Inside look at Chicago Blackhawks

NHL.com is providing in-depth roster, prospect and fantasy analysis for each of its 32 teams from Aug. 1-Sept. 1. Today, the Chicago Blackhawks.

The Chicago Blackhawks got the new face of their franchise when they selected Connor Bedard with the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NHL Draft. Now they’ve brought in more veterans to help their star center and to become more competitive in the Central Division again.

“We want to be better,” Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson said on July 5. “We want to be able to go into games and impose ourselves on a game more than we have in the past, rather than trying to stem the tide or having teams take it to us. We want to be able to play with the puck more and control the game a little more and obviously get more wins as a result. I believe it’s our ability to impose ourselves on the game more than we have, certainly the last two years.”

The rebuild continues for Chicago, which finished 23-53-6 (eighth in the Central Division) in 2023-24. The Blackhawks got another talented young player when they selected defenseman Artyom Levshunov with the No. 2 pick in the 2024 NHL Draft in June. The 18-year-old was Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year for Michigan State University, where he had 35 points (nine goals, 26 assists) in 38 games.

Unlike Bedard, Levshunov will probably need some time in the American Hockey League before he’s with the Blackhawks.

Regardless, Chicago needed more veterans, more depth to complement its youth this season. That includes Bedard, who led the Blackhawks with 61 points (22 goals, 39 assists) in 68 games and won the Calder Trophy voted as the top NHL rookie last season.

Chicago signed seven players on July 1. The biggest additions were forwards Tyler Bertuzzi, who signed a four-year, $22 million contract ($5.5 million average annual value) and Teuvo Teravainen, who signed a three-year, $16.2 million contract ($5.4 million AAV). Each will be a top-six forward, and one or both of them could play with Bedard at some point this season.

“Obviously he’s a special player and that’s what I can bring: try to get on the forecheck, bring energy, create space,” Bertuzzi said on July 5. “Whether that’s with him or whoever that may be, it won’t differentiate my game. I’ll continue to get on the forecheck, work hard and try to bring energy.”

The Blackhawks should also be stronger in goal after signing Laurent Brossoit to a two-year, $6.6 million contract ($3.3 million AAV). Brossoit, who went 15-5-2 with a 2.00 goals-against average, .927 save percentage and three shutouts in 23 games (22 starts) for the Winnipeg Jets last season, will share time with starter Petr Mrazek (18-31-4, 3.05 GAA, .908 save percentage, one shutout in 56 games, including 53 starts).

“We saw Petr was extremely solid last year and gave the team a ton of confidence,” Davidson said. “Arvid [Soderblom] had a bit of a tough year, and granted we weren’t great in front of him, and maybe didn’t put him in the greatest situation to succeed, but this will give him an opportunity to reload, get his confidence back, and be able to get back on that trajectory that he was on prior to some struggles last year.

“Bringing in Brossoit, you’ll know when he goes into the net you’re going to get solid performance, the guys can believe in him back there. He’s been a really good kind of 1B or backup for quite some time in our League. To bring someone in like that that’s kind of established, knows the League, knows how to step in when needed, is super important and really happy to make that addition.”

The Blackhawks have got some talented young players but wanted more seasoned ones around them. Now it’s time for them to be competitive again.

“I think the identity of our team has to be a work-ethic team,” Chicago coach Luke Richardson said. “With the excitement that this building always brings here in Chicago, we want to match that and take that and play like that. We have at times the last two years since I’ve been here, but not consistently enough. That’s where we have to help the group that’s on the ice achieve that.”