The Blackhawks’ path back to the playoffs is narrow, and the margin for error is brutal. Six seasons have passed since Chicago last played postseason hockey, and if the 2026-27 team is going to break that drought, three things have to fall into place.
First, Connor Bedard has to come out of his shoulder injury cleanly.
That alone changes everything for Chicago. Bedard hurt his shoulder during a summer practice, and the expectation is that he’ll miss at least the first month of the season.
For a franchise that has built its rebuild around him, that’s a major setback. The Blackhawks have leaned on Bedard for scoring and playmaking since he arrived, and in each of his three NHL seasons he has led the team in points and assists while ranking first or second on the club in goals.
Losing that production right out of the gate is a real hit.
But the bigger picture still offers some hope. Bedard has improved every season, and last year he put up 75 points in just 69 games.
If he gets through surgery as planned and stays healthy the rest of the way, Chicago gives itself a much better chance. A jump into the 80- or 90-point range would be exactly the kind of season that can drag a team into the playoff conversation.
The second piece is Bowen Byram turning into the defender Chicago believes it paid for.
The Blackhawks brought Byram in around the NHL draft and then locked him up on a $12.5 million extension. That number drew plenty of attention at the time, though the recent signing of Makar has made it look a little more manageable.
The real question is whether Byram can justify the investment. He’s a skilled blue-liner who should be playing heavy first-pair minutes, and his offense took a clear step last season when he reached 40 points for the first time.
He also brings something the Blackhawks badly need: playoff experience. Byram had a major role in Buffalo’s playoff success last season, and he did the same in Colorado, where he won the Stanley Cup in 2021-22.
If he carries that level of play into Chicago, the Blackhawks get a much stronger shot at winning enough games to matter. The catch is that new-team transitions are tricky, and there’s no guarantee the fit is instant.
Then there’s the crease, where Chicago needs a real answer from Knight and Soderblom.
Goaltending wasn’t a strength last season, and the numbers show it. Knight handled most of the workload, going 19-25-11 in 55 games with a 2.82 goals against average and a 0.902 save percentage.
Soderblom appeared in 26 games and allowed nearly four goals per night on average. The rest of the starts went to AHL goaltender Drew Commesso.
That’s not a formula that inspires much confidence.
Still, the league has seen surprise goaltending breakouts before, and 2025-26 featured names like Dan Vladar and Jakub Dobes turning in stellar seasons. Chicago doesn’t need a miracle, but it does need more. A few more saves from Knight could make a real difference, and if Soderblom or Commesso can claim the backup job and lighten the load, that would help take some pressure off the starter.
For the Blackhawks, the playoff chase comes down to this: Bedard has to return and stay upright, Byram has to play like a top-end defenseman, and the goaltending has to stop bleeding goals. If those three things happen, Chicago has a shot. If they don’t, the wait goes on.
In Other News...
Blackhawks Just Made Two Huge Bets That Fans Will Debate
The Blackhawks have put a pair of major long-term bets on the table, and they are the kind of deals that tend to spark instant debate around the league. In Bleacher Reports roundup of 34 offseason NHL contracts, Adam Gertz examined the market for players locked in through the coming years and singled out Chicagos moves involving Bowen Byram and Connor Bedard as two of the most closely watched agreements.
Byrams six-year commitment gives the Blackhawks another significant piece of their future, but there is already uncertainty around how well that investment will age. Bedards extension, meanwhile, carries the franchise centerpiece deeper into the teams next phase, with his ceiling still driving the optimism and health remaining part of the conversation as Chicago tries to build around him. [Read more 🡒]
Blackhawks Camp Battle Starts Early With One Prospect Under Pressure
The Blackhawks are about to turn the calendar toward another key stretch of their rebuild, with the annual Prospect Showcase set for Sept. 14 and 15 at the Blackhawks Ice Center before training camp opens on Sept. 17. The team also has free public practice sessions lined up for the Friday, Saturday and Sunday leading into camp, giving fans an early look at the young players and the veterans trying to lock down jobs.
It is also a meaningful week on the franchise calendar beyond the competition on the ice, with the team honoring Stan Mikita as part of the opening-night countdown. Against that backdrop, the showcase carries a little extra weight for at least one prospect who enters camp with pressure to make a strong impression, even before the roster battles really begin. [Read more 🡒]
Bowen Byram Could Change Everything For The Blackhawks Rebuild
The Blackhawks have been willing to pay a steep price to speed up their rebuild, and the move for Bowen Byram fits that mold. Chicago brought in the young defenseman and Jordan Greenway from Buffalo, then quickly locked Byram up on a long-term deal, signaling that the organization sees him as more than just another addition to the blue line.
For a team still trying to shape its defensive future, Byram brings both expectation and opportunity. His arrival gives Chicago a more established presence to lean on, and the bigger question now is how much his example can help bring along the Blackhawks own young defense prospects as they try to grow into a stronger group. [Read more 🡒]