How we would fix the Chicago Blackhawks

Nov 14, 2026, 09:00 EST

Credit: Oct 13, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Blackhawks center Connor Bedard (98) during warmups before the game against the Pittsburgh Penguins b at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images

We had modest expectations at best for the 2026-27 Chicago Blackhawks. A look back at our predictions poll reveals none of us had them making the playoffs. But they did get some votes for fifth-, sixth- and seventh-place finishes in the Central Division. We at least expected progression. Instead, it’s been a season of regression. Despite having a comically loaded prospect pool and a strong crop of young NHL talent, the Hawks are a pitiful 31st in the overall league standings.

It’s a mess for GM Kyle Davidson, who told reporters Wednesday he’s “looking to improve the playing roster,” implying he isn’t seeking futures.

Let’s pretend the repair job is ours to tackle, Roundtable. How would you fix the Blackhawks?

MATT LARKIN: I know the Bowen Byram trade already looks like a disaster but, oddly enough, I understood the philosophy behind it. It was the law of diminishing returns with all the prospects – you can only put so many in your lineup – and the Hawks needed someone to help them win the in present. While I’d clutch tightly to their 2027 first-round pick in hopes it gets them Landon DuPont, I’d be willing to part with other picks – they have eight in Rounds 1-2 this year – or some other good prospects in hopes of landing a prime-year forward who can help accelerate their timeline. The Hawks could further augment their roster next offseason with their gargantuan amount of 2027-28 cap space.

PAUL PIDUTTI: While no one wants to hear it in Chicago, I think the key is… more patience. Yes, their prospects are developing slower than they’d like. But having done a lot of work on past rebuilds, it’s typically about eight-and-a-half years to go from missing the playoffs twice to making the playoffs twice. Stan Bowman wasted a half-decade chasing the postseason after their last Stanley Cup in 2015, meaning this particular teardown is less than five years old under Davidson. By going full scorched Earth, the process will take longer than most. To accelerate things in the meantime, moving on from a shiny prospect or two whose ceilings are in question internally could attract some short-term help or be swapped for other ‘change of scenery’ prospects to keep the temperature down. While the front office can tweak on the edges, this type of rebuild requires four or five prospects to become high-impact NHL players to support Connor Bedard. Waiting sucks, but more patience is required.

ANTHONY TRUDEAU: Davidson’s idea of insulating his daycare’s worth of kids from some of the harsher realities of NHL hockey has been to round out his lineup with veterans other teams were desperate to be rid of, all because it worked that one time when Ilya Mikheyev and Jason Dickinson weren’t dreadful. I’d suggest whoever replaces Davidson, and he really ought to be replaced, focus on recruiting NHL players who aren’t actively playing their way out of the show and/or 37 years old. Throwing prospects to the wolves just because you have nowhere else to put them hasn’t worked, and the effect that strategy has had on the development of Kevin Korchinski, Artyom Leshunov, and even Connor Bedard has been difficult to ignore. Adding a Noah Cates here and a Jonathan Aspirot there could at least stem the tide and give Bedard, Anton Frondell, and Co. a bit more room to operate. The Blackhawks, who have more promising young players than roster spots, aren’t hurting for trade ammo, though you wonder just how a team this hopeless is spending nearly to the salary cap.

SCOTT MAXWELL: I’m going a similar route as Anthony here, but my larger focus will be replacing Kyle Davidson. One key aspect of a rebuild that often goes overlooked is finding the right depth pieces to surround the young talent. It’s why the Toronto Maple Leafs became playoff contenders so quickly after drafting Auston Matthews, and it’s why the Detroit Red Wings and Buffalo Sabres (until last season) couldn’t make the playoffs for so long. And Davidson has proven that he doesn’t really know how to do that. You know who is good at that? Eric Tulsky, whom the Blackhawks also interviewed for the job before hiring Davidson. Yikes. Regardless, it’s clear they need a new person at the helm to create a more coherent team vision and better evaluate NHL talent, because Davidson just doesn’t feel like the right guy for the job at this point.

MIKE GOULD: Brevity is the soul of wit, so I’ll just keep it short and say the Blackhawks need to clean house, trade their underperforming veterans, and do everything humanly possible to position themselves to draft Landon DuPont. Even if they get him, I don’t really see a path for them to contend in any meaningful way around Connor Bedard at any point in the near future, but it’s all they can really do at this point. I wouldn’t want to take over from Kyle Davidson, that’s for sure.

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