Two busy weeks lie ahead for the Blackhawks during the zenith of the NHL offseason.
With considerable improvement — if not an outright playoff berth — set as the expectation for next season, general manager Kyle Davidson must do everything in his power to try to upgrade his young roster.
Here’s what this summer might bring:
Draft
The Hawks are less than a week away from a decision regarding the No. 4 overall pick. The first round of the draft will take place Friday (6 p.m., ESPN), followed by the second through seventh rounds Saturday. It’s the second consecutive year of the remote format.
The Hawks are slated to make only one first-round pick for the first time in Davidson’s tenure, but that doesn’t reduce the drama. Things could get even more dramatic if the Hawks trade the pick for an immediate impact player.
If they keep it, will highly touted Swedish wing Ivar Stenberg drop to No. 4? Might the Hawks trade with the Sharks to move up to No. 2 to guarantee they get him? If Stenberg doesn’t fall, is U.S. defenseman Chase Reid the most likely choice?
The Hawks also have three second-round picks (34th, 37th and 45th overall), one third-round pick (66th), one fourth-round pick (119th) and two seventh-round picks (194th and 200th).
It wouldn’t be surprising if they package a couple of those second-round picks to trade up for another first-rounder. If they keep them, however, expect them to make defensemen a priority after a few years of drafting very few of them. Adam Goljer, Xavier Villeneuve, Juho Piiparinen, Jakub Vanecek or Ben Macbeath might be in play at 34th and 37th.
Buyout?
Davidson said at the combine that he doesn’t expect to buy out anyone this summer. That’s interesting because wing Andre Burakovsky, who has one contract year left, seemed like such a logical candidate.
Perhaps the Hawks think Burakovsky’s $5.5 million salary-cap hit will help ensure they reach the salary floor. Or perhaps their abundance of cap space makes them willing to give him one more shot (and send him to the AHL, if need be). Or perhaps their plan will change. They have until June 30 to decide.
Internal free agents
Connor Bedard is a restricted free agent who needs a new contract this summer. That represents Davidson’s most important negotiations since he became GM.
So far, it doesn’t sound as though the sides have made much progress. Bedard repeatedly has said he wants to stay with the Hawks for the long term, but that won’t stop his agents from negotiating for the best deal.
Bedard’s cap hit likely will fall in the $13 million-to-$16 million range — an enormous number, but one the Hawks have budgeted for. The bigger question is whether he will sign a maximum-length eight-year deal (as many stars have in recent years) or push for a four- or five-year deal that could set him up for an even bigger payday in his prime.
The Hawks also need to re-sign RFAs Kevin Korchinski, Ethan Del Mastro and Drew Commesso. None of those contracts should be too onerous. Commesso is the only one with arbitration rights.
The Hawks’ unrestricted free agents are Ilya Mikheyev, Sam Lafferty, Joey Anderson and Matt Grzelcyk. Mikheyev is the only one who might return. Davidson repeatedly has indicated interest in re-signing him, but the penalty-kill specialist seemingly thinks he can beat the Hawks’ offer on the open market.
The sides might circle back a couple of days into July, based on how things go. Mikheyev, who at 31 knows this might be his last sizable NHL contract, probably is looking for a three- or four-year deal.
External free agents
The 2026 free-agent class is bleak. Alex Tuch (Sabres) is the only top-six forward slated to become available July 1. Tuch would look great next to Bedard, but the bidding war for his services will be ridiculous.
Other available wings include Anthony Mantha, Mason Marchment, Bobby McMann, Viktor Arvidsson and Andrei Kuzmenko. But unless the Hawks see untapped potential in one of those guys, they’re not really seeking depth.
Wings are the target because Davidson has said Bedard, Frank Nazar and Anton Frondell will start next season playing center.
The class of defensemen is slightly better. John Carlson (Ducks) and Rasmus Andersson (Golden Knights) headline it. Carlson, 36, would fit the Hawks’ need for an experienced, puck-moving defenseman to stabilize their ultra-young group. One issue is that he reportedly wants to return to the East Coast.
Mario Ferraro (Sharks) is another logical target. He’s left-handed — the weaker side of the Hawks’ defense — and is one of the youngest UFAs at 27. Connor Murphy is a UFA, too, and that would make for a heartwarming reunion.
It wouldn’t be surprising if the Hawks brought in a physical fourth-line forward with fighting experience, someone such as Beck Malenstyn, Nick Cousins, Brandon Duhaime or Cole Smith.
Trades
The trade market features more big names, to the extent that most teams’ Plan A is to acquire talent via trade and Plan B is doing so via signings. That might push a lot of trade activity into draft week.
Jason Robertson (Stars) and Pavel Dorofeyev (Knights) are elite RFA forwards whose teams are in cap crunches. Acquiring either drastically would change the complexion of the Hawks’ top line, but they don’t have the assets those contenders likely will be seeking.
Matthew Knies (Maple Leafs) is a confirmed Hawks target whose name continues to circulate in rumors, despite the Leafs’ GM change. With five contract years remaining, Knies would cost a boatload to acquire, but the Leafs might be more interested in a picks-and-prospects package.
One team definitely interested in that type of package is the rebuilding Canucks, so even though Elias Pettersson, Brock Boeser and Jake DeBrusk wouldn’t be perfect fits for the Hawks, they are worth considering. If the Penguins finally decide to retool, Bryan Rust and Rickard Rakell also would join that group.
In terms of defensemen, two left-handed veterans in Darnell Nurse (Oilers) and Morgan Reilly (Leafs) recently hit the market, and their albatross contracts will reduce their value. But they can veto any suitors with their no-movement clauses.
One defenseman who would fit the Hawks’ long-term timeline nicely is Bowen Byram (Sabres), whose name has surfaced now that he’s one year away from UFA status. He doesn’t have the best analytics, however.
Extensions and more
Starting July 1, the Hawks’ robust group of 2027 RFAs — which includes Oliver Moore, Ryan Greene, Artyom Levshunov, Sam Rinzel, Wyatt Kaiser and Louis Crevier — will become eligible for extensions.
Davidson jumped on that opportunity with Nazar and Spencer Knight last summer, so it’s something he might consider again, even though none of those guys has proved his value as definitively as Nazar and Knight had.
The Hawks’ prospect-development camp will run June 29 through July 3.
With the NHL moving to an 84-game regular season, the 2026-27 season opener reportedly is slated for Sept. 29 after a shortened training camp and preseason. The schedule will be released in July.