Blackhawks Open 2026 Free Agency With No Surprises – Hockey Writers –

July 1 marked the first day of NHL free agency, and the Chicago Blackhawks signed three NHLers: defenseman Ian Cole, forward Cole Smith, and newly acquired defenseman Bowen Byram to a six-year deal.

They also signed two more: defensemen Connor Mackey and Dylan Anhorn.

The Blackhawks weren’t the biggest players in free agency, although that wasn’t at all expected, as most of the NHL’s most important moves in this current market are made through trades.

But the signing they did was not surprising because they were in line with some of the goals they had set before.

Here is a summary of the new additions.

Cole Smith

When the Blackhawks acquired Byram from the Buffalo Sabres, Jordan Greenway was also included in the deal. With the addition of Greenway, general manager Kyle Davidson explained that they wanted to change the dynamic in their bottom 6. Smith is another striker they hope will help boost the bottom six.

Smith is not a great scorer. His career high came in 2023-24 with the Nashville Predators (23 points), but it doesn’t seem like his scoring is all about the points; it’s about the intangibles, as they introduced themselves in Greenway’s addition. Davidson praised Greenway for his physical presence, ability to kill penalties, and ability to disrupt the eyelid.

Which are the same traits that Davidson saw in Smith.

He’s another big body at 6-foot-3, 195 pounds, he’s physical (currently in four straight seasons with 100-plus hits, according to the Blackhawks’ report), and he can play the penalty kill.

Davidson said of Smith, “Yeah, the penalty kill, but I think he brings a physicality to his game, especially, you know, if you watch the playoffs, he had a little breaking ball on his forehead, and he goes in, and you look at some of the hit totals, they’re pretty high, so that’s something we wanted to add to our team, especially after Nick was out. (Foligno) went to Minnesota, so, just to bring that to our lineup, and another thing in our game, and trying to make life more difficult for the opposition was something we aimed to add and we did that with Greenway.

Furthermore, just because Smith isn’t a great scorer doesn’t mean he can’t. He’s capable of putting up 20 points in a deep role, but we’ll see how that translates to the Blackhawks. The 30-year-old, who most recently played for the Vegas Golden Knights, was signed to a three-year contract ($3M AAV).

Ian Cole

Ben Pope of The Chicago Sun-Times reported that the Blackhawks targeted this summer were veteran defensive backs. Before Cole signed, the oldest defensemen on the Blackhawks were Byram and Vlasic (25).

Cole is 37 years old and had 23 points in 82 games with the Utah Mammoth last season. Louis Crevier was the Blackhawks’ leading scorer on defense with 25, so Cole would have been up there.

Davidson said about adding Cole, “He’s a vet in this league, and sometimes, there’s something to be said, especially on defense, that you know where you’re supposed to be… you know where you’re supposed to stand, and you’ve been in certain situations before, and that veteran understanding of the game allows you to be successful, especially on the defensive end, and he’s a great killer that he knew how much of a killer he was when Uta was on the ice for our team last year, even before Murph (Connor Murphy) and and Vlas (Alex Vlasic).

Davidson also said, “There’s an upside to having that type of guy who’s played so many games and seen so much and been through so much, and who’s not going to panic, you know, when things go well for them. He’s going to be able to calm the waters and let some of our younger players feed off of that, and learn from that.”

He also noted how Cole can play his offside.

It seems like a typical signing, as the Blackhawks have liked to add veteran defensemen over the past few years while developing their young defensemen. Signed to a one-year, $4M deal.

Byram’s extension

Finally, the man of the hour: Byram, who officially inked his six-year, $12.5M AAV deal that runs through 2027-28. The deal has been a closely guarded secret since the Blackhawks acquired him. Davidson said on June 24 that extending Byram is a priority.

Davidson also said, in part, “… It’s something that we have to respect, and put our money where our mouth is, you know, literally and figuratively, because we believe in this guy. We believe that he’s a very good player and that he can be a great player, so, you know, we have to respect that and honor that in some way. So, that’s something that we’re going to pay in the contract. quality players, and if there’s an opportunity to get and keep a player that we believe is a quality and a star, we’re going to do that, and we’re not going to blink and do it…”

Byram was the fourth overall pick back in 2019, has already won the Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche, and even said he feels he’s just scratching the surface of what he can do. He had a career-high 42 points in 82 games with the Sabers last season.

Byram said on July 1, “Yeah, I think it’s very special… I feel like I’ve touched on it before this, but you know, they’ve shown (shown) a lot of faith in me, and they’ve sacrificed a lot and given themselves to me in many, many ways. So, now the ball is in my court to play. So I’m excited for this opportunity, but I’m excited for that opportunity, I’m excited for that opportunity. I mean, even just being here, for four hours I’ve been here, whatever it is, you can just say how good the organization is. So I’m very happy to be here, and to be a part of this.

Hope Byram ends up being everything and more for the Blackhawks. You are wired for protection, energy, and excitement. It makes a good combination.

The Blackhawks Departure Has Come As Expected… For Now

Overall, Davidson said of the signings, “I’ll start by saying we’re very excited about the new players, and Ian Cole and Cole Smith – I think they fill very important roles on our roster, and add veterans as well.”

As for most movements, that’s probably it. Davidson didn’t make that decision, but he was asked if he would be ready to go to training camp with this roster. Yes.

He later commented, “We believe we will be a much improved team from last year.”

As for free agents, they still have Connor Bedard, Ethan Del Mastro, Kevin Korchinski, and Drew Commesso, all of whom have received qualifying offers and will receive new deals soon.

However, if Davidson ends up being dealt in an overseas move, that would be a surprise as well.

It looks like the Blackhawks are putting stock in their developing young players next season, especially with Byram already a part of that. It is understandable. They believe in the players they have selected and are developing, and they think they will lead this team in the future.

But it still brings a lot of uncertainty.

So, we’ll see if anything else is done. But there is nothing shocking about their July 1 departure.