If you’ve spent any time scrolling through hockey Twitter or checking the latest standings, you know the Chicago Blackhawks are in that weird, purgatory-like phase of a rebuild. It’s frustrating. One night they’re hanging seven goals on the Blues, and the next, they can’t buy a zone entry.
Honestly, the Chicago Blackhawks rumors and news cycle right now is basically a tug-of-war between "stay the course" and "let’s do something crazy."
We’re sitting in mid-January 2026, and the trade deadline is looming on March 6. But this isn't a normal year. We have the Olympic break in February, which is going to freeze rosters and basically split the trade market into two distinct "mini-seasons."
If you think Kyle Davidson is just going to sit on his hands, you haven't been paying attention to how he’s stockpiled picks.
The Connor Bedard Reality Check
Let’s talk about the kid. Connor Bedard is 20 now. He’s not a "rookie" anymore; he’s the engine. He just came back from a nasty shoulder injury that cost him 12 games, then immediately got hit by that flu bug going around the locker room.
He missed the game against McDavid and the Oilers on January 12 because of it. Sucks, right? He tried to go, even skated in the morning, but his body just gave out.
But when he’s on? He’s electric.
Through 33 games this season, he’s sitting at 19 goals and 46 points. That’s elite production. He’s currently skating on a line with Ryan Greene and Andre Burakovsky, and while that’s a decent enough trio, it’s not exactly the "Legion of Doom." This is where the rumors start to get spicy.
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People keep saying the Hawks need to wait. "Give it two more years," they say. But there's a growing sentiment—especially after seeing Vancouver’s Elias Pettersson potentially becoming available—that the Blackhawks might be ready to play ball sooner than we thought.
Is Elias Pettersson Actually a Possibility?
This is the big one. Patrick Johnston over at The Province floated the idea that Vancouver might be taking calls on Pettersson.
The Canucks are struggling, sitting at the bottom of the Pacific, and looking at a total teardown.
If you’re Chicago, do you pull the trigger? Think about it. Bedard is the 1C of the future, but putting a guy like Pettersson behind him (or even with him) changes the entire gravity of the roster. It takes the "I have to do everything" pressure off Bedard's shoulders.
It would cost a fortune. Probably Oliver Moore, a high first-rounder, and another top prospect like Arvid Soderblom or maybe even Frank Nazar. Is Davidson ready to empty the cupboard? Probably not yet. But the fact that Chicago is being mentioned in the same breath as "blockbuster" tells you the rebuild is entering a new, more aggressive phase.
The "Seller" Side of the Deadline
While the Pettersson talk is fun for fantasy hockey, the reality of the Chicago Blackhawks rumors and news is mostly about who is leaving.
The Hawks are currently 6th in the Central Division with a 19-21-7 record. They aren't making the playoffs.
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Matt Larkin over at Daily Faceoff recently put out a trade board that featured four big names from the 312:
- Nick Foligno: The Captain. He’s 38. This might be his last ride. Larkin thinks he only goes if he wants to, which makes sense. He’s been the perfect dad for this young roster.
- Connor Murphy: The longest-tenured Hawk. He’s a big, right-shot defenseman who blocks shots until his shins turn purple. Contenders kill for that in the playoffs.
- Jason Dickinson: A penalty-kill wizard. With guys like Alexander Wennberg signing extensions elsewhere, Dickinson’s value is skyrocketing.
- Laurent Brossoit: The Hawks have been trying to find him a home for a while. With Spencer Knight and Drew Commesso looking like the future in net, Brossoit is the odd man out.
The Special Teams Paradox
Here’s something most people are missing: the Blackhawks' penalty kill is actually... good? Like, really good.
They’re currently ranked 4th in the NHL. Ilya Mikheyev is a huge reason for that. He’s in the final year of his deal, and Davidson has a tough choice. Do you flip him for a 2nd rounder to a team like Colorado or Edmonton? Or do you keep him because he’s one of the few veterans actually providing a defensive identity?
If you trade Mikheyev and Dickinson, that 4th-ranked PK is going to crater.
What’s Happening in the Crease?
The goalie situation is a mess, but a good kind of mess. Spencer Knight has been the workhorse, starting the lion's share of games lately.
But watch out for Drew Commesso.
The organization has been "over-marinating" him in Rockford, which is the Davidson way. But he got some run recently, including a 3-0 shutout win against Nashville on January 10. He’s an arbitration-eligible RFA this summer. The rumor is he’ll re-sign, but if a team desperate for a young goalie calls about him in a package for a star forward? Everything is on the table.
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Why the Olympics Matter for Trades
The NHL is heading to the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan. This means a roster freeze from February 4 to February 22.
This creates a "soft deadline" on February 4.
Teams that want to get their business done early—to avoid the chaos of the March 6 deadline—will be calling Davidson in the next two weeks. If the Hawks are going to move a guy like Connor Murphy, it might happen before the Olympic break so the acquiring team can have him integrated before the final sprint.
What You Should Actually Expect
Don't expect a 10-player fire sale.
Kyle Davidson is calculated. He knows he has a massive amount of cap space. He might even use it to "buy" more picks by taking on a bad contract—someone like Ondrej Palat from New Jersey has been mentioned as a possible cap-dump candidate.
The goal isn't just to get younger; it's to get better around Bedard.
If you're a betting person, keep an eye on Jason Dickinson. He’s the most "tradable" asset they have that doesn't hurt the long-term culture. He's a pending UFA, he's cheap, and he's reliable.
Actionable Steps for Hawks Fans
If you're trying to keep up with the chaos, here is what you need to do over the next month:
- Monitor the Injury Report: Teuvo Teravainen is currently dealing with an upper-body injury. If he doesn't get back on the ice soon, his trade value (and the Hawks' scoring) takes a hit.
- Watch the "Soft Deadline": Check the news wire on February 4. Any "pre-Olympic" trades will set the market price for the rest of the league.
- Track the IceHogs: If guys like Frank Nazar or Kevin Korchinski get recalled permanently, it’s a sign that the veterans (Murphy, Foligno) are likely on their way out.
- Ignore the "Bedard is Unhappy" Narratives: He’s 20. He wants to win, but he’s also the face of the franchise. The rumors about him being frustrated with the rebuild are largely noise; his production and chemistry with the young guys suggest he's bought in.
The next few weeks are going to be loud. Between the Pettersson rumors and the looming roster freeze, the Blackhawks are going to be the center of the NHL trade universe once again.