One franchise goaltender could put the Blackhawks in Cup contention in 2025-26

The Chicago Blackhawks are no longer the NHL’s doormat now that they’ll have a halfway decent team taking the ice come October, but they’re still a longshot to land in the 2025 playoffs. That said, it’s more than okay to pay attention to the present while looking toward the future, especially since one franchise goaltender could test the market and end up in Chicago. 

Earlier, Adam Gretz of Bleacher Report placed the Blackhawks on his list of six teams to land an elite goaltender who still doesn’t have a contract for 2025-26 and beyond. The netminder in question is Igor Shesterkin, and should the Blackhawks enjoy a successful 2024-25 season, he could put them in Cup contention as early as 2025-26 should he make the Windy City his home. 

Think about it: Connor Bedard will be in his third season, and he should be a top 25 player if not better, and the Hawks should also have players like Frank Nazar ready to join the big club full-time. Philipp Kurashev should also make significant gains, while Teuvo Teravainen and Tyler Bertuzzi are locked in for a while. 

Adding a strong talent like Igor Shesterkin could make the Blackhawks elite

Should things keep looking up for Chicago, maybe Taylor Hall will stick around on a bridge deal at a reduced rate, and cornerstones in the defensive rotation like Alex Vlasic and Seth Jones will also be part of this group. Factor in Artyom Levshunov and Kevin Korchinski making potential strides; it could leave a player with Igor Shesterkin’s talent as a missing link. 

The only questions would be what to do with Petr Mrazek and Laurent Brossoit, both of whom are slated to be in town through the 2025-26 season. But the good news in this saga is that neither has any no-trade or no-movement clauses attached, meaning there’s no real incentive to keep them around if they managed to sign someone like Shesterkin. 

While there’s no way the New York Rangers franchise goaltender will go anywhere during the season, this is a development worth keeping an eye on, especially if Gretz’s take proves to be rather accurate come July 2025. 

Should Shesterkin sign with Chicago, he could be around long-term, cementing his status as the team’s franchise goaltender while cornerstones like Bedard and Levshunov enter their respective primes. Overall, if the Blackhawks added Shesterkin next summer, he would reward those who had stuck with the organization through some of its darkest days.