The Chicago Blackhawks are down to the wire now, with their season opener against the Vegas Golden Knights set for Sept. 29 in Vegas. After a preseason full of lineup juggling, roster cuts and a few lingering questions, the focus is finally shifting from camp battles to the real thing.
One of the biggest themes all preseason has been the shape of the forward group, and that picture is still changing around the edges. The Blackhawks have already signed Bowen Byram and Connor Bedard to big extensions in the last couple of months, but there are still more contracts on the horizon. That was one of the items Justin Lynch highlighted when looking at the next wave of decisions Chicago has coming up.
The offense has also been under the microscope for reasons that go beyond the final goal total. Ryan Gagne pointed to issues that have been bothering the Blackhawks attack, even as the team tries to get more out of a group that now includes Bowen Byram, Patrick Kane and Roman Kantserov, along with Connor Bedard, Frank Nazar, Nick Lardis and Oliver Moore.
There’s also a real good-problem-to-have situation developing on the power play. Ryan McGregor wrote about the number of options Chicago now has for both units, which should make that part of the game worth watching once the season begins.
Another preseason bright spot has been Ryan Greene, who has spent time on both the second and fourth lines under head coach Jeff Blashill. His ability to move around the lineup has stood out, and I outlined how he has adapted so well.
The goalie competition, meanwhile, never really became much of one. Gail Kauchak revisited that storyline and looked at the situation involving Drew Commesso, Arvid Söderblom and Spencer Knight, while also laying out how the top-six forward projections have come together.
Roster movement has been just as important as the on-ice auditions. Connor Bedard has been skating on his own before team practices during training camp, though there has been no official update on when he might return. When he had shoulder surgery in July, the expected timeline was four months.
Jordan Greenway was dealing with a lower-body injury and had been listed as day-to-day, but Blashill said the team believes he will be available for the start of the season.
Chicago also sent several players to the Rockford IceHogs, including Sacha Boisvert, A.J. Spellacy and Drew Commesso.
And on Sept. 27, Scott Powers of The Athletic reported that Landon Slaggert was placed on waivers.
That move made sense given how crowded the bottom six has become. Greenway, Cole Smith, Andrew Mangiapane, Teuvo Teräväinen and others are all in the mix, and Blashill said earlier in camp that the team had 14 forwards available, not counting Bedard for now. Somebody was going to be pushed out.
Slaggert brings useful depth. He’s fast, he plays hard and he can kill penalties.
But the Blackhawks simply have more bodies than openings, and it’s possible another team decides to claim him for its bottom six. If he clears waivers, he would head to Rockford.
The final preseason tune-up offered one more reminder that Chicago is close to game speed, even if the full picture still isn’t set. Greene said before the Sept. 26 game against the St. Louis Blues that the group was treating it like the last step before the regular season.
"Obviously, our last game before the regular season starts. So, we want to put forward a good effort and make sure we're detailed and doing everything right. So, when we step into Vegas on Tuesday, we're ready to go."
The Blackhawks responded with a 3-2 win, but Blashill was careful not to overstate what it means. Afterward, he said, "I'll let you know Tuesday, you know what I mean?
Like we haven't really played full as a group yet. And so, as much as we wanted to, we didn't get to that point, which is fine.
I don't think it's do-or-die.... I know that I believe in this group.
Whether that means we're ready to be at 100 percent on Tuesday, you know, we've worked to be as ready as we can be. And as I said earlier today, I think across the league there'll be a learning curve as we go through the first month of the season.
I think the first months, as we talked about earlier, is generally a little sloppy. That's why there's more offensive goals scored, and it might even be more so at the beginning.
That's fine. We just got to grind away to points, find ways to win, and keep getting better."
And for one player in particular, the camp work appears to have gone well enough to make a strong case for the roster.
In Other News...
Blackhawks Make Early Roster Cuts With One Forward Suddenly At Risk
Chicagos early camp roster math took a sharp turn as the Blackhawks began trimming the group and shifting players toward Rockford. Dillon Boucher and Drew Commesso were loaned to the AHL, and the forward group now sits at 14 players, a sign that the front office and coaching staff are starting to get a clearer look at who belongs in the next round of decisions.
Landon Slaggert and Dominic Toninato were placed on waivers with the intent of sending them to the IceHogs, which immediately opens up more room for the blue-line evaluation that is still unfolding. That extra space could keep Kevin Korchinski and Ethan Del Mastro with the NHL team a little longer, giving the Blackhawks one more chance to assess them before the roster picture tightens again. [Read more 🡒]
Blackhawks Enter A Crucial Week For Their Young Core
The preseason ended with the Blackhawks at 2-2-0, capped by a 3-2 win over the Blues that offered one more look at how far the organizations young group has come. Chicagos penalty kill also ran through October without a blemish, a notable showing after the team lost several key special teams pieces and had reason to wonder how the new mix would hold up.
Roman Kantserov added another layer to the conversation with a power-play goal and a strong all-around showing against St. Louis, while Oliver Moore has continued to trend in the right direction since his NHL debut and now has a new five-year deal in place. With Vegas, Utah and Buffalo coming next, this feels like one of those early-season stretches where the Blackhawks can learn a lot about which young players are ready to stick and which ones still need more time. [Read more 🡒]
Blackhawks Camp Battle Just Tipped As Opening Night Roster Nears
The Blackhawks are at the point in camp where the margins get thin and every final decision starts to carry real weight. Chicago moved closer to setting its 23-player roster for the 2026-27 regular season by placing forwards Landon Slaggert and Dominic Toninato on waivers, while defenseman Ethan Del Mastro appears to have edged out the competition for the last spot on the blue line.
The rest of the roster picture is beginning to take shape around those moves, with goaltender Drew Commesso and forward Dillon Boucher already loaned to the AHL after the preseason wrapped up. For Chicago, the next step is less about sorting through auditions and more about seeing which familiar names clear the final hurdle before opening night. [Read more 🡒]