With the Chicago Blackhawks 2025-26 season in the books, the overall feel is disappointment from the vocal fans on social media. Even with young players taking steps in their individual development and rookies providing an NHL-leading number of points, the Blackhawks owning a top-four pick in the draft once again isn’t good enough.
Which makes this coming summer an important one for general manager Kyle Davidson, who received a multi-year contract extension from the Blackhawks before the season’s final game.
The Blackhawks want to take a big step forward next year. If the point of this past season was to learn from mistakes and grow together, next year is about putting those educational moments into practice and becoming a better team. Davidson’s vision for the rebuild is starting to impact the NHL roster now — and that isn’t finished.
But we’ve seen enough that there are now expectations — from fans and media alike — that the Blackhawks will be players to do something significant this summer.
What “we want” and what happens could align. The Blackhawks could stick in the top two spots in the 2026 NHL Draft and land another potential difference-maker. The Blackhawks could make a blockbuster trade for someone like Matthew Knies who gets fans excited for the immediate future. Davidson has the potential for both to be a reality this summer.
What might actually happen is tougher to project, because we aren’t managing a roster on our Xbox. Davidson might want to make a big trade, but there needs to be another general manager who’s willing to make the right deal for both sides for it to happen.
What needs to happen is improvement. How the Blackhawks get there is the task in front of Davidson in the most important offseason of his tenure.
Just What I Needed
When Blackhawks chairman Danny Wirtz spoke with the media during the season finale on Wednesday night, he made it clear that Davidson has the green light to do what he needs to improve the team.
“When the opportunity arises and when we have the opportunity to add to our team and to become better, there’s nothing holding Kyle back, that’s for sure,” Wirtz said. “It’s not coming from me. So he’s got the reins to make those decisions when he thinks the time is right.“
With that vote of confidence, what should Davidson’s checklist look like for this coming summer?
Add an impact forward to improve the top-six Add a veteran defenseman Add a physical presence (or two) Determine the Blackhawks’ depth chart in netSo, how do they accomplish those four seemingly simple tasks?
Top Six Help
The Blackhawks will bring back Connor Bedard, Frank Nazar and Anton Frondell. All three of them could be part of the top six. How the organization views an arrival of Kantserov and the short-term futures of Tyler Bertuzzi and Teuvo Teräväinen will be important components as well.
The first question the organization will need to answer internally is — after signing Roman Kantserov — how he projects to impact the NHL roster. And we — fans, media — need to have some patience with another first-year NHL player when he arrives, because everything isn’t perfect. He might get compared to Kirill Kaprizov, but he isn’t there yet.
And, of course, the Blackhawks will make one of the top four selections in the 2026 NHL Draft. That could add another potential impact forward — Gavin McKenna, Ivar Stenberg, Caleb Malhotra? — to the mix.
Do the Blackhawks make a trade for someone like Knies? Do they make a bigger swing for someone like Jason Robertson? Are either of those guys even available this summer? We can’t force other teams to make guys like them available — or make a trade that benefits both teams.
Yes, it is possible for the Blackhawks to overpay.
They benefitted from teams selling low/early on guys like Patrick Sharp and Nick Leddy during their dynasty run. This is where the internal evaluation of the Blackhawks’ current assets becomes critical this summer.
Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn ImagesA Veteran Defenseman
When I spoke with Hall of Fame defenseman Chris Pronger recently, he stressed the need for veterans to help young players thru tough times. I agree with him that the Blackhawks needs to have guys who have been thru a lot to help the young group.
However, this is probably the toughest part of this equation to easily fix. Assuming the Blackhawks give contracts to pending RFAs Kevin Korchinski and Ethan Del Mastro this summer, the Blackhawks will have seven defensemen back next year — with the oldest players on the roster being 25-year-olds Alex Vlasic and Louis Crevier.
And looking at the list of UFA defensemen this summer is far from inspiring.
On the right side, the Blackhawks need to see big steps forward from Artyom Levshunov and Sam Rinzel next year. Louis Crevier has been a terrific value piece on the back end. Del Mastro has also played the right side in both the AHL and NHL.
An easy call might be to re-sign Matt Grzelcyk, who was serviceable this year as a puck-moving defenseman. But he’s left-handed, which would put him in line with Vlasic, Korchinski, Del Mastro and Wyatt Kaiser for ice time. He’s a known commodity, though. That helps.
A Physical Presence
The Blackhawks need to be tougher to play against. We’ve seen how the departures of Connor Murphy, Nick Foligno and Jason Dickinson (and, to a lesser extent, Colton Dach) impacted the sandpaper on the roster.
This, again, is where the Blackhawks’ internal scouting comes into play.
Frondell has been a more physical center since his move to the middle, which makes where he ultimately lands in the lineup more fascinating. How that influences the roles of Nazar, Oliver Moore and Ryan Greene as potential centers will be something to watch in training camp.
One player who could be an intriguing component in training camp is AJ Spellacy. He’s shown well in some limited run against prospects and AHL/NHL players in previous training camps, plays the game fast and knows his role. Spellacy is a terrific defensive player, and has no problem being the hammer.
THE AJ SPELLACY SHOWWhat a goal from the #Blackhawks prospect to double the @SpitsHockey lead!#WSRvsFLNT | #OHLPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/hZGKg3kgdt
— Ontario Hockey League (@OHLHockey) April 15, 2026Sacha Boisvert is a physical player, but he will need more time to develop and will probably be best served with time in Rockford to start next year. Indeed, a full year in the AHL could benefit him a great deal coming up from college.
But this is where Blackhawks fans salivate at the thought of adding a young power forward like Knies to the mix. He’s an established NHL player who has produced in the league already. A player in that mold could, in theory, add a physical presence and help the top six.
Again, the list of UFAs this summer isn’t going to jump off the page. So how the Blackhawks find that right fit will be interesting.
Goalie Depth
Right now, the Blackhawks have both of their current NHL goaltender under contract for next year. Spencer Knight and Arvid Söderblom both have term remaining; Söderblom has one year left on his deal.
Drew Commesso looks like he’s ready for more NHL experience. But he’s still a pending RFA this summer. He is where this decision needs to be made. If he’s ready to assume the back-up role in the NHL next year, Söderblom would figure to be the man who needs a new address. But, again, that would require Davidson to find dance partner.
Stanislav Berezhnoy is signed thru next year as well, though his first season on North American ice was cut short by a PED suspension. The Blackhawks have signed Adam Gajan to his entry-level contract, but he’s just turning pro now and won’t be ready for the NHL for a while.
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