With Connor Bedard already signed long term, the Blackhawks’ next big business is no longer about their headliner. It’s about the pieces Kyle Davidson is building around him, and the contract picture gets serious fast from here.
Anton Frondell is part of that future, but he is not the one Chicago needs to sweat over right now. After going third overall in 2025, he signed his three-year entry-level deal and played at the end of the 2025-26 season, which burned a year of that contract. Even so, he is not set up for extension talks until July 1st, 2027.
The real pressure point is on the blue line, where Kevin Korchinski and Artyom Levshunov stand out as the most important names to get handled. Those are the deals that could shape Chicago’s salary-cap structure, and they matter far more in the short term than Frondell’s future extension window.
Korchinski, the seventh pick in 2022, is already a restricted free agent and looking for a new deal. The goal is to get something done before the 2026-27 season begins so he doesn’t have to miss time waiting on a contract. Chicago sees him as a defenseman who can play heavy minutes and contribute offense, and that makes locking him up long term an obvious priority.
Levshunov is the other major piece on the back end. The Blackhawks already have Alex Vlasic and have Bowen Byram signed long term, but they still need to secure Levshunov and Korchinski to complete that core. If they do, the group would give Chicago a balanced top four and a clearer path toward contender status as the roster keeps growing.
There’s less urgency with Levshunov, at least for now. He still has the 2026-27 season ahead of him before he becomes an RFA, and while he is eligible for an extension now, there is no immediate deadline. Even so, it makes sense for Chicago to start lining things up with its future stars now, especially with the bigger goal being a return to the playoffs for the first time in Connor Bedard’s time with the organization.
In Other News...
Connor Bedards Growing Pull Says Everything About The Blackhawks Direction
The Blackhawks summer has already shown how much the organization is leaning into Connor Bedard not just as its franchise centerpiece, but as a voice worth hearing when the front office shapes the roster. General manager Kyle Davidson said he consulted Bedard on decisions, including the signing of Patrick Kane, a sign that the team sees the young star as part of the conversation now rather than someone to simply build around in the future.
For Chicago, that kind of involvement says plenty about where the rebuild stands and how Davidson wants it to feel for the players inside the room. In a league where management often keeps the decision-making behind closed doors, giving Bedard input on major moves sends a clear message about trust, accountability and the direction the Blackhawks want to sell to the rest of the roster. [Read more 🡒]
Anton Frondell Could Be Filling A Huge Blackhawks Need Soon
Anton Frondells first NHL season gave the Blackhawks a glimpse of why they are so intrigued by his long-term fit down the middle. After beginning on the wing, he spent the back half of his debut trying to handle the demands of center, and the early returns were encouraging enough to keep the organization talking about him as more than just another young forward. In 12 games, he showed enough hockey sense and awareness for the coaching staff and general manager to view him as a potential two-way pivot.
The next step is less about flash than the details that make centers reliable, and Frondell knows it. He has been working on his faceoff game ahead of next season, a small but important part of earning trust in that role, especially for a Blackhawks team that could use another center who can handle both ends of the ice. If he keeps progressing there, the conversation around him could shift from promise to real opportunity sooner rather than later. [Read more 🡒]
Blackhawks Fans Just Got A Dustin Byfuglien Reminder Theyll Love
Dustin Byfuglien has been keeping busy away from hockey, and his latest appearance offered a familiar reminder of why his name still lands with Blackhawks fans. The former Chicago defenseman took part in the 2026 Kenora Bass International fishing tournament and finished in the top 30, adding another outdoor venture to a post-NHL life that has stayed pretty far from the rink.
Still, the old hockey itch has not disappeared entirely. At the event, Byfuglien was asked about taking part in the Winnipeg Jets alumni tournament and answered with his usual sense of humor, leaving the door open without committing to anything. It has been years since he last played in the NHL, but for Blackhawks followers, the memory that still matters most is the towering role he played in Chicago's 2010 Stanley Cup run. [Read more 🡒]