind of first exhibition that does not just offer a peek at the future, but gives the front office and coaching staff an early read on which young skaters can handle a bigger stage as camp opens up.
Chicago also plans to give Arvid Soderblom the net for the full game, adding another layer of evaluation to a night built around roster sorting. Among the young names expected to get a look are Sacha Boisvert, AJ Spellacy, Ashton Cumby and Marek Vanacker, all of whom will be trying to make an impression while the game airs locally on AM 720 WGN and CHSN. [Read more 🡒]
Blackhawks Rebuild Still Has One Worry Fans Cant Ignore
The Blackhawks rebuild has already produced plenty of optimism, but the bigger picture remains tied to how quickly the roster can climb out of the leagues lower tier. With Chicago still viewed as a club that could be positioned for a high 2027 NHL Draft pick if development stalls, the conversation around this team is no longer just about prospects and patience. It is about whether the pieces already in place are strong enough to keep the organization moving forward instead of lingering in the same long-term holding pattern.
Connor Bedards growth remains the obvious centerpiece, but the concern for Chicago is what happens around him if the rest of the roster does not take a real step. The Blackhawks can sell a future built on talent and draft capital, yet the gap between rebuilding and becoming competitive is still wide, and that uncertainty is what keeps this story from feeling settled. [Read more 🡒]