Blackhawks Must Take New Approach In 2026 Offseason – Hockey Writers – Chicago Blackhawks

“This should be the last year, you know, obviously, the games don’t mean anything, but they don’t play until the end of the year. They play for something in the playoffs…”

That was a comment made, in part, by Connor Bedard during exit talks, and his teammates shared that sentiment.

And he is not wrong. This season was the fourth straight season the Chicago Blackhawks finished third in the NHL, and that needs to change.

Despite the stoppage, there was some good, but they need to stay on track. It seems like a few summers ago, the feeling about the Blackhawks was, “This is a big summer for them.”

But this summer really. Here are some strategies about the approach they might take.

Mainly Keeping the Belt Together

This may be one of the times of the year when progress will increase dramatically. I think there won’t be as many moves as last season, which left the roster with some open spots.

For example, last season, Pat Maroon and Alec Martinez retired, and Philipp Kurashev also left the San Jose Sharks in free agency.

This season, the Blackhawks traded Nick Foligno, Connor Murphy, Jason Dickinson, and Colton Dach at the trade deadline, and the team that ended the season is also considered to return next season.

The Blackhawks had some encouraging spots on the roster, which encouraged the players and management a lot. They had the top two penalty kills in the NHL. They had breakout seasons from players like Wyatt Kaiser and Louis Crevier. Connor Bedard has been over a point per game (1.09 points per game), and Spencer Knight seems to be marketed as their starting point guard. Prospects like Nick Lardis and Anton Frondell impressed, too.

But just because most of the roster spots seem set for next season, it doesn’t mean they won’t be available anywhere changes.

General manager Kyle Davidson said in his exit talks that they will continue to evaluate what is available this summer and are willing to see what they can do to add to the team via trade and/or the UFA market.

The deadline for the Blackhawks to sign six free agents (as they did back in 2024) may be over. Therefore, additions will likely be based on additional quality.

Which brings us to the second option.

Should the Blackhawks finally go for the big things?

We know that Davidson is open to exploring his options, and there have already been reports that he is trying to acquire big names, such as insider Elliotte Friedman, who reported that they were pursuing Jake Guentzel before he signed with the Tampa Bay Lightning, and there were reports of interest in Matthew Knies at the trade deadline.

But is this the summer they catch the big fish?

Davidson talked about their assets, saying, “We feel very strongly that we have a lot of important prospects that are not here in the NHL, and we have good assets based on the draft, and to the extent that teams are interested in those pieces? Then, you know, we’re willing to talk. We’re willing to see what’s out there so you can close this team, and you see what you can do. I think that’s a disservice to your team and your organization and you have to look for reasonable ways to improve, and we’ll campaign and see what existing.

It seems that the rumors keep coming with reports linking the Blackhawks with the Knies, Jason Robertson, and others.

Frank Seravalli said one brave oOffseason predictions are that the Blackhawks will trade multiple first-round picks to get the difference.

It seems like all eyes will be on the Blackhawks to be bold this summer.

Obviously, a lot will have to go right for the Blackhawks to make a big move, and Davidson said they are more proactive in their efforts than people might think.

But now is the time to pull something. It looks like the Blackhawks will be better next season, as they have learned a lot from the move, and you can expect improvement from that. Mainly because they had 11 points more than last season. Continued player growth should be beneficial for them, but I’m not sure that alone will be enough.

They’re in a good position to take a swing, and it’s not like Davidson hasn’t swung before – like when he drafted Mason West in the first round of the 2025 NHL Draft, which he called taking a “Grand Slam Hack.” The stakes are different here. The Blackhawks may be on the cusp of something great, but they still have significant gaps, as my colleague Gail Kauchak points out, including their struggling power play and finishing game.

I think Davidson was right when he noted, in part, “…Also, we need to take another step forward. We took a good one this year, but you know, the league waits for nobody, so these young players have to continue that development and translate that into more wins on the ice.”

The league isn’t waiting, and neither should Davidson. They have no fault of patience in rebuilding, they want to be accurate with whoever they add, and they don’t take risks for the long term. However, the hard truth is that the league will not wait until the Blackhawks improve. Every NHL team is going to look better this summer.

Blackhawks Summer Boost

The Blackhawks have a lot to be optimistic about with the team they’re building, and they all said as much in their exit talks. They also received another top four pick in the NHL Draft this summer. But they could use more momentum.

Perhaps that will come from the players themselves, who are hungry for change.

As Bedard said, “You know, I’m talking about wanting to win. We all want to win. I want to win here, you know, as long as I’m playing. But at the end of the day, I have a lot of faith in the management, in the coaching, and in our players. Like, we see each other every day. The way we approach the game, the way the guys adapt, how much skill you know in one person, so I’d like to go to one person. that they’re going to reach their full potential just because of the way we think and work.” in our group.

“So, I couldn’t be more confident that we’re going to get to where we want to go, and it’s going to be a fun journey. You know, I think that’s what people say looking back is kind of growing together, ​​​​​​and it’s getting better and better, and we’re motivated to do that.”

Or maybe a promotion could come with a possible summer move.

But overall, this summer should be different.