Blackhawks Opened 2026 Free Agency With No Surprises

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

Davidson mentioned about Smith, “Yeah, the penalty killing, but I think he brings physicality to his game, especially, you know, if you watch the playoffs, he was a little bit of a wrecking ball on the forecheck, and getting in, and you look at some of the hit totals, they’re pretty high, and so that’s an element we wanted to add to our group. Felt it was something we probably lacked a little bit, especially after the deadline once Nick (Foligno) went to Minnesota, and so, just bringing that into our lineup, and another element to our game, and trying to make life a little more difficult on the opposition was something that we intended on adding. And we did that with Greenway, too…”

Furthermore, just because Smith isn’t the biggest scorer doesn’t mean he isn’t capable. He is capable of putting up 20-plus points in a depth role, but we will see how that translates on the Blackhawks. The 30-year-old, who was most recently with the Vegas Golden Knights, was signed to a three-year deal ($3M AAV).

Ian Cole

Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times reported that a target for the Blackhawks this summer was a veteran defenseman. Before Cole’s signing, the oldest defensemen on the Blackhawks was 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’ points leader on defense with 25, so Cole would have been up there.

Davidson said about adding Cole, “He’s vet in this league, and sometimes, there’s an element to, especially defending, on you just know where to be… know where to stand, and you’ve kind of been through certain situations before, and that veteran understanding of the game allows you to be effective, specifically in the defensive zone, and he’s a great penalty killer. You know, what he did in average on Utah would have been our highest average penalty killer in time on ice on our team last year, even ahead of like Murph (Connor Murphy) and Vlas (Alex Vlasic). So, that’s one of his calling cards, and that’s somewhere that certainly on the back end, we can use his utility. And then in all likelihood, he’s going to be paired with a younger defenseman, and there’s a steadying presence….

Davidson also said, “There’s residual benefit from having that kind of guy around who’s played so many games and seen so much and experienced so much, and won’t panic, you know, when things maybe get a little haywire. He’s gonna be able to calm the waters and allow some of our young players to feed off that, and to learn from that.”

He also noted how Cole can play his offside.

It seems like a standard signing, as the Blackhawks have liked adding veteran defensemen the last couple of years while their young defensemen develop. He is 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 will kick in in 2027-28. This deal was the worst-kept secret since the Blackhawks acquired him. Davidson said on June 24 that extending Byram was a top priority.

Davidson also said, in part, “…It’s something we’ll have to be respectful of, and also put our money where our mouth is, you know, literally and figuratively, because we believe in this guy. We believe he’s a very good player and one that can be elite, and so, you know, we have to respect that and honor that in some way. So, that’s something we’ll have to reckon with in the contract negotiation. But we’re okay paying great players, and if there’s an opportunity to acquire and retain a player that we believe is elite and a star, then we will do so, and we won’t blink in doing it…”

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

Byram said on July 1, “Yeah, I think it’s pretty special… I feel like I’ve touched on it prior to this, but you know, they’ve (shown) a lot of faith in me, and they’ve given up a lot and committed to me in many, many ways. So, now the ball’s in my court to perform. So I’m excited for that opportunity. I’m excited for that challenge, but yeah, it means the world. Super excited. I mean, even just being here today, the brief four hours I’ve been here, whatever it is, you can just tell how good of an organization it is; how well run. So I’m super excited to be here, and be a part of this.”

The hope is that Byram ends up being everything and more for the Blackhawks. He has the reins on defense, the potential, and the excitement. It makes for a good combination.

Blackhawks Moves Came As Expected… For Now

Overall, Davidson said about the signings, “l’ll start by saying we’re really excited about the new signings, and Ian Cole and Cole Smith– I think they fill out some really important roles in our lineup, and add some veteran presence.”

As far as more moves, that’s a maybe. Davidson didn’t rule it out, but he was asked if he would be okay going into training camp with this roster. “Yeah, we would. Yes. I believe we’ve filled some spots that we wanted to shore up, while also, again, leaving runway for some young players to continue their development and growth into roles that they’ve already started to kind of mature into. But at the same time, we’re gonna keep looking into what’s available to us, and making sure that we’re leaving no stone unturned to try and maximize our roster potential going into the season.”

He also noted later on, “We believe that we’re going to be a much improved group on last year.”

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

However, if Davidson does end up being done with external moves, that would be unsurprising as well.

It seems the Blackhawks are putting stock in their young players progressing next season, especially with Byram now a part of that. It’s understandable. They believe in the players they drafted and are developing, and they envision them leading this team into the future.

But it still brings a lot of uncertainty.

So, we’ll see if any further moves are made. But nothing about their July 1 moves for them was shocking.