The Chicago Blackhawks’ 2026-27 outlook starts with a hard truth: Connor Bedard’s injury leaves them in an unfavorable spot, even if his return timeline is better than it first looked. That puts extra weight on the rest of the roster, especially a young group that needs more than promise. If the Blackhawks are going to tap into their ceiling, they need several players to raise their level fast.
Artyom Levshunov sits at the center of that conversation. The second overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft has already shown flashes of a future franchise defenseman, and he logged his first full season at 20 years old with 22 assists and 24 points.
But potential only goes so far. Young defensemen usually need time, and nobody is asking him to become the finished product overnight.
What the Blackhawks do need is real progress: more consistency in both zones, better stretches at both ends of the ice, and a stronger overall feel for the game. His minus-41 rating was ugly a year ago, and while Bowen Byram’s arrival eases some of the burden, Levshunov still has to take meaningful steps forward or the situation gets messy in a hurry.
Teuvo Teravainen is in a different stage of his career, but his importance is no less obvious. After 13 NHL seasons, he’s clearly on the back half of the road, yet he still has more to give than the 35 points he produced in 75 games last season.
Chicago is likely to use him in the middle six depending on who’s healthy and available, and with Bedard sidelined, the Blackhawks need him to help carry more of the offense. He posted 58 points in his first season in Chicago, and if he can get close to 20 goals and 50 points, that would be a major lift for the middle of the lineup.
He’s also playing for a new contract, and that kind of motivation can matter.
Then there’s Frank Nazar, who lands on this list not because he’s underachieved, but because the next jump is supposed to be coming now. He has steadily improved through two full-ish NHL seasons, setting career highs a year ago with 66 games played, 15 goals, 26 assists, and 41 points.
The minus-21 was rough, though that number has to be viewed through the lens of an awful team. Nazar matters because he’s one of the key pieces of Chicago’s future and may be the most important forward after Bedard in terms of impact.
He’s entering his third season, which means more production and better 200-foot play should be on the way. He also begins the first year of a seven-year, $46.2 million contract.
With Bedard out, Nazar is set to start on the top line, and the Blackhawks have enough skill in their top six to keep things interesting once their captain comes back.
That’s the bind for Chicago. The organization has plenty of talent, but at some point, talent has to turn into results.
Bedard’s return will help, but he can’t do it alone. If a few of these young players make a real leap, the Blackhawks will be in a much better place, even if this season doesn’t turn into a playoff push.
The bigger payoff could be coming next year and beyond.
In Other News...
Bowen Byram Just Gave Blackhawks Fans A Rare Scoring Night To Savor
Bowen Byram gave Blackhawks fans a jolt in the preseason with an unusual burst from the blue line, scoring three goals against the Minnesota Wild and reminding everyone how rare it is for a defenseman in Chicago to take over a game like that. Nights like this do not come around often for Blackhawks blueliners, and the historical context around it only adds to the novelty, with the franchise having gone years between the kind of scoring outburst Byram delivered.
The performance fits a broader pattern around defensemen who can flip a game with offense, especially for an Original Six club where those moments tend to stand out even more. Byrams night was the sort of quick-hit scoring display that gets attention for more than just the final score, even if the larger takeaway for Chicago is still less about the preseason result and more about what it says about a player trying to make an impression. [Read more 🡒]
Blackhawks Roster Battle Is Already Forcing Tough Early Decisions
The preseason has already started sorting the Blackhawks depth chart, with the team working through its four-game exhibition slate and making some early roster calls as camp moves along. One of the first notable moves came on defense, where Chicago placed Derrick Pouliot on waivers while also getting a look at a group that has already produced some eye-opening moments, including Bowen Byrams hat trick in the preseason opener.
The decisions are beginning to spill beyond the NHL roster and into Rockford, where the IceHogs have opened training camp and become part of the picture as the Blackhawks trim and evaluate. For a team trying to balance competition, development and organization depth, these are the kinds of early choices that can shape the rest of September, even before the games start to count. [Read more 🡒]
Blackhawks Prospects Are Landing In Big NCAA Roles That Matter
The college hockey pipeline around the Blackhawks is in pretty good shape heading into the season, and the latest USCHO preseason top-20 poll helps show why. Seven Chicago prospects are spread across NCAA rosters this fall, and six of them landed with teams in the preseason rankings, giving the organization a pretty deep footprint at places like Michigan State, Providence, UMass-Amherst and Boston University.
What makes that especially relevant for Chicago is not just where those players are headed, but how quickly they may matter once the puck drops. These are not mostly hidden depth pieces on anonymous rosters. The Blackhawks have draft picks and recent selections stepping into programs with real expectations, which usually means bigger minutes, tougher matchups and more pressure to produce. For a team still building its future, the next step is seeing which of those college roles turn into real progress. [Read more 🡒]