The Chicago Blackhawks are set to enter the upcoming season with a marginally improved roster compared to the one that finished with the league’s second-worst record in the 2024-25 campaign. General manager Kyle Davidson wants to see how the youth on the team can compete in year three of Connor Bedard’s career.
Shayna Goldman of The Athletic understands that the Blackhawks aren’t in a position to land an elite free agent, but thinks Davidson’s decision not to add enough talent in free agency this offseason could hinder the development of the young core, including Bedard.
The Chicago Blackhawks are taking a risk
“There is a difference between accelerating the process and rushing it, and that would have fallen into the latter category,” Goldman wrote of the Blackhawks not going after a top free agent like Mitch Marner. “Taking the slow and patient approach isn’t perfect, either. Sometimes teams don’t build the right support system to ease their young guns into a lineup.”
Goldman thinks Davidson is taking a risk by putting too much on his young core for the upcoming season.
Connor Bedard’s development is at stake
“It can put too much pressure on franchise cornerstones to jump into meaningful roles, which can derail their development. While the Blackhawks already have some veterans on the roster, including Jason Dickinson, Nick Foligno, and Connor Murphy, management must ensure that these players can provide sufficient support to their emerging core.
“That starts at the top with Connor Bedard — who still looks to be on the Jack Eichel and Clayton Keller path, but could always slip to the tier below if Chicago doesn’t play this right — and trickles down to the likes of Frank Nazar, Alex Vlasic and Sam Rinzel. Rebuilding can be a painful process, so taking this quiet of an offseason approach is somewhat risky.”
The good news for the Blackhawks: The young core led Chicago to wins in four of its last six games of last season. If the young core is ready to play at that level consistently, then teams in the future will be better for it.
However, that’s a big if.
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