How Landon Slaggert can force more minutes on the Blackhawks in 2026-27

Landon Slaggert's 2025-26 season was about making up for lost time because he had to miss the start of the season due to a lower-body injury and had to almost re-establish himself in the Chicago Blackhawks lineup.

But he worked his way into a more consistent fourth line/bottom six spot, and that's the role he will carry into next season.

His 2026-27 storyline will be about whether he will force that same consistent role on the bottom six in 2026-27.

Slaggert was able to define his role in 2025-26

As mentioned, Slaggert's start of last season didn't go to plan, and when he returned to the lineup, his playing time was sporadic.

Head coach Jeff Blashill said about him in October, "It was tough for him, because he missed training camp for the most part because of the injuries. So that's a really hard thing. You know, he's in a mix of guys where he's in the conversation of, okay, if we're gonna put a guy in, who are we putting in? If we're gonna take a guy out, who are we taking out? And ultimately, what you want to do as a young players is get yourself out of that conversation. And so, probably two ways that he can do that is one: through the penalty kill. Now, he's got to get those opportunities, but partly that's in practice. Show you're a great (penalty) killer in practice every day. And then, I think, without the puck, he does a really good job with his tenacity. So continue to do a really good job and work on your strengths of kind of being a pressure, tenacious-type player.”

Slaggert got two different stints with the Rockford IceHogs in November and December to allow him more playing time. He played eight games total, before staying up with the Blackhawks for good after Christmas.

But he seemingly took Blashill's notes to heart and earned his playing time. I spoke with Slaggert in April and asked about his game: "I really like where my game's been trending, especially since Christmas. And getting called back up, I feel like I've really made the most of my opportunity and tried to carve out that role for myself; really using my speed, my compete, my tenacity on pucks just to kind of elevate me. And I think it's just being able to bring that on a consistent basis and play that way, game in and game out. So I think, yeah, just keep building on that.

"But I think, also, I've been able to create some more offensive opportunities, and now it's just a matter of finishing those plays off. I think there's an opportunity there, and I think going into the summer, that's something (to) focus on, is just being able to bear down in these different scoring scenarios and really rep it out, so that when I do get these opportunities, some of them end up in the back of the net."

His role also transferred into the Blackhawks' successful penalty kill. He was sixth among Blackhawks' forwards in ice time on the penalty kill (54:37 minutes) and was 10th overall on the team in short-handed ice time.

How Slaggert can force more minutes next season

Slaggert will be in competition for bottom-six spots next season with others, including Jordan Greenway, Cole Smith, Andrew Mangiapane, Ryan Donato, and Sacha Boisvert.

Blashill said about Slaggert in March, "Yeah, Slaggs, you know, I thought two games ago, especially, he had a really good game. Like, when Slaggs is at his best, he's on the forecheck, disrupting plays, creating turnovers, going to the net, and a good penalty killer. Those are kind of the things that I think he does best, you know, and I think he's done a pretty good job of that overall lately. It's just kind of providing that north-south game and energy.”

Slaggert is regarded for his hard work and for his ability to bring that effort into games, which adds depth to the lineup. He also brings a commendable attitude.

He had seven points in 53 games last season. If the 24 year old can add that extra scoring punch to his game while also sticking with what the coach loves to see from him, with his tenacity and penalty-kill presence, that can help him stand out amongst the crowd next season.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow