The Chicago Blackhawks made a major move Saturday, signing superstar center Connor Bedard to a five-year, $75-million contract valued at $15 million per season.

The deal makes Bedard the NHL’s third-highest player, behind only Anaheim Ducks star center Leo Carlsson ($18 million) and Minnesota Wild star winger Kirill Kaprizov ($17 million). 

But signing Bedard wasn’t the only move of consequence for Chicago GM Kyle Davidson this summer. Let’s look at each major move Davidson has made this summer and see if they’re all wins or whether there are some more question marks for the Blackhawks heading toward training camp. 

In chronological order of moves made by Davidson, here’s what the Hawks have done:

This is one of the most-questioned moves of any team this off-season. Acquiring Byram from the Sabres for the fourth-overall pick addresses Chicago’s need for a top-four blueliner right now. Still, the Blackhawks could’ve had their pick of any number of dynamic young D-men to grow with the team, and it feels like this is an unnecessary fast-tracking move by Davidson.

To get this deal done, Chicago also had to take back Greenway’s $4 million salary. That’s not a positive for Davidson here. Giving Buffalo a second-rounder as well makes this feel like an overpay for the Blackhawks. Byram will help the Hawks, but Chicago fans have long memories, and this deal could come back to haunt Davidson.

This is pretty much a salary dump by Davidson, as Burakovsky’s $5.5 million deal was not the type of money teams pay to a player who posted only 11 goals and 33 points in 75 games this past season.

For some reason, the Senators wanted to take Burakovsky off Chicago’s hands, so this is a win for Davidson and the Hawks. Burakovsky was not a part of the Blackhawks’ long-term plan, and that made him expendable.

Byram will make $6.25 million next season, but starting in the 2027-28 campaign, his salary will double, pushing him into the financial stratosphere for defensemen. The 25-year-old did post career-best totals in goals (11) and points (42) in 82 games this past season, but while there’s no question Byram is a top-four D-man, he’s going to be paid as a top-pair blueliner. And the expectations on him will ratchet up accordingly.

With the rising salary cap ceiling, Davidson’s investment in Byram could eventually look like a smart move for Chicago. But make no mistake – there is plenty of risk with Byram’s new contract.

The Blackhawks passed on an opportunity to add an elite young defenseman at the top of this year’s draft for Byram, so he’s got to perform like an elite blueliner. If he doesn’t, this deal could look like a significant error for Davidson.

This isn’t a terrible move, as Cole has been a productive NHL defenseman over the years. He’ll be 38 years old next season, but in limited minutes and in guarded situations, Cole can be a third-pair defenseman on a low-risk, low-reward contract.  

Cole can provide some experience as he works with Chicago’s younger defensemen. No harm, no foul here. 

Signing Bedard to a lucrative extension was never in doubt for Davidson & Co. So the Blackhawks now benefit from a negotiating stance that didn’t anger or frustrate their best player and the cornerstone for the next generation of the team. 

But the key detail about Bedard’s new contract is that when it expires, he will become a UFA in the summer of 2031. At that point, Bedard will be only 25 years old, so he’s going to have another opportunity, in his prime years, to cash in with at least one more massive contract extension. But despite the injury that is going to take him out of action for the first couple of months of the coming season, Bedard can now focus solely on the on-ice side of the game and put to rest the business side of the sport.

Ultimately, Davidson’s moves have opened up some roster spots for some of Chicago’s young prospects to come in and take advantage of. He’s also firmed up commitments to many of the Blackhawks’ key youngsters. And the Hawks still have $14.3 million in cap space, so Davidson has the wherewithal to go out and acquire a difference-maker. 

But as it stands, Chicago still has significant roster holes, and they’re going to be a long shot to make the Stanley Cup playoffs next season. The Blackhawks have some great pieces in place, but they’re very much a work in progress, and their 2026-27 season is almost assuredly not going to be a great one.

Davidson may have some tricks up his sleeve before training camp begins. But right now, the Hawks will require more patience as the organization attempts to evolve into a true Cup contender.

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