Top 10 Blackhawks Storylines Heading Into 2026-27

The Chicago Blackhawks had a big offseason. It is probably bigger than they even thought once the 2025-26 season ended. Trades were made, depth signings made the team look better, and a franchise legend decided to come back.

Now, with the Prospect Showcase, Training Camp, and Preseason in the rearview mirror, it is time for them to begin the 2026-27 season, which will begin the era of the 84-game Odyssey. For Chicago, it’s another year that they hope to get closer to being a consistent playoff contender.

Coming into the new year, these are the 10 most intriguing Blackhawks storylines:

How long will Connor Bedard remain out?

The Chicago Blackhawks named Connor Bedard captain right before training camp, but he's had this shoulder injury lingering since the beginning of the off-season. 

The initial report was that he'd miss 4 months, which put him on track to return in November. Since then, he's been skating on his own and slowly increasing the work that he's putting in on his puck skills, including shooting. 

As of now, it appears as if he will return sooner than expected, but there is still no definitive word on that. Jeff Blashill said he will fly with the team on their three-game road trip, but he has not been cleared to practice with his teammates. 

The expectation is that he won't be cleared to practice while on the trip, so that will wait until the team returns home. The important thing is that when he does come back, he gets back to the top of his game. 

How will Patrick Kane impact the Blackhawks upon his return?

Patrick Kane has already made a positive impact on the locker room, but they need him to perform well on the ice. As important as it is for him to be back for off-ice reasons, they signed him to help young players develop. 

Kane is not going to be a 90-100 point player in all likelihood, but he has the tools and brain needed to be a good leader on the team. There will also still be a fair amount of production offensively, but everyone is waiting to see just how many goals and assists he can tally. 

What will Bowen Byram’s first season with the Chicago Blackhawks look like?

Bowen Byram had a preseason hat trick and has looked great in both games that he's played. He's also been a noticeable player in every practice that he's been a part of with the Blackhawks. 

There is a lot of talent there, and he now has an opportunity to be a number-one defenseman without hiding in someone else's shadow. During the 2026-27 season, we will see what that looks like. 

Can Anton Frondell and Roman Kantserov stay in the Calder Trophy race all year long? 

Rookies around the league like Gavin McKenna, Porter Martone, and Ivar Stenberg are the favorites to win the Calder Trophy, but the Blackhawks have two players who are dark horse candidates. 

Both Anton Frondell and Roman Kantserov have their name in the hat. They would need to get off to a hot start if they were to remain in the mix for the entire year. 

How many goals will Nick Lardis score? 

Nick Lardis scored 71 goals in 65 games to close out his OHL career with the Brantford Bulldogs. That put him on Chicago's radar as a player who could make it to the NHL sooner than expected. 

He started his pro career with 18 goals in 35 AHL games and 10 goals in 41 NHL games. Being on a 20-goal pace as a rookie is impressive, and it makes you wonder what his sophomore season could look like. 

Can Lardis get to that 20-goal mark? Can he take it a step closer and flirt with 30? Will there be the dreaded sophomore slump? All of these are questions worth asking about him as the season gets going. 

Of Artyom Levshunov, Sam Rinzel, and Kevin Korchinski, who will play the best at the NHL level? 

Kevin Korchinski was the best of the three during the preseason. Even Ethan Del Mastro has been solid, so the Blackhawks are going to carry eight defensemen. 

Bowen Bryam is going to be the top power-play guy. With Alex Vlasic as the top penalty-killing defenseman, he likely won't see much power-play time, so one of these 3 would have to step up and quarterback that second unit. 

Of these 3 blue-liners, in all situations, who is going to play the best throughout the year? It's a serious wonder heading into 2026-27.  

Will Arvid Soderblom, not Drew Commesso, back up Spencer Knight for the entire season? 

Some thought that Drew Commesso would battle with Arvid Soderblom for the backup goaltending role. That was not the case, however. Commesso didn't practice with the NHL group and didn't start a preseason game. Meanwhile, Soderblom applied some of his new techniques and was excellent throughout camp and the exhibition season. 

For now, Soderblom is the backup. How many games will he play, and will he remain the backup for the entire season? That will depend on his health and performance. 

How will Tyler Bertuzzi follow up his great 2025-26 season?

In his age-30 season, Tyler Bertuzzi scored a career-high 32 goals. He was magnificent at finding the back of the net when the puck found his stick within three feet of the net mouth. 

Now, at 31, how will he follow that up? He seems to play extremely well under head coach Jeff Blashill, so that could work out in his favor.

With some of the additions that the team has made, he may see less time on the top line, but he will be in a top-9 role with good linemates at even strength all year long. He will also be the net-front guy on the top power-play unit, so there are more goals for him to score. 

Can young all-purpose players like Frank Nazar and Oliver Moore have breakout years? 

Frank Nazar and Oliver Moore are both incredibly fast forwards who can play center and wing. They are both very versatile in that sense, but also in the sense of being able to play well at even strength and on the power play, 

Both of them have shown flashes of being brilliant offensively, but they also have inconsistencies in that part of their game throughout the early stages of their careers. Can one or both of them break out this year? They will each be given the opportunity to do so on very good lines. 

Can the Blackhawks find a way to remain competitive all season long? 

The Blackhawks got off to a hot start last season, but fell off once Connor Bedard went down in early December. Can they find early-season success again and then sustain it? That is something that will be a talking point, as the group wants to be playing meaningful games in March, by their own admission. 

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