With the Carolina Hurricanes defeating the Vegas Golden Knights in the Stanley Cup final this past weekend, the NHL offseason has officially begun. This will be a big summer for the Chicago Blackhawks in what projects to be an active period for general manager Kyle Davidson.
Between the rapidly approaching NHL entry draft, the July 1st free agency window opening up soon, and the prospect of trades on the horizon, there will be roster movement in Chicago ahead of the 2026-2027 season. As this team heads into the offseason, who are the core untouchable players that Davidson should be building the squad around in the hopes of a playoff return next season?
Connor Bedard
The first and most obvious core player is Connor Bedard. He is the player this entire rebuild has been centered around. He is this team's identity. He is the future captain. He is the franchise player who will lead the charge towards bringing this Blackhawks team back to the promised land.
There is an argument that Bedard is the only player in the organization who is truly an untouchable asset. He is the one guy under no circumstances this team would even ponder parting from. If Davidson hears his name on the phone, he hangs it up immediately.
Anton Frondell
If Bedard is the Blackhawks' Batman, Anton Frondell is Robin. He is the sidekick to the main character. Frondell provides this team with an elite player to either place on Bedard's wing or have center his own line, giving them two top lines for the opposition to deal with.
Frondell is the second most valuable player in this lineup. Every team's top gun needs a wingman, and he could be that for Bedard. Think about Crosby-Malkin, Ovechkin-Backstrom, Kane-Toews, and McDavid-Draisaitl. Bedard and Frondell could be the next great dynamic connection.
Spencer Knight
It is hard to fathom a position more important than goaltending when it comes to determining success in this league. Elite starting goalies are hard to find, and that is exactly what Davidson has acquired with Spencer Knight.
Behind Bedard, Knight was by far Chicago's most valuable asset last season. He has overperformed on a young rebuilding team far from contention status. With Knight already looking this strong, it is scary to think about how good he will be as the youth defense around him continues to make strides.
Frank Nazar?
Now, this one is more debatable. It is questionable if Frank Nazar can be considered an untouchable asset. However, he is absolutely a core piece. It would have to be an offer that cannot be refused for Davidson to consider pulling the trigger on a deal. Anything less than a star player in return would not be enough.
Nazar has tremendous potential, but his future role with the team appears to be in question. At the moment, he looks poised to stay at center. Davidson has said his plan is to split up Bedard, Frondell, and Nazar on separate lines. Those plans could change, and Nazar may be moved to the wing. With that said, as talented as Nazar is, it is hard to call a projected third-line center an untouchable.
In terms of untouchable players, that makes up the short list for now. Of course, Chicago has a plethora of other young, skilled players in the arsenal that will emerge over time and likely make up this core. But each championship team only has so many guys at the top of the roster construction totem pole. These are the players at the summit of the Blackhawks hierarchy. These are the players who will be on the front lines towards bringing this team back into the postseason.
