Never a dull stretch for the Chicago Blackhawks, and the latest batch of news circles right back to the same two pressure points: Connor Bedard’s health and the roster puzzle around him.
The biggest concern landed last Thursday, Jul. 2, when Bedard fell awkwardly during a skating session at his native Vancouver training rink. He came off the ice in obvious pain and was holding his left shoulder. That’s especially unsettling because Bedard already missed four weeks last season after injuring his right shoulder on Dec. 12 while taking a faceoff.
In his 32 Thoughts Podcast, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said there was no update on Bedard’s injury, so the wait continues for Chicago and anyone tracking the franchise centerpiece. The ideal outcome would be a shoulder separation, with no surgery needed. The one bit of breathing room: there are still more than three months before the 2026-27 season begins.
The injury news also feeds into a bigger question that’s been floating around lately: would Bedard ever entertain an offer sheet? The conversation has picked up after Leo Carlsson signed one, and some have framed that move as disloyal. But the reality is that these young players have every right to use their leverage and maximize their earnings.
Bedard’s situation is different, though. He’s still just 20, he’s on a very young team, and he knows Chicago is in the middle of a rebuild. He could be frustrated by how little help he’s had so far, but he also appears to understand that the Blackhawks are asking him to sacrifice now for a better future.
He remains the organization’s cornerstone and the player expected to lead this group for years. The Blackhawks also believe he’ll be the captain of that next era.
And there’s at least reason for him to see what’s coming around him, with names like Anton Frondell and Roman Kantserov up front and Byram on the back end. That’s a strong foundation to walk away from, but it’s fair to wonder whether it’s enough to keep him locked in long term.
The sense here is that Bedard is invested in the process, invested in the youth movement, and willing to leave money on the table if it helps him eventually land on a winner. Still, he wants to win now, too.
Whether he waits it out in Chicago or gets tempted by another team is a question for later. For the moment, both his shoulder and his future remain major talking points.
On the blue line, the Blackhawks have created a different kind of problem. After acquiring Bowen Byram from the Buffalo Sabres on Jun. 23, they signed him to a six-year extension with a $12.5 million annual cap hit on Jul.
- That made him the highest paid defenseman in the league.
Chicago also added veteran Ian Cole on a one-year, $4 million deal the same day.
Both Byram and Cole shoot left. Meanwhile, right-shot Louis Crevier was included in the Byram deal, leaving the Blackhawks with only two natural right-shot defensemen on the roster: Artyom Levshunov and Sam Rinzel. That sets up a real balancing act for the coaching staff.
General manager Kyle Davidson addressed the issue during development camp and pointed to versatility across the back end. “We’ve got a bunch of players that can play their off-side.
Ian Cole can play the off-side, Bowen (Byram) can play the off-side, Kais (Wyatt Kaiser) can play his off-side. We’ve seen that.
And then we’ve got some of the younger guys, Korch (Kevin Korchinski) and (Ethan) Del Mastro, can both play the off-side too. We’ve seen them do that before, and so there’s options, there’s guys with versatility on the back end.
Otherwise, if we didn’t have that versatility, we probably would have looked to a much more of an even lefty righty split. But we’ve got that versatility to let the coaches figure that out.”
Byram said after signing that he has played both sides and would be open to either, though he admitted he’s more comfortable on his strong side and would prefer it. That leaves Chicago with a tricky call, especially with Kevin Korchinski and Ethan Del Mastro competing for spots.
If they’re both fighting to make the lineup, it makes sense to keep them on the left. Wyatt Kaiser has also played the off side, but the sense from last season is that he usually started on the left.
Of that group, Del Mastro may have the most experience on his off side, which could help his case.
Cole may be the cleanest fit to slide over. At 37, with 16 years of NHL experience, he may be the easiest veteran to move around without much disruption. It’s a familiar NHL headache, since right-shot defensemen are always harder to find than lefties, and it underscores just how useful Crevier was to the Blackhawks before being moved.
There were also a couple of other camp updates. IceHogs head coach Jared Nightingale said the organization’s rookie tournament will include games at the Blackhawks Ice Arena, and Chicago will host the St.
Louis Blues. Dates will be announced later.
And the preseason slate is set. The Blackhawks will play just four exhibition games this year, with training camp shortened as the league shifts to an 84-game schedule for all teams.
Chicago’s preseason opponents will be the Minnesota Wild and the St. Louis Blues, with one home game and one road game against each club.
In Other News...
Connor Bedard Just Sent A Strong Message About His Blackhawks Future
Connor Bedard is already acting like a player who knows the Blackhawks future runs through him. Even with his contract situation still unresolved beyond this season, the young forward has been making himself present in the room, and new teammate Cole Smith noted that Bedard reached out soon after Smith arrived. For a team still trying to build a steadier identity, those small gestures matter just as much as the highlight-reel stuff.
Bedards outreach also fits the broader picture around him in Chicago, where his role keeps expanding on and off the ice. The Blackhawks have long viewed him as the centerpiece of the rebuild, but the next step is less about talent and more about whether he can become the kind of voice teammates naturally follow. Right now, he is giving every indication he wants that responsibility, even if the full picture of what comes next is still taking shape. [Read more 🡒]
Spencer Knights Season Grades Hint The Blackhawks Found Their Goalie
Spencer Knights first full season as the Blackhawks No. 1 goalie gave the front office plenty to like, even if the year came with the usual bumps that follow a heavy workload on a young roster. He played a career-high 55 games in 2025-26, posted a 2.82 goals-against average, a .902 save percentage and 19 wins, and the overall tone of the season reviews was encouraging enough to suggest Chicago may have found its long-term answer in net.
Knights path through the season also reflected the realities of playing behind a defense that changed around him. His early months were his best, and the later stretch became more complicated as the team dealt with injuries and absences on the blue line, which put even more pressure on a goalie already carrying the starters load. Chicago rewarded that progress with a new three-year extension, but the bigger question now is whether Knight can turn a promising first act into something more stable as the roster around him continues to take shape. [Read more 🡒]
Every Blackhawks Move Right Now Feels Secondary To Connor Bedard
The Blackhawks spent part of the week on the sort of housekeeping that usually fills out a summer calendar, announcing their 2026 preseason schedule and handing out jersey numbers for the 2026-27 season. Chicago also locked up restricted free-agent goaltender Drew Commesso on a two-year extension and added forward Cole Smith on a three-year deal, the kind of depth moves that matter in a rebuild even if they do not move the spotlight very far from center stage.
Around the league, there were a few familiar names changing addresses, with Claude Giroux heading to Ottawa on a one-year deal and Daniel Alfredsson joining the Maple Leafs as an associate coach. Still, for Chicago, the larger conversation keeps circling back to the same place, because every routine announcement seems to land in the shadow of the player who drives the franchise's present and future. [Read more 🡒]