The Blackhawks have spent the last few years stacking first-round talent under Kyle Davidson, and the inventory keeps growing. Since Davidson took over as general manager in 2022, Chicago has made 11 first-round picks, a group led by Connor Bedard, Anton Frondell, Artyom Levshunov and Frank Nazar.
That kind of draft capital sounds like a dream - until the board starts to thin out. According to Scott Wheeler of The Athletic, the 2027 NHL Draft class doesn’t look especially strong, and that matters for a Blackhawks team trying to move from rebuilding to actually winning.
Chicago still has three first-round picks lined up for 2027, but the class’s top end is already raising questions. Landon DuPont is the headliner, and while defense isn’t the Blackhawks’ most obvious need after putting $12.5 million per year into Bowen Byram and taking time with Levshunov, a player like DuPont is the kind of talent you don’t casually walk past. The blue line could still use help overall, though, and there’s a case for simply adding the best player available.
If the Blackhawks lean forward instead, Nazar Privalov stands out on the left wing. At 6-foot-4 and 227 pounds, he brings the kind of size and physicality Chicago could use more of.
Alexis Joseph offers a similar appeal down the middle at 6-foot-5, especially if the Blackhawks want to keep leaning into that bigger build. Sergei Skvortsov, another Russian winger, is described as a project similar to Roman Kantserov.
After that, the talent drop-off gets steep.
That lack of depth is what makes Chicago’s draft situation more complicated. If the season ended after the Oct. 8 game against the New York Islanders, the Blackhawks would own the fourth-best odds in the Draft Lottery.
That is not where they wanted to be. The expectation coming into the year was a fast start in the standings, but Connor Bedard’s summer shoulder surgery has already taken a major bite out of those hopes.
Wheeler’s early read on the class had been more encouraging, but it has since shifted to “not great,” and that leaves Davidson with a decision. The Blackhawks own their own first-round pick, the Edmonton Oilers’ first-round pick from the Jason Dickinson and Connor Murphy trade, and the Florida Panthers’ first-round selection from the Seth Jones deal. Chicago also has one of the deeper prospect pools in the league.
That gives the front office options, and the suggestion here is pretty direct: move one or two of those late firsts, along with a prospect, for a forward who can help now. The Blackhawks have the money to spend, and they need help up front more than they need another long-term project. You can only keep shopping veteran forwards on short-term deals for so long.
It may feel early to talk about pick shuffling in October, especially with Bedard sidelined and the team still hard to read with him out. But the rebuild is far enough along that Chicago can’t afford to keep waiting on developmental swings that might take years. With extra first-rounders in hand, the Blackhawks have a path to upgrade - and they may need to take it.
In Other News...
Artyom Levshunov Is Showing Why The Blackhawks Keep Betting Bigger
Artyom Levshunov has given the Blackhawks a real reason to keep leaning into his upside early in the 2026-27 season. The young defenseman has been used heavily in the offensive zone, where his skating and ability to keep plays alive have helped Chicago spend more time going the right way. Paired with Bowen Byram, he has helped drive a strong expected goal share, and his work retrieving pucks in the defensive end has looked cleaner than it did a year ago.
There is still a little roughness in the middle of all that promise, which is part of the point with Levshunov. His passing remains closer to average than dynamic, so the play-driving package is not yet fully polished, but the Blackhawks are clearly comfortable letting the game come to him. For a team that has been willing to bet bigger on young talent, his start is another reminder that the long view is starting to show up in the details. [Read more 🡒]
Blackhawks Open Homestand Facing A Forward Test They Didnt Need
The homestand starts under less-than-ideal circumstances for the Blackhawks, who welcome the Carolina Hurricanes to the United Center while trying to sort through a depleted forward group. Chicago is already dealing with injuries to Connor Bedard and Andrew Mangiapane, and the absence of center Frank Nazar only adds to the pressure as the team looks to settle in for seven straight at home.
Lineup changes were inevitable, and the Blackhawks have turned to Nick Lardis in a bigger role as they try to keep the offense moving. For a club that was hoping the homestand would provide some stability, the opening game instead becomes a test of how much flexibility the roster really has when the lineup starts to thin out. [Read more 🡒]
Ed Olczyk Is Back In The Blackhawks Fold Again
Ed Olczyk is back in the Blackhawks orbit in a familiar and fitting role, with the team naming the Chicago native and former player a team ambassador. The move brings another recognizable face into a franchise that has spent plenty of time reconnecting with its past, and Olczyk is expected to help bridge that history with what the organization is trying to build now through appearances and team events.
There is also a television element to the reunion, since Olczyk is returning as an analyst for select CHSN games. For Blackhawks fans, it adds another voice who knows the market, the crest and the expectations that come with it, and his first assignment in that role is set to include a meeting with the Carolina Hurricanes. [Read more 🡒]