How will Anton Frondell, Roman Kanterov bolster Blackhawks’ offense once they arrive?

The Blackhawks would’ve beaten the Islanders on Tuesday if they had slightly better finishing.

That obviously references Nick Foligno hitting the post on an open net with five seconds left in regulation, but it also references Ryan Greene missing wide on a deflection in overtime after making a brilliant move to get open at the back post. Failing to score on all three shootout attempts also hurt.

If Connor Bedard had been the player taking either of those chances, he almost certainly would’ve buried them. That’s safe to say. However, even an average scorer — much less one of the NHL’s best snipers — probably would’ve been enough.

Bedard and Frank Nazar’s injuries have exposed just how few of those the Hawks have on their NHL roster at the moment. Tyler Bertuzzi is one natural finisher around the net, and Nick Lardis has a wicked shot that he’s learning how to create enough space to release against NHL defenders. But there’s little else in the cupboard.

Finishing appears to be the biggest weaknesses of both Greene and Oliver Moore, as they’re both shooting under 9% this season. Andre Burakovsky, an earlier bright spot, has proven much less effective without Bedard.

Teuvo Teravainen is infamously reluctant to shoot. Ryan Donato — a great finisher last season — has just three goals in his last 29 games. And they really don’t have anyone who fits the “power forward” mold.

The Hawks have actually generated more scoring chances per minute (at all strengths) since Bedard’s injury than before it. But their team shooting percentage has fallen from 11.5% to 8.6%, so their goal-scoring has dropped, too.

By the end of this season or the beginning of the next, however, the Hawks will have added to their roster two talented forwards with high scoring potential: current top prospects Anton Frondell and Roman Kantserov.

How Frondell and Kantserov fare in the NHL could ultimately determine the success of the Hawks’ rebuild. The franchise needs them to hit, given that there aren’t a ton of other forwards with high odds of becoming top-six scorers in their pipeline. Fortunately, both do seem likely to hit.

Frondell’s bombs-away attitude has been on display so far at the world junior championships, scoring three times in Sweden’s first three games — demonstrating what the No. 3 overall pick, who’s still only 18 years old, can do when given a consistently large role.

Kantserov continues to lead the KHL with 26 goals in 38 games — a remarkable feat for a 21-year-old — after racking up four points in his most recent game Monday.

Hawks assistant general manager Mark Eaton recently raved about Kantserov’s “bulldog mentality,” and the same phrase could be used to describe Frondell. They possess not only elite offensive skills but also killer instincts — something the current Hawks arguably lack a little bit.

The Hawks hope to add another elite forward prospect to their mix in June, with another top-five draft pick looking increasingly likely. Another Swedish forward, Ivar Stenberg, might be quickly moving toward the top of their wish list.

Stenberg has racked up 24 points in 25 games in Sweden, whereas Frondell has 15 points; they’re the league’s top two teenagers. He also has more drive and two-way work ethic than Canadian star Gavin McKenna.

Frondell and Kantserov are the locked-in building blocks, though, and the Hawks will soon be focused on making their NHL transitions as smooth as possible. Depending on their European clubs’ playoff fates, they might make it over in time for the final weeks of the Hawks’ regular season.

How much impact will they make right away? It’s impossible to know, but fans shouldn’t be blamed for hoping they immediately add more oomph — and finishing — to the Hawks’ offense. It is much-needed.

Note: Hawks star Connor Bedard was unsurprisingly left off Team Canada’s 2026 Olympics roster Wednesday.