Blackhawks add veterans Byram, Cole on defense

After the NHL Draft, free agency and other offseason moves, NHL.com is examining where each team stands in preparation for the 2026-27 regular season, which starts in September. Today, the Chicago Blackhawks:

2025-26 season: 29-39-14, eighth in Central Division; missed Stanley Cup Playoffs

Key arrivals

Bowen Byram, D: The 25-year-old was acquired in a trade with the Buffalo Sabres along with forward Jordan Greenway for the No. 4 and No. 45 picks in the 2026 NHL Draft and defenseman Louis Crevier on June 23. He signed a six-year contract, which begins in 2027-28, with the Blackhawks on July 1. Byram had 42 points (11 goals, 31 assists) in 82 regular-season games and seven points (four goals, three assists) in 13 playoff games with the Sabres last season. …  Ian Cole, D: The 37-year-old, who signed a one-year contract on July 1, will add a veteran presence to a young defenseman group. Cole had 23 points (three goals, 20 assists) in 82 regular-season games and two points (one goal, one assist) in six playoff games for the Utah Mammoth last season. …  Cole Smith, F: The 30-year-old signed a three-year contract on July 1 and will be part of the bottom-six forward group. Smith had 10 points (six goals, four assists) in 42 games with the Nashville Predators last season before he was traded to the Vegas Golden Knights, for whom he had two goals in 21 regular-season games and six points (three goals, three assists) in 22 playoff games. … Jordan Greenway, F: The 29-year-old was acquired with Byram and likely also will be part of the bottom six. Greenway had six points (one goal, five assists) in 40 regular-season games and three points (two goals, one assist) in 13 postseason games with the Sabres last season.

Key departures

Ilya Mikheyev, F: Signed a four-year contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning on July 1 after he had 36 points (18 goals, 18 assists) in 77 games last season and played an important role on the penalty kill. … Matt Grzelcyk, D: An unsigned free agent, he had 12 assists in 69 games last season. Grzelcyk sustained an upper-body injury against the Predators on March 22 and missed the rest of the regular season. …  Sam Lafferty, F: Signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Florida Panthers on July 1. He was a healthy scratch most of last season, finishing with two points (one goal, one assist) in 29 games.

On the cusp

Roman Kantserov, F: The Blackhawks have made it clear they have big expectations for the 21-year-old, who just wrapped up his fourth season in the Kontinental Hockey League. A second-round pick (No. 44) in the 2023 NHL Draft, Kantserov had 64 points (36 goals, 28 assists) in 63 games with Metallurg last season and was expected to be Connor Bedard's right wing on the top line. That will have to wait because Bedard had surgery on his left shoulder on Wednesday and will miss the start of the season, but Kantserov could still be a force until Bedard makes his expected return in November. …  Anton Frondell, F: The 19-year-old made his NHL debut with the Blackhawks late last season, finishing with nine points (three goals, six assists) in 12 games. The No. 3 pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, Frondell had 28 points (20 goals, eight assists) in 43 games with Djurgardens of the Swedish Hockey League. …  Sacha Boisvert, F: The 20-year-old had two points (one goal, one assist) in seven games for the Blackhawks after he finished his season at Boston University, where he had 17 points (three goals, 14 assists) in 26 games. With Bedard sidelined to start the season, the Blackhawks are going to need more depth at center. Boisvert could help fill the void there if he has a good training camp. … AJ Spellacy, F: Spellacy had 32 points (13 goals, 19 assists) in 51 games last season with Windsor of the Ontario Hockey League. The 20-year-old has great speed, is good on face-offs and is a right-handed shot, something the Blackhawks don't have many of on their roster. Those traits and a strong camp could open the door for him in Chicago.

What they still need

A top wing for Bedard when he returns. Prior to Bedard being injured, the Blackhawks were fairly adamant that they would find Bedard's linemates from within, including Kantserov on right wing. But if there is a good option available, Chicago should look into it. This is all going to be new for Kantserov and Frondell, who played with Bedard for some games late last season but likely will move back to center. Bedard has had rotating linemates the past few seasons, including Frank Nazar, Tyler Bertuzzi, Teuvo Teravainen and Ryan Greene.

They said it

"Just the traits that ‘Bo’ possesses are, in our opinion, elite ones. They're ones that are in high, high demand around the League and they are ones that we believe, when put into the position we're going to put him in this year, demand a significant reward and compensation. So, that's something we believe he's going to step into. He's going to own it. He's going to prove it and be worth the investment we're placing in him." -- general manager Kyle Davidson on defenseman Bowen Byram

EDGE stat to watch

With Bedard expected to miss the start of the season, the Blackhawks will lean heavily on Byram, who had strong underlying metrics with the Sabres last season. Last regular season, Byram ranked in the 96th percentile among defensemen in 20-plus mph speed bursts (107) and 91st percentile at the position in max skating speed (22.87 mph). He also ranked highly among defensemen in high-danger shots on goal (14; 95th percentile), high-danger goals (three; 92nd percentile) and midrange goals (six; 94th percentile). Then, during the 2026 postseason, Byram led NHL defensemen in midrange goals (three) despite only playing in two of the four playoff rounds. -- Pete Jensen

Fantasy spin

Byram set NHL career highs in points (42 in 82 games), goals (11), power-play points (seven) and shots on goal (109) with the Sabres last season and could have a full-fledged breakout with an expanded role on the top power play in his first season with the Blackhawks. Byram is one of seven Chicago players in NHL.com's fantasy keeper and dynasty league rankings, which are the top 25-and-younger players for long-term formats. -- Chris Meaney

Projected lineup

Tyler Bertuzzi -- Frank Nazar -- Roman Kantserov

Ryan Greene -- Anton Frondell -- Teuvo Teravainen

Ryan Donato -- Oliver Moore -- Nick Lardis

Jordan Greenway -- Sacha Boisvert -- Cole Smith

Alex Vlasic -- Bowen Byram

Wyatt Kaiser -- Artyom Levshunov

Ian Cole -- Sam Rinzel

Spencer Knight

Arvid Soderblom

Injured: Connor Bedard