Projecting the 2026-27 Blackhawks roster — with and without injured Connor Bedard
Any optimism that hung with the many unknowns of this coming Chicago Blackhawks season always felt contingent on their connection to the team’s known — Connor Bedard.
If Roman Kantserov were to arrive from Russia and hit the ground running in the NHL, it would be with Bedard as his linemate. If Bowen Byram were to prove himself as a No. 1 defenseman, it would be while piling up points on the power play and everywhere else with Bedard as his main target. If the Blackhawks were going to take the next step in their rebuild despite being so young and inexperienced, it would be with Bedard leading the way.
While all that can still be true, the timeline certainly was affected Wednesday when the Blackhawks announced Bedard had surgery on his left shoulder and would miss about four months, putting him on a trajectory for an early-November return. That could equate to about 15 missed games.
The Blackhawks obviously would prefer to have Bedard regardless of the time of year, but his absence coming at the start of the campaign especially complicates matters for a team that could use a strong start to gain confidence and build momentum. What might a horrid start to do the team’s season?
Without Bedard, the Blackhawks will bank on plenty of their other young talented players to prove themselves in the NHL. What might the Blackhawks’ lineup look like without him? How about when he returns? Here are our projections:
Forwards without Bedard
Tyler Bertuzzi — Frank Nazar — Roman Kantserov
Ryan Donato — Anton Frondell — Nick Lardis
Andrew Mangiapane — Oliver Moore — Teuvo Teräväinen
Jordan Greenway — Ryan Greene — Cole Smith
Extra: Landon Slaggert
Bedard’s absence creates several questions, starting with the hole at No. 1 center. As the No. 3 pick in the 2025 draft, Anton Frondell has the higher ceiling, but Frank Nazar has 122 games of NHL experience, so he’s the smarter choice for those perilous first five or six weeks. Nazar has been inconsistent as a point producer, but he’ll be counted on to be at his best early on. He’s fared well with Tyler Bertuzzi the last couple of years, and Bertuzzi’s grit around the net and Kantserov’s skill will put the third-year pro in the best position to succeed.
Blackhawks coach Jeff Blashill made it pretty clear last season that he doesn’t see Ryan Donato as a top-six player, but he’ll have little choice without Bedard. Donato is a plug-and-play forward, able to produce at a decent level in the top six and able to defend at a decent level in the bottom six. His veteran savvy and work ethic will benefit Frondell early on, and Nick Lardis was starting to break out as a sniper late last season.
The real intrigue here is if the Blackhawks go out and find a top-six winger, either through free agency or via trade. They have plenty of cap space and plenty of draft capital (three first-rounders next year) to make an acquisition either way. And wouldn’t you know it, Patrick Kane is still an unrestricted free agent, with Chicago and the Buffalo Sabres possibly in the market. Could a homecoming (either way) be in the offing? At the very least, Kane would ease the Bedard blow in terms of ticket sales.
Beyond that, Blashill liked Oliver Moore at center last season, so he’s an obvious fit at 3C. Andrew Mangiapane can provide a little scoring punch in Bedard’s absence — at least, he’d better — and the Blackhawks can only hope Teuvo Teräväinen bounces back from a trying season. Ryan Greene is the only other center available, so he drops to the fourth line with veteran wingers Jordan Greenway (who brings size and toughness) and Cole Smith (who brings speed and defensive acumen). As the only real defense-minded trio in this lineup, they figure to get plenty of D-zone starts and perhaps more minutes than a typical fourth line gets.
Forwards with Bedard
Nick Lardis — Connor Bedard — Roman Kantserov
Tyler Bertuzzi — Anton Frondell — Oliver Moore
Teuvo Teräväinen — Frank Nazar — Ryan Donato
Jordan Greenway — Ryan Greene — Cole Smith
Extra: Landon Slaggert and Andrew Mangiapane
Somehow, the Blackhawks have too many forwards, yet not enough forwards. The only real question mark in the top six when Bedard returns is who’ll be right wing on the second line with Bertuzzi and Frondell. That mystery unrestricted free-agent winger could be a possibility, but among the players currently on the roster, Moore is the most exciting option — short of moving Nazar to the wing. The top trio of Lardis, Bedard and Kantserov seems a pretty safe bet. Can an NHL team succeed with a top line that runs 5 feet 11, 5-10 and 5-9 and doesn’t play a very physical game? Only one way to find out.
The bottom six snaps into place better with Bedard back in the lineup, as Teräväinen and Donato have enough offensive acumen to allow Nazar to drive a third scoring line rather than the checking line Jason Dickinson anchored in recent seasons. It’d be easy enough to swap Nazar and Moore here, too, if Blashill doesn’t like what he sees.
The odd man out with Bedard’s return could be Mangiapane, essentially a throw-in from the Dickinson trade with Edmonton. The Blackhawks envision Greenway and Smith playing important defensive roles, and with Bedard back and the rest of the lineup clicking back into place, Mangiapane’s potential depth scoring becomes more expendable.
Defensemen
Bowen Byram — Sam Rinzel
Alex Vlasic — Ian Cole
Wyatt Kaiser — Artyom Levshunov
Extra: Kevin Korchinski
Byram will be the Blackhawks’ No. 1 defenseman next season. That is definitive. The Blackhawks made it certain with what they paid in the trade to acquire him (the No. 4 pick, a second-rounder and Louis Crevier) and in his contract extension (six years at a $12.5 million cap hit). Whom Byram plays with and how the rest of the defense is assembled is much less clear.
Sam Rinzel and Artyom Levshunov could be fighting it out in training camp to play alongside Byram. While Byram immediately jumped both on the depth chart, especially on the power play, Rinzel and Levshunov are still seen as high-end defensemen and major pieces of the Blackhawks’ future. What the Blackhawks need most out of them is consistency, especially in the defensive zone. Whoever can show that first could be slotted beside Byram on the top pairing.
The Blackhawks will carry more left-handed defensemen than right-handed ones next season. A number of the defensemen have experience playing both sides, but it likely makes the most sense to put Cole, the most veteran of the group, on his off side. Cole and Alex Vlasic could quickly become the Blackhawks’ shutdown pair. The Blackhawks also could opt to separate Cole and Vlasic because they’re two of the team’s most reliable defensemen.
Wyatt Kaiser is sort of the wild card of the group. He was arguably the Blackhawks’ most dependable defenseman late last season, and his play was often mentioned by Blashill. If he can find that level again, he could secure a higher spot. Kaiser might also be the Blackhawks’ best two-way defenseman. Could he play his off side and fit with Byram? It’ll be interesting to see what works and what doesn’t.
Goaltenders
Spencer Knight
Arvid Söderblom
Spencer Knight got his first real taste of being a No. 1 NHL goalie last season and had the sixth-best goals saved above expected in the league at 33.47, per Evolving Hockey. With the NHL schedule returning to normal without the Olympics, though with 84 games, it should allow Knight to play even more this season.
Söderblom is expected to enter the season as Knight’s backup again. His performance likely will determine whether he remains in that position. Söderblom should play less often this season, but expectations will be higher; he needs to be more consistent than he was last season. With Drew Commesso entering his fourth season in Rockford, he’ll be waiting for any opportunity to play in the NHL this season and prove he can be Knight’s backup. This is also the final season of Söderblom’s contract, while Commesso was just signed to a two-year deal.
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