The Chicago Blackhawks were one of the worst teams in the NHL in the 2024-25 season. Still, there is hope for improvement from the Blackhawks in 2025-26. The team is anchored around a young but emerging star in Connor Bedard. Chicago also has a lot of young talent around him. As the Blackhawks hope for growth in this upcoming campaign, it is time to make bold predictions for the 2025-26 season.
The Blackhawks are building towards what they hope is another period of dominance. From 2008-09 through 2016-17, they made the playoffs in all nine seasons. They also won the Stanley Cup in 2010, 2013, and 2015. Further, the Hawks lost in the Western Conference finals in 2014.
Now, the team has a young core hoping to become a dynasty in Chicago again. This is led by Bedard, who is just 20 years old. Meanwhile, Frank Nazar, Colton Dach, Landon Slaggert, and Lukas Reichel are all forwards under the age of 25. The team also has six blue liners under the age of 25, plus a 24-year-old starting goaltender. The Blackhawks continued the youth movement with an amazing draft, led by the third overall selection, Anton Frondell. Regardless, most of the team taking the ice will be young and have room to grow, but growing pains could come with that.
Sam Rinzel wins the Calder Trophy
The 2022 NHL Draft may be the key to the future of Chicago. The team made three selections in the first round of the draft. This started with Kevin Korchinski, picked No. 7 overall. The left side defender played 76 games in 2023-24, amassing 15 points and playing well overall. He was with the team for just 16 games last season, spending a good chunk of the year developing in the AHL. He is now ready to make an impact at the NHL level again.
Nazar would be selected No. 13 overall and is primed for an amazing season. He is coming off a solid campaign, playing in 53 games and putting up 26 points.
The final pick of the first round by the Hawks was No. 25 overall, when the team selected Sam Rinzel, a right-side defender out of the United States. Rinzel is set to breakout this season. After completing his time at the University of Minnesota, he played in nine games with the NHL club. In those nine games, he came away with five assists. He nearly had his first goal of his NHL career as well, but hit the crossbar.
Even without the goal, his assist total places him on pace for 45 points in the regular season. The blueliner will also get time on the powerplay this season. This was a powerplay unit that was seventh in the NHL in conversion percentage, which will only increase his point total. Rinzel can put up 50 points this year. That places him on par with players such as Moritz Seider and Cale Makar, both of whom won the Calder Trophy. The trophy, given to the best rookie in the NHL, has not been claimed by defensemen in back-to-back years since 1962-63 and 1963-64. Lane Hutson won it last year from the blueline, and this year, another defender will win it as Sam Rinzel takes the trophy.
Frank Nazar scores 25 goals and adds 25 assists
Nazar was just awarded a historic contract from the Blackhawks. He received a seven-year deal worth an AAV of $6.59 million, which begins in the 2026-27 season. The 21-year-old forward played in 53 games with the Hawks in 2024-25, finding the back of the net 12 times and adding 14 assists. That same rate puts him on pace for 19 goals and 22 assists in 82 games. He is going to exceed that.
Nazar started slowly last year as he got acclimated to the NHL level. In his first ten NHL games, he had just one point, an assist. Meanwhile, in his last eight games of the season, he scored points in six of them, lighting the lamp five times while adding four helpers. He continually improved throughout the season and is ready to break out.
The center is expected to play on the second line, next to Tyler Bertuzzi and Teuvo Teräväinen. Further, he will be on the top powerplay unit. It is going to be at least a 50-point season this year, as Nazar finds the back of the net 25 times and adds 25 assists in 2025-26.
Chicago wins the Gavin McKenna sweepstakes
The Blackhawks play in one of the toughest divisions in the NHL. The division had five teams that made the playoffs last season, led by the Presidents' Trophy-winning Winnipeg Jets. The two other teams that missed the playoffs were the Utah Mammoth and Nashville Predators, both of whom have a chance to improve majorly this year.
The Blackhawks will be sending out a young roster this year. The group will improve throughout the season, but sending out multiple rookies and second-year players normally does not yield positive results. Rinzel and Nazar are both poised to breakout, and Bedard is already a great player. Moreover, a full season of Spencer Knight will improve the team. It may not matter much. The San Jose Sharks are also going to improve this year and surpass the Blackhawks in the conference, and playing in a tough Western Conference is going to lead to plenty of losses.
This is going to lead to the Hawks having the best chance at the number one pick in next year's NHL Draft. Gavin McKenna is the top prospect in the NHL Draft and is described as a potential generational talent. In the last eight seasons, the team with the worst record has received the top pick in the draft four times. It will happen again this summer, and McKenna will be joining the Hawks. He could be the missing piece to making another Blackhawks dynasty once he develops.
