The Chicago Blackhawks have an important off-season looming in 2026. The summer will be headlined by negotiations with franchise star Connor Bedard , and underscored by tough decisions with veteran free agents Nick Foligno , Ilya Mikheyev , and Jason Dickinson . With so many negotiations on the horizon, Chicago appears to be moving towards an extension with general manager Kyle Davidson , per Sportnset’s Elliotte Friedman on the latest 32 Thoughts Podcast .

Davidson has pulled the Blackhawks together enough to take a confident step forward in the last year. They sold off veteran defender Seth Jones to acquire high-potential goaltender Spencer Knight at last year’s Trade Deadline, then awarded lofty extensions to 2024-25 leading goal-scorer Ryan Donato , top

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