Blackhawks 2026-27 Roster Projections 1.0: Pre-Draft & Free Agency

Here we are at the mid-way point of June, and the Carolina Hurricanes have won this year’s Stanley Cup. The NHL offseason is officially underway, with the 2026 NHL Entry Draft and the free agency period right around the corner. For the Chicago Blackhawks, they’ve been in offseason mode for a while now. As we know, they finished their 2025-26 campaign 31st in the league, with a record of 29-39-14 and 72 points. It was an improvement from last season’s totals of 25-46-11 (61 points), but the organization had more progress in mind when they embarked on this campaign.

Will the 2026-27 season finally be the year they can take that next step towards contention?! Let’s discuss some roster projections from what we currently know, pre-draft and ahead of free agency. We’ll revisit this again, in Version 2.0, after the more offseason decisions are made. Consider this a blueprint to get us started.

Blackhawks Forwards

Utilizing Puckpedia and last season’s ending line combinations as a starting point, here’s a depth chart of players who are currently signed and projected to make the roster.

Frank Nazar – Connor Bedard – Nick Lardis

Ilya Mikheyev – Anton Frondell – Tyler Bertuzzi

Ryan Donato – Ryan Greene – Andre Burakovsky

Teuvo Teravainen – Oliver Moore – Landon Slaggert

Extras: Andrew Mangiapane, Sacha Boisvert

The Mikheyev & Burakovsky Questions

First off, Sam Lafferty was an extra most of last season and only suited up for 29 games. It’s not expected that he’ll be re-signed. After that, the only other unrestricted free agent at forward is 31-year-old Mikheyev. The Blackhawks reportedly made him a contract offer, but he’s chosen to see what he can get on the open market before determining whether or not to accept it. (from ‘Where things stand between Blackhawks, Ilya Mikeheyev: Interest and pragmatism’, The AthleticCHI – 5/20/2026).

The Russian forward emerged as arguably the best penalty killer and shutdown player on the team last season, all while adding some unexpected offensive punch. If Mikheyev leaves, his contributions will be tough to replace. But it will also be an opportunity for a younger player to step in.

On the other side of the coin, veteran Burakovsky had a very disappointing campaign. So much so, he’s been the subject of consideration for a buyout. But Burakovsky’s $5.5 million cap hit could help the Blackhawks get to the cap floor next season. Plus, he only has one year left on this contract. Buying him out would spread dead cap charges over the next two seasons.

It honestly makes more sense for the Blackhawks to keep Burakovsky on and hope the 31-year-old has a bounce-back season. Yes, his could hold back another young player. But the Blackhawks still need some veteran presence in their lineup, and Burakovsky comes with two Stanley Cup championships under his belt. It will be interesting to see if/how he fits into the lineup this upcoming campaign. The buyout deadline is at 5 p.m. ET on June 30, so we will know for sure then whether Burakovsky remains a Blackhawk.  

Who Will Be the Blackhawks’ Centers?

A big storyline headed into next season is who will line up down the middle. Bedard will undoubtedly be the center on the top line, but after that things are a little unclear. Nazar was the second line center for most of the season, but when Frondell came into the fold head coach Jeff Blashill slotted him into that position for the last nine games in April. He liked what he saw. As a result, Nazar was displaced to third line center. However, Nazar played wing on the top line for the final game of the season. Will Nazar move to wing next season so his skills can be utilized farther up in the lineup?

Meanwhile, Moore had more success at center than on the wing last season, leading one to believe he might slot in down the middle moving forward. Other center options for the bottom-six include Greene and Donato.

Kantserov & Other Possible Additions

Let’s not forget the Blackhawks signed Russian prospect Roman Kantserov on May 14 to an entry-level contract, giving the organization another exciting addition among the top-six forwards. The 21-year-old played center with his KHL team (Magnitogorsk Metallurg), but it’s believed he’ll start his NHL career on the wing so he can play with higher level players. (from ‘What does Blackhawks’ Jeff Blashill see in Anton Frondell, Roman Kantserov? Q&A, Part 1’, The AthleticCHI – 6/11/2026)

Finally, the Blackhawks are expected to attempt to acquire a big name forward this offseason to help the team take that next step. The question remains whether or not they’ll be able to do so. They’re also in the market for another gritty, physical type forward. Slaggert, Mangiapane and Boisvert could fit that bill, so we’ll see how that all plays out. I personally think Boisvert will start the season with the Rockford IceHogs. Some dark horse IceHogs’ candidates to watch that could possibly make the team include Sam Savoie, Paul Ludwinski and Gavin Hayes.

Blackhawks Defensemen

Moving on to defense, here’s how the defensive pairings looked in the Blackhawks’ last game of the season against the San Jose Sharks.

Alex Vlasic – Louis Crevier

Wyatt Kaiser – Sam Rinzel

Kevin Korchinski – Ethan Del Mastro

Extras: Artyom Levshunov (fractured hand), Matt Grzelcyk

Going Young on Defense

Grzelcyk is the only pending unrestricted free agent on defense. The 32-year-old sustained a season-ending upper body injury on Mar. 22, and is not expected to be re-signed for 2026-27.

With the loss of Grzelcyk and also Connor Murphy at the trade deadline, the Blackhawks deployed a VERY young defensive corps down the stretch. It didn’t necessarily go very well. The group regressed, albeit they were able to gain some invaluable experience from essentially being thrown into the fire.

Let’s consider each individual and their overall season. Vlasic was pretty solid as the most tenured defenseman of the group once Murphy left. But he did regress a little bit from taking on heavy minutes and more responsibility. Kaiser and Crevier had breakout seasons, exceeding expectations with their all-around play. But they’ll both need to bring that and more next season as they continue to grow.

Both Levshunov and Rinzel, however, struggled this past season. Levshunov’s inconsistencies let to a “reset”, with him sitting out the last three contests in February before the Olympic break. Then he missed the last nine games of the season due to a fractured hand. Rinzel, for his part, was sent down to the IceHogs on two separate occasions in an attempt to gain more seasoning and confidence. Selected second overall (2024) and 25^th overall (2022), respectively, expectations are high for Levshunov and Rinzel. The 2026-27 campaign will be very important for both of them.

Korchinski & Del Mastro Pending Restricted Free Agents

Korchinski and Del Mastro spent the majority of the 2025-26 season playing with the IceHogs. But they both had an opportunity to show their worth at the end of the campaign. Both are also restricted free agents and would have to clear waivers to be sent down to the AHL next season.

Did either of these blueliners make a case to stay with the organization? Will the Blackhawks offer the qualifying offers in an attempt to re-sign them (deadline is 5 p.m. ET on June 29)? Will they be used as trade bait? We shall see.  

Veteran Additions & IceHogs Options

With all this youth in the fold, the Blackhawks are definitely in the market for a veteran, puck-moving defenseman (or even two) to help fortify their blue line. Presumably this would be an upgrade from Grzelcyk, since he’s not expected to be re-signed.

A physical defenseman with some size would be ideal, and likely someone with a left-handed shot, since Levshunov, Rinzel and Crevier are already in place on the right side.

Beyond Korchinski and Del Mastro, there don’t appear to be many defensive options in Rockford to help the Blackhawks next season. But a few names to keep an eye on are Taige Harding and Jake Furlong.

Blackhawks Goaltending

The Blackhawks utilized Spencer Knight and Arvid Soderblom as their goaltending tandem last season, with Knight serving as the starter and Soderblom the backup. IceHogs’ starter Drew Commesso also suited up for three games with the big club.

Knight In Charge

Knight cemented himself as the No. 1 netminder this season, boasting a .902 save percentage (SV%) and a 2.82 goals against average (GAA), despite a rather porous defense in front of him. He also played a career-high 55 games, proving he can handle a starter’s workload.

The 25-year-old signed a three-year bridge deal with the Blackhawks in Sept. 2025, with a $5.83 million annual cap hit. This contract begins at the start of the 2026-27 season. All signs point towards Knight being the No. 1 goaltender of the future for the organization.

Soderblom Versus Commesso

Soderblom didn’t have the same kind of success as Knight. He was inconsistent all season long, sometimes playing well and struggling at other times. His .880 SV% and 3.80 GAA in 26 games played reflected that. At 26 years old, many are wondering if the Swedish netminder has reached his ceiling. He’s signed with the Blackhawks through the end of next season.

Commesso, on the other hand, put up an admirable .918 SV% and a 2.31 GAA in three games with the Blackhawks. The 23-year-old’s .901 SV% and 3.08 GAA in 37 games with the IceHogs was respectable as well.

The 2020 second-round draft pick (46^th overall) has been with the organization since the 2023-24 season, and many feel it’s time for Commesso to take over as the back up behind Knight. However, Commesso will need to be re-signed; he’s currently a restricted free agent.

Final Considerations Approaching the 2026 Draft & Free Agency

The Blackhawks already have a lot of pieces in place for next season. Along with a handful of veterans, a plethora of young players will be looking to take the next step in their progression. It will be a fun training camp to watch the competition at forward, defense and goaltending to see how the lineup shakes out.  

We discussed above that the Blackhawks would love to add a big name at forward, while also adding some grit to the roster. A veteran defenseman or two are on the wish list as well. Any trades or additions could also involve some existing players moving out.

Let’s also remember the Blackhawks’ No. 4 pick in this year’s draft could come into play. If the Blackhawks were to land top forward Ivar Stenberg, he could be available to play in the NHL as soon as next season. But if the Blackhawks were to attain forward Caleb Malhotra, or one of the top defensemen in the draft, none of them would likely be a factor for their 2026-27 campaign.

Consider this a preliminary roster projection for the Blackhawks’ 2026-27 campaign, ahead of the draft and free agency. As more offseason decisions are made, we’ll revisit this blueprint and make adjustments accordingly. Hopefully we’ll have much more to discuss in Version 2.0, as we get a better idea of what the roster will look like on opening night. In the meantime, enjoy the excitement of the draft and free agency!