The Chicago Blackhawks have a few directions they can go in over the summer. They could be realistic and understand that 2025-26 is another important development year for their young pros. They could also think pushing for a playoff spot in a deep Western Conference is the way to go.
Having the perfect off-season would be Kyle Davidson continuing to look at the bigger picture, which he has been great at since taking over as the full-time General Manager.
It starts with the buyout period. Although TJ Brodie is one of the nicest men you’d ever come across in the NHL, he was the 10th-best defenseman in the organization last season. In 2025-26, he’d be even lower than that. Having him on the roster doesn’t make any sense from a hockey standpoint.
The Blackhawks must start the off-season by buying him out. It won’t clear much cap space, but there will be more room for young players to get a chance. He will also have an opportunity to go find work somewhere that won’t healthy-scratch him most of the time.
After that move, the focus will solely turn to the 2025 NHL Draft. The Blackhawks will make the 3rd and 25th overall picks. First-round selections get way more attention and hype than the rest of the draft, and rightfully so. However, Stanley Cups can be won in the later rounds.
Chicago needs to select a forward with the third overall pick. It is also likely a target throughout. Michael Misa will likely be off the board, so that leaves one of Porter Martone, James Hagens, Caleb Desnoyers, or Anton Frondell for Chicago to consider. If they keep the pick, they will be drafting a difference maker who can turn into a star. As long as they land one of those four, their perfect off-season quest doesn’t depend on one specific selection.
After the draft is over, the focus will turn to free agency. Unless the Blackhawks are landing one of Mitch Marner or Nikolaj Ehlers, they probably aren’t going to make many impactful signings that move the needle in 2025-26.
It may not even keep it from being a perfect off-season if they made a move like that. Adding a star-level player like that with lucrative money does not fit the team’s current window. If anything, they are one year away from that being a good idea.
Throughout all of this, making trades is Kyle Davidson’s best way of adding talent to the roster. On Saturday, Andre Burakovsky was acquired from the Seattle Kraken for Joe Veleno. That’s a middle-six forward coming to town to stabilize the forward group.
It isn’t about competing for the playoffs. It is about getting the young players into good habits and getting them to produce at a high level. Where they fall in the standings as a result doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things.
Not long after the season ended, the Hawks searched for a new head coach. They landed on Jeff Blashill, who has experience coaching at all levels across hockey.
By the end of next season, he could be seen as the marquee addition to the team. As long as the young players, including the players they select in the first round of the draft, have what they need to develop for the long term, the offseason will be considered a win.
To summarize, buying out TJ Brodie, making a strong selection at forward with the third overall pick, not getting themselves into a bad contract in free-agency, and a strong trade or two would make this a perfect off-season for Chicago.
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