Chicago Blackhawks’ draft and free agency didn’t help the team

Per Bleacher Report insider Lyle Fitzsimmons, there is no hockey team in a worse position right now for 2025-26 than the Chicago Blackhawks. After not spending much of their salary cap this offseason, it seems like the Hawks are just bereft of talent.

“The Blackhawks are far closer to the salary-cap floor than its ceiling, so the quest to add firepower alongside Connor Bedard is apparently still pending,” Fitzsimmons said plainly. Bedard is still young, but the Blackhawks have yet to splurge to surround him with a lot of talent.

However, the addition of Anton Frondell, whenever he makes it to the NHL level, might help. “Something of a jolt may arrive courtesy of Swedish import Anton Frondell, who was ranked as the No. 1 international skater by NHL Central Scouting when Chicago grabbed him third overall at the draft,” the analyst added. “The 6’1″, 204-pounder has been compared to New York Rangers forward J.T. Miller and likened to a ‘military tank’ by one scout.”

The Blackhawks made a conscious effort not to spend in free agency, even though they, based on the salary cap, could’ve afforded virtually everyone on the market. No player was too rich for them this year, but they didn’t want any of them.

Privately, they were not pleased with how the veteran additions last offseason panned out, so they’re aiming to utilize their young players all year long. Rather than fill out with veterans who won’t be around long, the roster is going to be comprised of players who could one day be crucial cogs.

It doesn’t hurt that being bad in 2025-26 isn’t the worst thing, because Gavin McKenna is likely to be the number one pick, and he’s been tabbed, like Bedard, as a franchise-changing generational prospect.