Opinion: What The Blackhawks Offseason Should Look Like

At last, the 2025-2026 Chicago Blackhawks season has come to an end. Early in the season, there were a lot of bright spots and excitement from this team. However, after injuries, loading up on young players, and dealing some solid veteran pieces quickly spiraled out of control. We learned about this team, and there are questions that still need answers. This offseason is becoming crucial for Kyle Davidson and his team. With that in mind, I wanted to talk about the things that I want to see get done between now and September.

Extension Season

You need to get Connor Bedard’s contract done as soon as possible. According to reports, this conversation is going to happen in May, and it should be easy. Ideally, I would love to see 98 locked down on an 8-year deal around the 13.5 million range. I have no issues with him signing a shorter term, which is the smart move on his side. As long as they stay smart with their cap space, you give Bedard the deal he wants.

The next contract you need to get done is Kevin Korchinski‘s. I think a 1- to 2-year prove-it contract worth 2 million makes the most sense here. We saw improvement in his game this year, and he plans to train in Chicago this summer. Korchinski is going to need to bet on himself this contract, and that’ll pay off on his next deal. Last RFA is Ethan Del Mastero, which will likely be a 1-year, 1 to 1.5-million-dollar range.

Then you have a decision to make on three pending free agents in IIya Mikheyev, Sam Lafferty, and Matt Grzelcyk. Lafferty should be a non-factor, as he should be leaving town July 1st. Matt Grzelcyk would be a nice piece to keep around next season on another 1-year deal. He was a great fit for the limited role he played, and having him back would be nice.

Mikheyev is going to be the most interesting pending UFA for the Hawks. He had a great season and was fantastic on the penalty kill for this team. I would love to have him back with the Hawks for another year. Overpaying him a bit wouldn’t be the worst idea to help get to the cap floor. The issue is that when extension conversations happened earlier, it seemed like he wanted a term. Going longer than two years just doesn’t seem like the play right now. If he’s digging in at wanting more than 2 years, you need to let him walk.

Draft Day

As of writing, we don’t know exactly where the Hawks will be drafting, but we do know it’ll be at least 4th overall. I’ll be praying to the hockey gods that we stay in that top two, so we walk away with Gavin McKenna or Ivar Stenberg. What happens if we fall to 3 or 4? Depending on who bumps us out of the top two, Stenberg could still be there. However, if he’s gone, I think a lot can happen with that pick. I don’t hate the idea of drafting a Keaton Verhoeff or Chase Reid, but what if you could move down a few picks and get additional assets and still be able to draft a Viggo Bjorck or Ethan Belchetz? That might not even be an option, but it’s something to consider if one of the big two isn’t on the board for us.

Big Game Hunting

The chatter among fans is that Kyle Davidson needs to go and add a big-time player this offseason. While this is true, Blackhawks fans need to be realistic about what that looks like. This upcoming free agent class is weak, with Patrik Laine being the biggest name available right now. That means you are going to need to add via trade. If you make a deal at the draft, the Hawks have 3 2nd-round picks that are very valuable, or if you extend it to next year’s draft capital, you potentially have 3 1st and two 2nd round picks to move.

Using our draft picks and deep prospect pool isn’t the worst move if done right. If you throw a giant package together to get a player like, say, Auston Matthews, you’re basically saying all this pain and suffering the last 4 years was for nothing. Sure, it could create a boost now, but then in 3 to 5 years, you’re right back to square one, having to rebuild or retool. If you are smart with who you go after and look at Matthew Knies or Jason Robertson type of players, you can get better and not jeopardize the team’s future.

Overall, I don’t expect a lot to happen this summer with this team. Kyle Davidson is confident that rolling with the youth movement is the right call, and it might be. You are going to have one of the youngest teams in the league next year, with a good chunk already with a full season under their belt. They got a taste of what being a full-time NHLer is like, and after a summer of training, who knows what could happen? On top of that we will get a full season of Anton Frondell and potentially the debut of Roman Kantersov. Adding that to this lineup with hopefully McKenna or Stenberg, we really could see this team take a big step forward.