Why a key Bedard wing spot still lacks answers

gaping hole – As the Blackhawks head toward training camp, the team still hasn’t filled an established first-line winger role next to Connor Bedard. General manager Kyle Davidson pointed to a mix-and-match plan, including Roman Kantserov, but the roster choices already made

For months, the question has hung over the Chicago Blackhawks’ future like an unanswered call: who is going to play the winger role that gives Connor Bedard a true first-line fit?

Another offseason has largely passed, and the Hawks still haven’t acquired an established first-line winger to support Bedard. A sizable portion of the Hawks’ fan base is furious. A sizable portion of the hockey world is perplexed and skeptical. Bedard hasn’t publicly or privately expressed frustration, but he would have every right to be.

The one clear major addition in Davidson’s 2026 offseason has been defensive help. Bowen Byram — in line for a bigger role and already part of a long-term plan — signed a six-year extension Wednesday. That move came as excitement was building around star winger Ivan Demidov. whom Chicago could have drafted two years ago and instead watched sign an eight-year. team-friendly extension with the Canadiens.

Bedard and Byram are friends. Bedard is excited about Byram’s arrival. Davidson believes Byram’s puck-moving skills and power-play experience will help Bedard, and that’s true. But it’s also true that a gaping hole remains on the Hawks’ top line next to Bedard.

The newest piece of that question is Roman Kantserov, a Russian rookie expected to factor into the top-line picture. Davidson acknowledged the uncertainty directly: the team doesn’t even know if Roman is going to work there yet. If Kantserov doesn’t immediately match sky-high expectations, the roster may not just have one glaring hole. There could be two.

When Davidson was asked Wednesday who he foresaw filling that hole, he rattled off a list of candidates. First came Nick Lardis. then Frank Nazar and Anton Frondell — the same Frondell Davidson previously said would be centers next season — followed by Oliver Moore and Ryan Greene. who spent the most time with Bedard last season. Tyler Bertuzzi is another candidate.

“A lot of those things are trial and error,” Davidson said Wednesday. “Sometimes you work in pairs rather than in threes, so you get a pair and mix and match and see what works.”

“We don’t [even] know if Roman’s going to work there,” Davidson added. “We believe it will. based on the traits and…how [Kantserov and Bedard] see the game. but that’s what training camp and games are for. It’s their job to get together and find that little bit of magic. We believe it could be there, and then we’ve got a lot of other players that can be complementary.”.

Davidson later reiterated his approach: a build-from-within philosophy. He said. “Sometimes internal growth and players just organically coming through the system isn’t the most exciting and riveting thing for people.” Then he pointed to the same bet underlying his roster decisions. “But when you have the players that we believe we have…it leaves a lot of exciting upside.”.

One of the hardest parts for fans to swallow is that the Hawks’ most obvious trade chatter didn’t end with a trade. In March. three star forwards emerged as the most prominent possible Hawks trade targets: Jason Robertson of the Stars. Matthew Knies of the Maple Leafs. and Robert Thomas of the Blues. None of them have been traded.

Robertson’s situation remains murky, but the Stars can afford to re-sign him after trading Mavrik Bourque. The Hawks pushed for Knies, but the Leafs’ asking price proved astronomical. The Blues kept Thomas and instead dealt Jordan Kyrou.

There were still opportunities to upgrade the top six that Davidson passed on. Bourque and Kyrou, right off the bat, should’ve been intriguing. JJ Peterka and Pavel Dorofeyev should’ve been, too, although both would’ve required multiple first-round picks to acquire.

Even in free agency—on a market where bargains are scarce—the picture didn’t change enough to feel like a certainty. Mason Marchment, who the Sharks signed, ended up not being absurdly expensive. His salary-cap hit is $6.75 million.

Davidson said he’s still “looking into what’s available,” but pickings are slim. One possibility could be Anthony Mantha, a power forward coming off a career-best 64-point season with the Penguins, but Mantha is infamously inconsistent.

So the most realistic path looks like the same one fans have already seen: enter training camp in September with a forward group that resembles last season’s group. Last season, the Blackhawks ranked third-to-last in goals scored.

Can that forward group really improve enough to fulfill the team’s objective of pushing into playoff contention? No analytical model can answer that. Davidson clearly believes it can. Time will tell if he’s right.

For the franchise—and for Bedard—there’s a lot riding on the answer. Not just roster depth. Not just development curves. The missing piece next to a generational talent is still there, and it’s still unresolved.

Chicago Blackhawks Connor Bedard Kyle Davidson Bowen Byram Roman Kantserov Nick Lardis Frank Nazar Anton Frondell Oliver Moore Ryan Greene Tyler Bertuzzi Ivan Demidov Jason Robertson Matthew Knies Robert Thomas Mason Marchment Anthony Mantha