The Chicago Blackhawks finished the 2025-26 season with a 29-39-14 record, their fourth consecutive season in the league’s bottom four. A few weeks later, they watched the Toronto Maple Leafs and San Jose Sharks jump them in the NHL draft order, dropping the Hawks to the No. 4 pick — more salt on the wound.
The Hawks won 10 of their first 19 games, then won only 19 of the next 63. They weren’t expected to leap into contention under first-year coach Jeff Blashill but rather grow with what became the youngest team in the league. Through all the close losses — and blowouts — some of the Hawks did exactly that.
Connor Bedard completed a career-best season despite missing time because of a separated shoulder, and Louis Crevier rose to the top defensive pair. In contrast, André Burakovsky and Artyom Levshunov stumbled through forgettable seasons.
Which players need to take the next step, and which players are set to blossom? Here are the Tribune’s grades for each Hawks player in 2025-26.
Forwards
Connor Bedard: A
Bedard didn’t play 82 games like he did in his second season, but that was the only blemish. The Hawks drafted him with the No. 1 pick in 2023 to lead a culture shift, and he’s producing according to general manager Kyle Davidson’s vision.
He finished with 30 goals, 45 assists and 75 points, all career highs. He also posted his highest average ice time (20 minutes, 52 seconds), shots on goal (226) and faceoff percentage (47.1%).
Bedard, who turns 21 in July, is reaching superstardom and will have the leverage in contract extension talks. The captain’s patch is likely his reward upon the ink drying.
The center has played well with underachieving wings — the biggest problem the Hawks need to address this offseason. That answer may come via trade after the unlucky draft lottery.
We saw heightened suaveness in Bedard’s puck handling as he set up Ryan Greene and Burakovsky for piles of opportunities. He’s treating himself to shots too — his hardest shot last season clocked in at 90.74 mph, compared with 83.11 mph in 2024-25.
He also displayed the results of his skating training during the last offseason. His top speed was 22.36 mph — close behind his rookie season (22.73) and a significant improvement from his second season (21.44). He had 11 bursts of 22-plus mph after none in 2024-25.
Tyler Bertuzzi: A
A letter grade to match the patch he earned at the trade deadline. Blashill bestowed the “A” on one of his remaining veterans not only for their personal experience together — he coached Bertuzzi on the Detroit Red Wings from 2016-22 — but also for the heart he brings on the ice.
“Tyler’s earned it, big time — he’s a great voice in the locker room (and) fun to be around,” Blashill said at the time. “Most importantly, the way that he’s played in his approach, he’s been a great model for winning hockey night in and night out here.”
Bertuzzi punched in a career-high 32 goals along with 26 assists in 79 games. He was usually found near the net, either deflecting shots or scrambling for loose pucks, putting his body on the line.
It may be hard to replicate that goal scoring next season, especially with more young talent coming to the Hawks, but the effort will be there.
Ilya Mikheyev: A
In the shadow of Bedard’s contract situation lie the discussions for the remaining Hawks veterans. Mikheyev’s name appeared in rumors leading up to the trade deadline, but he remained a Hawk.
“(Mikheyev) is someone I want to keep around. I really like what he brings to the team,” Davidson said after the deadline. “If someone was going to approach us, they had to make it worth our while and compel us to act.”
Keeping the right wing, however, may have only delayed the inevitable. NHL insider Elliotte Friedman reported Monday that the Hawks made Mikheyev’s negotiating rights available for trade after the sides struggled to agree to terms on a new contract.
The 31-year-old Russian had a respectable scoring output — 18 goals, 18 assists — while establishing himself as one of the NHL’s best penalty killers. His efforts helped lift the Hawks penalty kill to one of the best units in the league for most of the season, finishing second at 83.6%.
Mikheyev can become an unrestricted free agent in July and would be a popular name on the market if he remains unsigned. Locking him in would keep a solid special teams player and veteran voice on the roster, but the Hawks shouldn’t overpay to retain him.
Ryan Greene: B-
The rookie out of Boston University had an interesting season, vaguely similar to that of Frank Nazar. He skated with Bedard on the left side for most of the season, producing opportunities with his impressive ice vision.
It’s the best part of Greene’s game, but he’s a quick learner all over the ice, specifically on defense. His active stick turned into 37 blocked shots and 21 takeaways, and he added to his fun with 50 hits.
Blashill praised Greene’s consistency with fundamentals. It’s exactly what he wants to see from the young Hawks — the development of all the winning skills, not just scoring.
Eventually, though, scoring must join the party. That’s where Greene’s season fell short.
The 22-year-old had 29 points (12 goals, 17 assists) in 81 games with 109 shots on goal. He needs to be better at finishing, but he has a chance to build on the three-game goal streak he ended the season with.
He also was one game away from playing a full season — something he wants to check off in 2026-27.
“Sucks it wasn’t 82, (but I’m) thankful that I was given the opportunity to be able to play pretty much every game,” Greene said at his exit interview.
Nick Lardis: B-
Lardis’ season was all over the place — but it wasn’t his fault.
He was the shootout hero Dec. 27 in a 4-3 win over the Dallas Stars. That’s when he started to turn heads until he was assigned to Rockford on Jan. 26, then recalled on March 7.
In 51 games with the Hawks, he spent most of his time on the fourth line. That changed after a while as he floated all across the lineups. He had 15 points (10 goals, five assists) on 57 shots on goal, showing spurts of his Brantford Bulldogs days in the Ontario Hockey League.
Lardis, 20, performed the best he could amid a wild transition from Rockford to Chicago. Some roster stability would be a welcome sight for the 2023 third-round draft pick.
Landon Slaggert: C+
Slaggert, 23, spent last season flipping back and forth from Rockford to the Hawks. He skated on the fourth line for most of his 53 NHL games and didn’t stand out on the stat sheet with seven points (three goals, four assists).
He was a physical force in the bottom six, laying 79 hits while being active in scrums and giving effort every night.
The Hawks have plenty of forward-related queries this offseason. Where will recently signed Roman Kantserov, a 2023 second-round draft pick, slot in? Will the Hawks draft Caleb Malhorta or another forward at No. 4? Will they make a free-agency splash? Will Mikheyev re-sign?
At the end of all of those questions lies a consistent predicament — Slaggert may be one of the odd men out. It would be a tough decision given his passion but might be necessary to open space for newcomers.
Oliver Moore: C
Moore was seen recently doing offseason work with Bedard. If the Hawks’ star center is looking to become an even faster skater, then Moore is a good person to learn from.
The University of Minnesota alumnus zoomed through the neutral zone past opposing defenseman in his 51 NHL games. His max skating speed was 23 mph, and he had 131 bursts of 20-22 mph — well past the average of 71.4 such bursts for NHL forwards in 2025-26.
But Moore can be too speedy for his own good. His acceleration drove him into set defenses, causing giveaways and opposing scoring chances. It will take some time to put the speed and poise together, and it might help Moore to play on the wing for more opportunities to send centering passes back to his linemates on breakaways.
Moore, 21, missed the last five weeks of the season with a lower-body injury suffered March 8 in Dallas. He’s playing for the United States in the IIHF World Championship, his first action since then.
Frank Nazar: C
Nazar signed a contract extension last offseason, and greater expectations were tied to that. There were flashes, but the 21-year-old center needs to show more consistency in 2026-27.
Despite the sporadic flips between putting on offensive clinics and going silent, Nazar posted career bests of 15 goals, 26 assists and 41 points in 66 games. He scored the first goal of the NHL season Oct. 7 in Florida and had 11 points in the first 11 games. But after sounding the horn Oct. 28 versus the Ottawa Senators, he didn’t do so again until Dec. 18.
Nazar then missed a month because of a broken jaw. From March 3-17, he had 10 points in seven games, then proceeded to go pointless in the final four games.
Nazar’s confidence remained despite the fluctuating production. He sent 138 shots on goal while positioning his teammates for scoring chances. Blashill praised his play, as Nazar did almost everything but put the puck into the net.
He averaged 18 minutes,19 seconds of ice time and spent a large portion of the season centering the second line, which should remain his lineup placement next season. Finishing should be Nazar’s emphasis of improvement — that would help take pressure off Bedard.
Ryan Donato: C-
Donato was bound for a setback from his career season in 2024-25, when he had 62 points (31 goals, 31 assists) as one of the few highlights of a forgettable year for the Hawks.
His point total in 2025-26 was less than half of that (30 points, 15 goals, 15 assists), and he took 60 fewer shots on goal. Blashill experimented with his lines, and Donato was one of the players most affected as he shifted across the bottom six.
His voice will be extra prominent in 2026-27, when Kantserov and other young players arrive. Donato is expected to be back after signing a four-year, $16 million contract extension in June 2025, but the same can’t be said for some of his veteran teammates.
Mikheyev, Burakovsky, Teuvo Teräväinen, Sam Lafferty and Matthew Grzelcyk aren’t certain to return. There’s a chance Donato will be one of two players over 30 on the roster in 2026-27, along with Bertuzzi.
Teuvo Teräväinen: D
A bronze medal in the Olympics isn’t something to brush over — despite what could’ve been. Teräväinen, 31, was inches from blocking the airborne puck that Connor McDavid passed to Nathan MacKinnon for the winning goal that sent Canada past Finland and into the gold-medal game.
When he returned to the United States, Teräväinen and his Finnish teammates got stuck in New York because of a blizzard before rejoining their NHL teams. It was a hectic return but a chance for the forward to regain his footing after a lackluster start before the Olympic break.
Frankly, he’s still looking for stability.
Teräväinen finished with 35 points (14 goals, 21 assists) in 75 games, a far cry from his 58-point campaign in 2024-25. There was an obvious lapse in confidence — he sent only 89 shots on goal compared with 111 the season before and 142 in 2023-24 with the Carolina Hurricanes.
He joined Finland again for the IIHF World Championship and a chance to regain his swagger. But his tournament ended as soon as it started because of an undisclosed injury suffered in a 3-1 win over Germany on Friday.
Now he enters an offseason full of questions regarding his Hawks future.
André Burakovsky: F
The Hawks traded for Burakovsky, 30, in hopes that the two-time Stanley Cup champion would be a dependable wing for Bedard.
He was not, and the Hawks now enter a fourth offseason searching for the answer to the same question regarding the top line.
Things started all right for Burakovsky. In his first 38 games, he had 29 points (10 goals, 19 assists), including eight shots on goal over the first five games. Then … silence.
Four points (one goal, three assists) were all he could muster in his next 37 games, a mark that was lower than his penalty minutes (six) in that span — and add in 28 giveaways.
“Can’t get much worse in my head than it’s been, but you’ve got to stay positive,” Burakovsky said in April. “We all have to pay the price and dig in to help the team. (It’s) bigger than the individual, so (it’s about doing) whatever you can to help.”
Blashill kept the veteran on the top line until Anton Frondell’s arrival March 24. Burakovsky skated mostly on the bottom six to close the season.
“It hasn’t been easy. It hasn’t gone the way I want to,” Burakovsky said. “I disappointed a lot of fans and people that I didn’t do more than I have. I’m disappointed in myself and you don’t want to be in this situation.”
Amid contract talks with Bedard, the Hawks might want to add salary-cap space — they already have the most in the NHL — to bring in help via the trade market. Buying out Burakovsky’s contract would be a step toward doing that.
He’s determined to flip the script in 2026-27, but it’s up in the air whether that redemption arc would be in a Hawks sweater.
Sam Lafferty: N/A
Lafferty, 30, didn’t play much in his second Hawks tenure after being acquired from the Buffalo Sabres last season. He averaged just 8:36 of ice time across 29 games, scoring two points.
Blashill praised him as a helpful presence in the locker room for the young Hawks, but his on-ice play was nothing to note in the limited time he received.
It’s unlikely he remains a Hawk next season, as he’ll be an unrestricted free agent this summer.
Other forwards
- Anton Frondell impressed upon arrival with nine points (three goals, six assists) in his first 12 games. His NHL career is just getting started, but fans should be excited by what he showed in the Swedish Hockey League and with the Hawks.
- Andrew Mangiapane was acquired from the Edmonton Oilers in the Jason Dickinson trade. He had two points in 10 games with the Hawks.
- Sacha Boisvert has a chance to be the Hawks’ future enforcer. He got his first career goal and assist in his first seven NHL games.
- Dominic Toninato was recalled from and assigned to Rockford multiple times in 2025-26. The 32-year-old had one assist in eight games with the Hawks and 43 points (16 goals, 27 assists) in 52 games with the IceHogs.
Defensemen
Louis Crevier: B+
Crevier, 25, towers over most people with his 6-foot-8, 228-pound frame. Last season saw the 2020 seventh-round pick mesh that stature with his play.
Crevier’s overall improvement earned him top-pair time with Alex Vlasic. He had 25 points (seven goals, 18 assists), launched 114 shots on goal, blocked 95 shots and dealt 124 hits.
He wasn’t scared to drill an opposing skater, nor did he shy from shooting the puck. His hardest shot was 102.83 mph, fourth in the NHL.
Crevier is entering the last season of a two-year, $1.8 million contract extension. If he heightens his game further, he’ll be seeing more dollar signs in his next extension talks.
Matt Grzelcyk: B
A dependable veteran defenseman is an asset every team can use. Grzelcyk, 32, wasn’t talked about much last season, but that’s because he didn’t do much wrong.
He had 12 assists and 54 blocked shots in 69 games before suffering an upper-body injury March 22 against the Nashville Predators and missing the remainder of the season.
He’s set to be an unrestricted free agent in the summer, and there haven’t been any rumblings about a contract extension. We may have seen Grzelcyk play his last game with the Hawks.
Wyatt Kaiser: B-
Kaiser signed a two-year, $3.4 million extension the night before reporting for training camp. A couple more seasons like the last one might keep him in a Hawks sweater for the near future.
In 77 games, he averaged 19:37 of ice time, had 17 points (six goals, 11 assists), blocked 69 shots and dealt 45 hits. The numbers aside from the points were a little lower than in 2024-25 despite 20 more games played, but he also was adjusting to the trades of several veterans and lineup changes overall.
Kaiser, 23, likely will keep his position in the second pair next season.
Alex Vlasic: C+
The Wilmette native is only 24 but already has the veteran tag. He’s now the longest-tenured Hawk going into his fifth full season.
He’s a vocal guy, which has helped him ease into a new leadership role. He spent the season in the top pair and wants to set an example with his play, along with his actions off the ice.
“I am pretty loud, but in terms of my leadership style, I wouldn’t say I’m overly talkative,” Vlasic said. “I want to be somebody who, when I speak up and I talk, it means that I’m genuinely trying to convey a message to the group of guys.”
He’ll have a chance to do that in 2026-27. It also will be an opportunity to redeem the slight step back Vlasic took last season.
He had 21 points (two goals, 19 assists) in 81 games, averaging 21:08 of ice time with 86 shots on goal, 119 blocked shots, 29 hits and 28 takeaways. All of those numbers dipped from 2024-25: 30 points (four goals, 26 assists) in 82 games, 23:16 average ice time, 103 shots on goal, 157 blocked shots, 59 hits and 53 takeaways.
Vlasic will continue to man the left side of the top pair next season and beyond, as he’s entering the third year of his six-year, $27.6 million contract extension.
Ethan Del Mastro: C-
Originally called up to help soften the blow of the Connor Murphy trade, Del Mastro, 23, tried to hold his own in the third pair. He had only one point in 19 games, but he put in the effort to justify Blashill’s initial trust in him with 22 blocked shots and 19 hits.
He’s expected to re-sign with the Hawks this offseason as his entry-level contract expires.
Sam Rinzel: C-
Rinzel, 21, began the season with hype after totaling five assists, five blocked shots and 12 hits in nine games in 2024-25. Reality would strike when he was sent to Rockford in December.
He skated with Kaiser in the second pair upon his return to the Hawks, and the two developed some chemistry and Rinzel some comfort. He finished with 14 points (four goals, 10 assists), 63 blocked shots and 13 takeaways in 54 games, averaging 18:16 of ice time.
Some added strength and confidence could make Rinzel a key blue-liner for the Hawks.
Kevin Korchinski: D+
Time is ticking for Korchinski, 21, to show he can be an NHL-caliber defenseman. Blashill didn’t seem to have much trust in him last season, calling up Del Mastro weeks before Davidson’s first draft pick.
Strength is Korchinski’s largest issue — he would get consistently bullied on breakaways. He had a pair of games late last season that were among his best, but inconsistency remains.
He had two assists in 13 games for the Hawks with an average ice time of 13:38 and 26 points (two goals, 24 assists) in 53 games with the IceHogs. He’s no longer waiver-exempt in 2026-27, so the pressure will be on when he signs a likely extension with the Hawks.
Artyom Levshunov: F
It’s harsh to make conclusions after a defenseman’s first full NHL season. When Davidson selected Levshunov with the No. 2 pick in the 2024 draft, it always was going to be a project. The general manager praised Levshunov as the total package after that draft.
“Offensively he can drive offense, he can skate, he’s super mobile, he’s got good size, he’s aggressive, he’s a physical defender and we just think there’s more upside to come,” Davidson gushed at the time.
It’s rare for rookie defensemen to excel to the extent that Matthew Schaefer did for the New York Islanders. But there is a right to be concerned about Levshunov after an ugly 2025-26.
While his 22 assists ranked seventh among rookies, his minus-41 rating was the second-worst in the NHL, better than only Vancouver Canucks right wing Brock Boeser. Levshunov was sloppy with the puck, with many of his turnovers leading to opponent chances.
Levshunov, 20, struggled with whether he wanted to prioritize offense or defense in his style of play. He still is looking for that answer, despite Blashill giving him a few games off to attend a “camp” to polish his skills.
He showed spurts of the confidence and quick decision-making he displayed at Michigan State. But one highlight was often followed by two or three mistakes.
As with any young defenseman, it will take time to fully find his game. But Levshunov needs a big step to get on track in his development.
Goaltenders
Spencer Knight: B+
Davidson has yet to make a groundbreaking acquisition in the trade market, but so far the deal for Knight is looking like his best.
Knight faced an avalanche of shots last season — 1,583, the fourth-most in the NHL — and handled the flurry without a change in his calm demeanor. He’s a quiet figure in the locker room, but that didn’t stop him from making noise in the crease.
He had a 19-25-11 record, 1,428 saves — also fourth in the NHL — a 2.82 goals-against-average, a .902 save percentage and three shutouts. He bailed out the struggling Hawks offense plenty of times and was the primary reason his team had so many close games.
Knight will enter the first season of a three-year, $17.5 million contract extension in 2026-27. He’s only 25, so expect him to be the ace in the net for the Hawks for a long time.
Arvid Söderblom: D+
The numbers don’t look great for Söderblom, but there were times when the Hawks left him out to dry. He saw 30-plus shots on goal in 12 games, including six with 40 shots or more.
Söderblom, 26, still has work to do, which he’s pursuing while playing for Sweden in the IIHF World Championship. Rebounding was a recurring problem, leading to chaotic scrums in front of the net.
He had a 8-13-3 record, a 3.80 GAA, an .880 save percentage and his first career shutout. Allowing almost four goals per start isn’t a winning recipe, especially with a Hawks offense that scored just 2.56 goals per game — 31st in the NHL, ahead of only the Calgary Flames ( 2.54).
His two-year, $5.5 million contract extension expires after the 2026-27 season, when his Hawks future will be discussed. Regardless of Söderblom’s play next season, the backup spot behind Knight seems to have Drew Commesso’s name on it.
