Friday brought another heavy dose of Chicago Blackhawks talk, but the biggest news in the hockey world came from elsewhere in the Central Division.
Cale Makar and the Colorado Avalanche agreed to an eight-year, $163.2 million contract on Friday, a deal that resets the top of the NHL salary ladder. The defenseman’s $20.4 million AAV is now the highest in league history, topping the previous mark of $18.8 million set by Macklin Celebrini only a few weeks ago. Makar is the first player to reach the $20 million threshold, and the number matches the production: he has been the highest-scoring defenseman since entering the NHL.
With Makar now at the top of the market, the next question is what comes for Quinn Hughes and the Minnesota Wild. Can they still make it work after this, or will Hughes need to take less to stay in the Twin Cities? And once Bowen Byram’s new $12.5 million salary begins after this season, that figure may start to look a lot more manageable by comparison.
Back in Blackhawks land, the focus was already shifting toward 2026-27. Brooke LoFurno dug into what Frank Nazar will need to do to break out that season, while Rhys Jones made the case that Patrick Kane could help Nick Lardis reach another level in his game.
Ryan Gagne also took a broader view of the Central Division, ranking the teams under the most pressure heading into the 2026-27 season. In another Central Division angle, he examined how Connor Hellebuyck potentially leaving the division could benefit the Blackhawks for years to come.
With opening night now one month away, the CHGO Blackhawks Podcast also spent time on what still needs to be addressed before the season begins.
And in birthday news, the Blackhawks’ Aug. 29 roll call included Max Quackenbush and Antti Niemi.
One more note from around the league: former Blackhawks forward Reese Johnson re-signed with the Toronto Marlies on a two-year AHL contract. Johnson helped the Marlies win the Calder Cup last season after arriving from the Wild at the 2025 trade deadline.
In Other News...
Blackhawks Just Raised A Bigger Kevin Korchinski Question
Kevin Korchinskis place in the Blackhawks future got a little clearer and a little more complicated all at once. Chicago signed the restricted free agent defenseman to a new deal after a stretch in which he has bounced between the NHL and AHL, the kind of pattern that has made him easy to project as part of the long-term picture but harder to pin down in the short term.
The Blackhawks already have several young defenders with upside, and Korchinski still carries the weight of being the No. 7 pick in the 2022 NHL Draft. What makes his situation worth watching now is less about whether he belongs in the organization and more about where he fits when the roster decisions get tighter, especially with his role still unsettled and the team trying to sort out how its blue line will take shape over the next couple of seasons. [Read more 🡒]
Blackhawks Are Asking Bowen Byram To Prove Something Fast
Bowen Byram arrives in Chicago with a clear assignment attached to him: become the defenseman the Blackhawks can build around. After coming over from Buffalo, he is being counted on to fill a top-pairing role for a rebuild that needs impact talent to arrive quickly, and the organization is treating him as a central piece rather than a supporting one.
The move also gives Byram a different kind of opportunity than he had in Buffalo, where the path to being the No. 1 defenseman was blocked. Chicago is asking him to prove he can handle that responsibility fast, and the early answer will matter because the Blackhawks are leaning on him to help set the tone for what comes next. [Read more 🡒]
Sabres Fans Can Already See What Chicago Believes It Bought In Byram
Bowen Byrams move to Chicago already feels like one of the most significant bets Kyle Davidson has made in his rebuild. The Blackhawks did not bring him in as a depth add or a short-term fix - they moved with the expectation that he can grow into the kind of defenseman who changes how a blue line looks, especially on the offensive side of the puck and on the power play.
For that to happen, the next step has to be more than solid two-way play. Chicago is clearly banking on Byram becoming a true No. 1 defenseman, the kind of presence who can drive play, add structure to the breakout and give the offense another layer from the back end. The market price and the length of the commitment say plenty about how strongly the Blackhawks believe in the upside, and the real question now is whether that belief turns into the kind of impact they paid for. [Read more 🡒]