What I’m hearing about the Blackhawks: Trading draft picks and expiring contract rights

Posted May 28, 2026 10:56 am

By Scott Powers

Outside of the draft lottery, May has been a pretty quiet month for the Chicago Blackhawks.

There’s draft prep. They have some players at the World Championships. They have a few contracts to work through. But most of the offseason is still ahead of them. Things will start to pick up next month.

For now, here’s what I’m hearing about the Blackhawks heading into a busier June:

• An upcoming decision will determine whether Jack Pridham remains a Blackhawks prospect. If he commits to a college before the June 1 deadline, Chicago would retain his rights for two more years. If he opts not to go to college, he would re-enter the draft this year.

The Blackhawks drafted Pridham, a winger, in the third round in 2024. He was selected out of the BCHL and originally planned to attend Boston University last season. But when the NCAA began allowing CHL players to attend college, Pridham left the BCHL and joined the Kitchener Rangers in the OHL. He later de-committed from BU and opted to play a second season in the OHL. He was among the OHL’s top offensive players this season and had 46 goals and 45 assists in 65 regular-season games. He currently leads the Memorial Cup with six points and four goals. Kitchener will play in the Memorial Cup final Sunday.

The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler recently ranked Pridham as the Blackhawks’ 13th-best prospect.

• The only other prospect whose draft rights are set to expire on June 1 is forward Riku Tohila. Tohila was drafted in the seventh round in 2022 and has played in Finland’s lower divisions since being selected.

• Teuvo Teräväinen broke a finger while playing for Finland at the World Championships and recently underwent surgery to repair it. His recovery time is expected to be four to six weeks. Teräväinen was playing well in the tournament before the injury occurred. Considering he also played in the Olympics, it had been a long season for him.

• The Blackhawks aren’t as confident as a lot of draft experts that Ivar Stenberg will still be available at No. 4. They’re obviously preparing for every scenario, but they don’t expect him to be there.

• As The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun reported on Wednesday, the Blackhawks are open to trading the No. 4 pick, but I’d go even further than that. The Blackhawks are open to trading any of their picks over the next two drafts. They’re more willing than ever to listen to offers. Moving the fourth pick, though, would require a significant return. They’d want a player in his prime who can contribute to what they’re building for many years to come.

• Everyone involved in the Connor Bedard contract negotiations has been very tight-lipped. Don’t expect a ton of information coming out before the deal is announced. The new contract could be finished in June, but no one seems to be in a rush.

• Roman Kantserov’s entry-level contract is loaded with bonuses, just like a high first-round pick would get. He could get as much as $3.5 million in bonuses. He’d have to be among the league’s best players to reach all the bonuses. I’m sure plenty of you remember Artemi Panarin activating those bonuses on his entry-level contract. The Blackhawks wouldn’t have to worry about the salary-cap repercussions this time around.

• The World Championships haven’t gone as hoped for several Blackhawks players. Aside from Teräväinen’s injury, Wyatt Kaiser had a rough start to the tournament for the U.S. and hasn’t played much lately. Anton Frondell wasn’t playing early on and then had a minor injury. He’s been back in the lineup. Drew Commesso played a bit for the U.S.

Sam Lafferty and Oliver Moore have been playing the most among the Blackhawks players. For Lafferty, it has to feel good after not playing a ton for the Blackhawks this season. For Moore, this was an opportunity to play some competitive hockey again after sitting out the last month of the NHL season with an injury. He has three assists in seven games. Blackhawks prospect Adam Gajan also played some for Slovakia. That has to be a confidence builder going into his first pro season.

— Chris Johnston contributed to this report.