Kyle Davidson is set to face the questions head-on on Wednesday afternoon, and there will be plenty of them after the Blackhawks stumbled to a 4-13-1 start. The team’s general manager will speak at 1:00 p.m. CT after returning to Chicago from the league’s GM meetings, and while a coaching change is not on the table, the conversation figures to center on where this rebuild stands and how Davidson plans to steer it out of trouble.
That backdrop has only intensified the noise around Chicago’s trade plans. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said on Saturday Headlines and again on 32 Thoughts that the Blackhawks are willing to move their 2027 draft picks, and that a few veterans are available as well. The bigger takeaway, though, is that Davidson is actively searching for more help up front.
One rumor making the rounds Tuesday linked Chicago to Pittsburgh Penguins winger Rickard Rakell, with speculation that the Swedish veteran turned down a move to the Blackhawks. There are conflicting details attached to that story, but it added another layer to the chatter surrounding Chicago’s search for forward help.
The Blackhawks also got a blunt reaction from Spencer Knight regarding Arvid Soderblom’s demotion to Rockford. Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times reported that Knight questioned why the backup goalie is the only one being punished for the team’s ugly start, especially since he has appeared in only five games.
There’s also a broader view of where Chicago sits in its rebuild. Shayna Goldman of The Athletic included the Blackhawks among five NHL teams that should be worried about the state of their rebuilds, arguing that Chicago does not have nearly enough progress to show for its efforts so far.
On the prospect side, 2026 second-round pick Xavier Villeneuve had two assists in Boston University’s 6-5 loss to Harvard on Tuesday. He now has 11 points, including one goal and 10 assists, in 11 games this season.
Elsewhere around the league, the Winnipeg Jets got the last laugh against a Connor Hellebuyck-less New Jersey Devils team. The Devils didn’t let Hellebuyck face his former club on Tuesday, but that didn’t stop the Jets crowd from making its feelings known. Winnipeg fans chanted “coward” from the rafters, and the game had a fitting twist with Dawson Mercer and Nico Daws shining against the team that dealt them to Winnipeg.
In Philadelphia, Matvei Michkov’s bench dust-up with Nick Seeler may have carried more weight than it first seemed. Kevin Weekes reported that the former first-round pick is seeking a fresh start elsewhere.
The Minnesota Wild stretched their point streak to nine with an overtime win over the Montreal Canadiens, as Kirill Kaprizov scored the winner and moved to within one goal of Leon Draisaitl for the league lead. Nick Suzuki forced overtime late in the third for Montreal.
Colorado rolled past Toronto 6-3 behind a strong night from its veterans. Gabriel Landeskog scored twice, while Devon Toes and Cale Makar each finished with two points.
Boston got a boost from Morgan Geekie, who has found his scoring touch again after opening the season with just one goal in his first 14 games. He has now scored in four straight and is averaging three shots per game during that stretch.
Florida beat Columbus 4-1 and got encouraging news on Aleksander Barkov and Brad Marchand. Paul Maurice said both injured forwards are “within two weeks” of returning.
And in Vancouver’s system, former Blackhawks sixth-round pick Ilya Safonov is heading back to the KHL in Russia, his agent confirmed Tuesday. Safonov has left the Abbotsford Canucks after posting four assists in 13 AHL games this season.
In Other News...
Blackhawks Rough Start Has Pushed One Roster Question To The Front
A rough opening stretch has already nudged roster questions to the front in Chicago, and the Blackhawks are not waiting around to see whether the right fit appears on its own. On Sirius XM NHL Network Radio, Dave Pagnotta said both the Penguins and Blackhawks are open to making trades, with Pittsburgh willing to listen on a range of players while Chicago has been working the market for help on the wing.
For the Blackhawks, the timing matters because the early-season wobble has made it harder to ignore where the lineup still needs support. The club is looking to adjust as it goes, and trade chatter around the league suggests there is at least some movement possible if the right deal comes together. The question now is whether Chicago can find the kind of winger it wants before the market forces a tougher decision. [Read more 🡒]
Blackhawks Centennial Night Will Include A Few Must-See Surprises
The Blackhawks are planning a full-scale celebration on Nov. 17, when they face the Maple Leafs in a Centennial Game marking 100 years since the franchises first-ever game. The night is being built as a nod to the teams history during the 2025-26 season, with a program giveaway, a team archive display and fan photo opportunities among the planned touches.
There will also be a pregame Q&A with team ambassadors, adding another layer for fans who want a closer look at the people who helped shape the franchises identity. And for anyone treating the evening as more than a nostalgia stop, the organization is also set to use the occasion to reveal the next Hall of Fame class, giving the anniversary game a fresh storyline beyond the throwback feel. [Read more 🡒]
Blackhawks Fans Have Every Right To Be Fed Up With This Start
The early returns on the Blackhawks season have been rough enough to test even the most patient fan. After an offseason that brought in Bowen Byram and Jordan Greenway, welcomed Patrick Kane back on a two-year deal and put Connor Bedard in the captains seat, there was at least a sense that Chicago was trying to turn a corner. Instead, the team has spent the opening stretch fighting through Bedards shoulder injury and a string of uneven performances that have left the rebuild looking more fragile than planned.
Jeff Blashill has tried to frame some of the recent play in a more encouraging light, but that has not done much to soothe a fan base watching the standings and the results tell a different story. The Blackhawks need cleaner execution, healthier key pieces and a lot more proof that this roster can translate flashes into actual progress, because right now the frustration is piling up faster than any optimism around the team. [Read more 🡒]