Blackhawks Q&A: NHL Draft Fever, Bedard’s Next Contract & More

It’s time for our first Blackhawks Q&A of the offseason! Of course, many of the questions sent in were about the upcoming draft. We’ll also cover other topics like contract extensions, the opening night roster, and a cool jersey idea. A big thank you to all of you who submitted questions. We will do another Q&A after free agency, when we will have a lot to talk about.

NHL Draft on the Brain

As expected, there were multiple questions on the upcoming draft, especially about the Blackhawks making trades on draft night.

Trades are on the table, and we’ll likely see some movement. Draft night is when Kyle Davidson cooks. He set the bar by acquiring three first-round picks at his first draft in 2022. He moved up in the first round last year and made another trade to move back into it for a third pick. He even tried to acquire the fourth overall pick in 2024 to draft Ivan Demidov. The most likely scenario is using extra picks to move up from 25 in the first round, not trying to move up from No. 3.

I’m not the biggest fan of moving up from the third pick, even though Michael Misa would be a fantastic addition. First, I’m not sold on whether the New York Islanders or San Jose Sharks are willing to trade. If they are, the cost may be too pricey. If the third pick, either the 25^th or next year’s pick from the Panthers, along with a second-round pick in the next two drafts, is enough to make the deal, then pull the trigger. I will not trade a young player like Kevin Korchinski to move up one spot. But I’m not the general manager. I have no problem with Davidson being aggressive. I want that out of my general manager. If he believes Misa is the player to put the Blackhawks over the top and is willing to do what it takes to get him, I will have no problem with that.

If there is a player to try to move up and get, it would be Jack Nesbitt. There is a chance he could be there at 25, but he might go as early as 20. He’s a big winger at 6-foot-4, who is fearless on the ice. He is an old-school power forward with the hockey IQ to excel in today’s game. The Blackhawks should be familiar with his game as he’s a teammate of A.J. Spellacy on the Windsor Spitfires. Moving up three or four spots at the bottom of the first round would be far less costly than trying to get to the top of the round. Davidson would have another killer first round if he added Nesbitt to whoever he grabbed at three.

Regardless of need, the third overall pick should be used on the best available player. The two best players likely on the board are James Hagens and Anton Frondell. Hagens has better offensive upside, but Frondell is the better all-around player. Hagens has a higher ceiling, but Frondell has a higher floor. That’s why the Blackhawks will go with Frondell.

Frondell and Hagens are both centers, but the Swedish-born forward has a size advantage. He plays a complete 200-foot game, with elite speed and awareness. He’s not afraid to engage in one-on-one battles along the boards and in front of the net, and he wins more of those battles than he loses. He gets in on the forecheck and constantly hounds the puck, creating turnovers. For what it’s worth, Byron Bader at Hockey Prospecting ranks Frondell with the highest probability of the entire 2025 draft class to become an NHL star.

Connor Bedard, Opening Night Roster & More

Now that the draft talk is over, we can focus on some other big storylines heading into the offseason and a few fun questions.

I’m not 100% sure Connor Bedard is getting an extension this summer. There’s little doubt that the Blackhawks want to get a new deal done, but Bedard’s agent probably feels different. They are probably looking for a deal like Auston Matthews got for his second contract, five years, $58.2 million. The truth is that Bedard hasn’t earned that kind of contract yet, and a breakout third season helps him get there. Of course, if he doesn’t get an extension this summer, all the nonsense of him not wanting to be here will continue.

A good trio of questions. First, I think the tax advantage narrative is entirely overblown. Nobody was talking about state tax when the Blackhawks and Los Angeles Kings won four straight Stanley Cups while playing in two of the highest-taxed states in the country. Yes, these teams have an advantage at the negotiation table, but they must still sign the right guys. You still must have the guts to trade for Mikko Rantanen. You must have a pro scouting staff to find gems like Sam Bennett, Mikko Nikola, and Gustav Forsling. You must be willing to risk your future to trade for Jack Eichel. Saying these teams are only winning because of no state income tax is a disservice to those excellent front offices. The Nashville Predators tried to use their advantage this past summer but failed because they paid the wrong guys. The easiest way to fix this “problem” is to eliminate the salary cap.

The Blackhawks want Ryan Donato to return, and he wants to stay here. It sounds like they are close, and they still have until July 1 to work out a deal. There is a 50/50 chance he will re-sign before free agency begins.

Arvid Soderblom’s trade value is as high as ever, but I don’t think he’s being shopped. Laurent Brossoit is still an unknown and undependable. I expect Soderblom to be on the opening night roster to give Drew Commesso more time to be the number one netminder in Rockford. Another question is if he’s still on the team when the season ends.

We will have a better idea of the opening night roster after the draft and July 1. It could get a dramatic remake or look more like it did at the end of the season. If I were a betting man, my money would be on the latter. I don’t think there will be a dramatic overhaul, but adding a top-six forward via free agency or a trade, and a veteran defenseman would be the ideal summer.

I love this question! I will go by Calder Trophy rules for what is a prospect, which means Frank Nazar, Korchinski, Colton Dach, Wyatt Kaiser, and Landon Slaggert don’t qualify. With that established, I’m keeping Artyom Levshunov, Sam Rinzel, Oliver Moore, Marek Vanacker, Sacha Boisvert, Roman Kantserov, and Nick Lardis. I would have included Commesso a year ago, but with Spencer Knight in the mix, I left him out.

Ah, Windy City Hawkey, one of the biggest jersey junkies I know! I like the design with the stripes in the middle of the jersey. However, it’s a little too similar to the 2016 Stadium Series. I’d like to see something more unique, but I’d buy that jersey.