The Blackhawks have a captaincy decision to make, and Connor Bedard is the clear name sitting at the front of the line.
Chicago is heading toward the 2026-2027 season with the “C” up for grabs after former captain Nick Foligno was traded to the Minnesota Wild during this past year’s NHL trade deadline. For most of the offseason, Bedard looked like the obvious answer. He is the franchise centerpiece, the player the organization has spent the Kyle Davidson rebuild around.
Then Patrick Kane came back to Chicago later in the summer, and that opened the door to a different kind of conversation. Could Kane be in the mix for the captaincy?
Maybe. But even with Kane back in the fold, Bedard still looks like the right choice to wear it.
He has already shown he can handle the responsibility that comes with leading an Original Six team, and Kane’s presence can help him grow into that role as the two of them are expected to drive the Blackhawks toward playoff relevance.
Bedard’s case starts with how much he has already developed in his first three seasons. If he wasn’t ready before, he looks ready now. He’ll enter his fourth NHL season at 21 years old, which is young by any standard, but on this Blackhawks roster he already functions like one of the veterans in the room.
The contract situation only adds to that picture. Bedard is moving beyond his entry-level years with a new deal in hand, and his $15 million salary will be the third-highest in the league this upcoming campaign. That kind of money brings heavier expectations, and Chicago will need him to set the tone for everyone else.
The way he handled negotiations says plenty about the kind of leader he can be. Unlike Leo Carlsson, Bedard did not want any part of offer sheet talk during the process. He made his stance plain: "No amount of money was worth the risk of not being a Blackhawk."
That kind of answer carries weight. It shows loyalty, and it shows commitment to the Blackhawks’ direction.
Bedard has clearly bought into what this organization is building, and now he has to be the player who does the most to push it back into a competitive playoff window. The talent is obvious, and there are not many players who can match what he has in his toolkit.
But this is not just about skill. Bedard works, and he works constantly.
He is usually one of the first players on the ice for practice and one of the last to leave. He does not skip optional morning skates.
He is the last guy off the ice during pregame warmups. Even in the offseason, he trains hard, perhaps too hard, since a summer injury will keep him out to start the upcoming season.
There is also a leadership style here that fits the Blackhawks’ history. Like Jonathan Toews, Bedard is not the loudest voice in the room. He leads through what he does every day on the ice, through effort, consistency, and the kind of mentality that pushes special players beyond what most athletes can sustain.
The pressure of the captaincy should not overwhelm him. And if Chicago wants support around him, it has it.
Kane can help mentor Bedard and share the burden. There may not be a better player for that job than Showtime himself.
This is a different Blackhawks era now. The focus is no longer on collecting draft picks.
It is about winning again in Chicago. The old leadership group is gone, and the torch should be passed to Bedard.
In Other News...
Blackhawks Rebuild Could Speed Up If This Draft Plan Happens
The Blackhawks long rebuild has always been about timing as much as talent, and one of the next big tests may come well before the 2027 draft. Scott Powers of The Athletic reports that Chicago is expected to use at least some of its stockpile of future first-round picks to upgrade the NHL roster, a sign that the front office may be ready to turn surplus draft capital into a more immediate help. Around the league, recent trades involving first-rounders for young players have shown how aggressively teams can move when they see a chance to accelerate the climb.
For a Chicago team still shaping its core, that kind of move would mark a meaningful shift in strategy and a bet that the next step comes faster through the trade market than the draft. The Blackhawks have three 2027 first-round picks at their disposal, and the question now is not whether they can afford to spend them, but how much of that future capital they are willing to convert into present-day impact. Around the hockey world, other roster moves also kept the transaction wire active, with Linus Oberg heading to Kiekko-Espoo and Igor Ozhiganov extending with Dynamo Moscow. [Read more 🡒]
Blackhawks Just Made Bowen Byram Their Biggest Defensive Bet
Bowen Byram is arriving in Chicago with the kind of runway the Blackhawks have been trying to build around their blue line. General manager Kyle Davidson made clear the organization sees far more than a short-term add-on here, pointing to Byram as someone who can grow into a top defenseman for the franchise. Byram, for his part, sounded eager to take on the responsibility and get to work with a team still shaping its next core.
The move fits the Blackhawks broader push to turn promise into something sturdier, and it comes with a level of commitment that makes this more than a routine trade deadline swing. Byrams contract gives Chicago long-term control and plenty of certainty, which only raises the stakes on whether he can become the kind of difference-maker the front office believes it is getting. [Read more 🡒]
Kyle Davidson Just Gave Blackhawks Fans A Fresh Reason For Hope
Kyle Davidson spent part of his offseason public-facing turn giving Blackhawks fans a clearer look at where the rebuild stands and why the organization believes it is moving in the right direction. In a podcast appearance, the general manager discussed the teams busy summer and offered a window into the work happening behind the scenes as Chicago continues sorting out its long-term plan.
For a fan base that has lived through years of turnover, any sign of steadiness from the top matters. Davidsons comments arrived amid a busy stretch around hockey, with the Red Wings still looking for a new general manager, Simon Despres landing with the Fort Wayne Komets and Kelly Hrudeys run at Sportsnet ending after 28 years, but the Blackhawks piece is the one that will resonate most in Chicago because it points back to the future the franchise is trying to build. [Read more 🡒]