The Blackhawks enter the season with a roster that has real upside, but also plenty of unfinished business. Connor Bedard’s latest injury already puts them behind the pace, and that makes the big-picture approach even more important: this is a team that needs growth more than quick fixes.
That starts with the young defense. Chicago went bold by bringing in Bowen Byram through a trade, but the rest of the blue line is still a work in progress.
Wyatt Kaiser, Artyom Levshunov, Alex Vlasic, and Sam Rinzel are all part of the core, and all of them are still in the early stages of their development. Kevin Korchinski sits in the middle of that conversation as well.
The 2024 seventh overall pick has not yet locked down a regular spot, but the reality is that defensemen usually take longer to settle in at the NHL level. Nobody in that group is old enough to be written off.
Still, the pressure is there for Korchinski and Levshunov to show real progress at both ends of the ice. If they look stuck by the end of the season, the Blackhawks may have to face some uncomfortable decisions.
Up front, there are signs of a group starting to take shape. Bedard will eventually return and give the lineup an elite scoring threat right away.
If he ends up between Tyler Bertuzzi and Roman Kantserov, Chicago could have a dangerous top line. Patrick Kane is back to provide a veteran scoring touch, while Frank Nazar is expected to take a step forward.
Anton Frondell should be a Calder Trophy candidate, and the bottom six has some useful pieces in Jordan Greenway, Ryan Donato, and Teuvo Teravainen.
The organization is counting on Nazar, Frondell, and Kantserov to take on major roles, and Bedard’s presence should raise the ceiling even more. The sense is that this group could be dangerous in 2027-28, but a meaningful jump now would help set the table.
In goal, the Blackhawks do have one area that stands out. Spencer Knight, 25, arrived in the Seth Jones trade with the Florida Panthers and handled the load in his first full season, starting 55 games with a .902 save percentage and a 2.82 goals against average.
The raw numbers are fine, but they don’t tell the whole story. Knight was top five in shots faced and saves, and there were plenty of nights when Chicago would have been in even deeper trouble without him.
Behind him is Arvid Soderblom, who is entering his sixth season in Chicago. The 27-year-old has been a serviceable backup, but 2025-26 was a rough one: in 24 starts, he went 8-13-3 with a .880 save percentage and a 3.80 goals against average. Knight is the clear workhorse, but Soderblom has to be better.
The Western Conference is crowded with established teams, which makes a playoff push a difficult climb. That said, a postseason spot would be a major bonus for this young roster.
More realistically, the target is a serious step forward from last season’s 72 points. Getting into the 85-90 point range would represent real progress and could put the Blackhawks in position to fully break through in 2027-28.
In Other News...
Frank Nazar Faces One Big Step In Blackhawks Top Six Push
Frank Nazars place in the Blackhawks future is already secure, but the next step is about where he fits in the present. After signing a seven-year extension last summer, the young forward put together a strong 2025-26 season despite the kind of bumps that can derail a players rhythm, finishing with 41 points in 66 games and continuing the steady rise he showed from the previous year. For a Chicago team still sorting out its top-six group, Nazar has become one of the more important forwards on the roster because of the mix of speed, versatility and growing confidence that coaches and teammates keep pointing to.
The challenge now is less about whether Nazar belongs and more about how quickly he can turn that promise into a bigger role. Head coach Jeff Blashill and teammates have been encouraged by the way he has progressed, and the Blackhawks clearly see a player capable of helping drive their offense in the seasons ahead. Even with the extension and the production, there is still a meaningful step between being a productive young forward and becoming a true top-six fixture, and that is the path Nazar will be trying to open in 2026-27. [Read more 🡒]
Patrick Kanes Return Could Fast Track One Blackhawks Prospect
Patrick Kanes return to Chicago has already changed the conversation around the Blackhawks future, and one of the clearest beneficiaries could be Nick Lardis. The young winger has climbed the organizations ladder as a productive junior scorer, and the appeal is obvious: few players in the game have matched Kanes ability to see the ice, control tempo and set up teammates in space. For a prospect group that still needs offensive polish, having that sort of veteran presence around the team carries real developmental value.
Lardis is part of a broader wave of young Blackhawks talent that could gain from Kanes influence, but his fit is the one drawing the most intrigue. His game has long been built on skill and finish, which makes the idea of learning in the orbit of a player with Kanes creativity especially interesting for Chicago. The club wont rush anything, and there are still plenty of steps between prospect hype and NHL impact, but Kanes presence could help speed up the process in a way the organization has been hoping for. [Read more 🡒]
Blackhawks Pressure Is Rising Around Connor Bedard And This Rebuild
The conversation around Chicago has only grown louder as league observers look ahead to the 2026-27 season, and it is easy to see why. The Blackhawks are still trying to turn a long rebuild into something more durable, with Connor Bedard at the center of everything and a front office under pressure to keep adding the kind of talent that can match his timeline. In a Central Division that is loaded with teams facing their own expectations, Chicagos place in the mix comes with a different kind of scrutiny because the upside is obvious, but so is the amount of work still left to do.
Bowen Byrams arrival only adds another layer to the conversation, giving the Blackhawks a young piece who could matter a lot if the roster keeps taking shape the way they hope. Even so, the bigger question is less about one move than about whether the organization can keep translating promise into progress before the patience around this rebuild starts to narrow. Bedard remains the face of the project, but the pressure now is on Chicago to build fast enough that his development is matched by a team ready to grow with him. [Read more 🡒]