Chicago Blackhawks’ newest trade buzz sparks serious fan excitement

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Chicago Blackhawks’ newest trade buzz sparks serious fan excitement

Originally posted on ChiCitySports | By Matthew Schmidt | Last updated May 12, 2026 1:23 PM ET

Chicago Blackhawks fans are longing for the days when they won three Stanley Cup championships within a span of six seasons between 2010 and 2015, which was also smack dab in the middle of a run where the Blackhawks made nine straight playoff appearances.

Things have not been quite as swell since.

Chicago has only made it to the postseason once since last winning a Stanley Cup and has missed the playoffs six years in a row, its longest drought since 1952. The Blackhawks went 29-39-14 this past season, finishing last in the Central Division by a significant margin.

However, there seems to be hope for the future in the Windy City, as the Blackhawks have shown improvement over the last couple of seasons. They have also positioned themselves for a pretty exciting offseason, as they own a nice chunk of cap room and could swing some trades.

Steve Peters and Tyler Yaremchuk discussed the latter during a recent episode of the Daily Faceoff.

Chicago Blackhawks could do some wheeling and dealing

Apr 6, 2026; San Jose, California, USA; Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Kevin Korchinski (14) warms up before the game against the San Jose Sharks at SAP Center at San Jose. Mandatory Credit: David Gonzales-Imagn Images

Peters was encouraged with what he saw from Chicago in 2025-26 and thinks the Blackhawks are absolutely a team to watch this summer.

“So you can take those assets, put a draft pick along with a Kevin Korchinski, trade that, get a player that can help you now,” Peters said. “… You look at Anaheim, Utah and San Jose, all getting that youth and that speed, and they see the future. Chicago is there, they’re just two years behind, and they might be the best of the four teams that are in that group when they get through this rebuild, and you have to do it by sprinkling in the right pieces around the young talent.”

Chicago owns four draft picks this year, with three of them coming in the second round. Next summer, the Blackhawks will have a trio of first-round draft choices at their disposal, so between Chicago’s draft capital and its cap situation (it is slated to have around $80 million in cap room next offseason), there is no question that Jeff Blashill’s club finds itself in a pretty good situation a the moment.

Peters specifically thinks the Blackhawks may need to package some of their young talent for a proven veteran, noting that Chicago has a glut of young defensemen that should probably be utilized as trade bait — like Korchinski.

The Blackhawks could end up being one of the most active teams in the NHL this summer, so it’s certainly an exciting time for the fanbase.

This article first appeared on ChiCitySports and was syndicated with permission.

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