Tough start will define the Blackhawks 2026-27 season

If the Chicago Blackhawks have higher expectations heading into this season, it’s because they put them on themselves. After the regular season, nearly every player mentioned how it's time to take the next step and start competing for a playoff spot. You want to hear that from a young team that has finished in the bottom three of the NHL for the last four seasons. However, many of those same players will have to take a big jump at the same time to play meaningful games in March and April. That’s not impossible, but the odds that they all have big seasons are not in their favor.

A Tough Stretch Made Even Tougher

The key to being in contention throughout the 2026-27 season is getting off to a good start. You can’t clinch a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs in October, but you can certainly fall out of the running with a bad opening month. The Blackhawks have to get off to a good start because digging themselves into a big hole in the Central Division will put their postseason hopes in jeopardy early.

The start of the season was made even more crucial when it was announced on July 8 that Connor Bedard would need four months to recover from shoulder surgery. Now the important start of the season will come without the Blackhawks’ best player in the lineup, making the first few weeks make-or-break for this team.

The original timetable from team doctors was four months, which could be longer or shorter, depending on Bedard’s recovery. Four months from the date of surgery is Nov. 8, which means Bedard will miss the first 18 games of the season. Those games are split equally between nine home games and nine road games. Twelve of those games will be against teams that made the postseason last year, including two games against the reigning Stanley Cup Champions.

Schedule Does Not Help

The season begins with a three-game road trip against the Vegas Golden Knights, Utah Mammoth, and Buffalo Sabres. The Blackhawks could catch the defending Western Conference champions on the right night, as it will be their first game under new head coach Ryan Craig. The Blackhawks went 1-1-1 against the Golden Knights last season. They swept the four-game series against the Mammoth, so they will look to continue their success in game two. The Sabres dominated the Blackhawks last season, outscoring them 14-4 in their two-game sweep.

The St. Louis Blues will be at the United Center for the home opener. They split the four-game series last season, but the Blackhawks had a lot of offensive success against them. The 20 goals they scored against the Blues were the most against any opponent during the 2025-26 season. From there, they travel to the New York Islanders, who they took three out of four points from last season.

After that quick trip, the Blackhawks return home for their first of two seven-game homestands. Five of the seven teams coming in were playoff teams last season. The first game is against the Carolina Hurricanes, who they will play again in Raleigh on Nov. 7. They beat the defending champs in their home rink last year.

The remaining six games are against the Pittsburgh Penguins, Winnipeg Jets, Dallas Stars, Montreal Canadiens, Florida Panthers, and Los Angeles Kings. They went 4-9-3 and were outscored 61-35. Surprisingly, they had the most success against the Stars, going 2-0-1 in their three-game series. The Panthers and Jets are both looking to bounce back after down seasons, so this home stand will go a long way towards their early-season success, or lack thereof.

After the homestand, the Blackhawks have two Original 6 road games against the Detroit Red Wings and Boston Bruins. Last season, they beat the Red Wings in Motown 5-1, and lost 4-3 in overtime at the Bruins.

The last home game of this stretch is Nov. 2 versus the Colorado Avalanche. The Blackhawks lost all three games to the Avalanche last season, being outscored 8-2. The Presidents’ Trophy winners from last season will be a tall order without Bedard in the lineup.

Possibly the final three games without Bedard will be a brutal three-game road trip against the Tampa Bay Lightning, Panthers, and Hurricanes. The Blackhawks won their game 3-2 in Tampa last season with Bedard not finding the scoresheet, thanks to a pair of goals from Ryan Donato.

How The Blackhawks Can Survive

Against these 15 teams last season, the Blackhawks went 11-20-7 and were outscored 141-93. Granted, all these teams won’t be the same this season, and the Blackhawks will hopefully be improved. But, without Bedard, this crucial stretch will be even tougher.

Frank Nazar is entering the first year of his big contract, and he will need to earn that paycheck from opening night on. There was already going to be pressure on rookies Roman Kantserov and Anton Frondell this season, but if the Blackhawks want to weather this storm, they must be great right out of the gate. Ryan Greene, Oliver Moore, and Nick Lardis will need to become more consistent contributors. Veterans Tyler Bertuzzi, Teuvo Teravainen, and Donato must carry their weight to start the season. Bowen Byram will need to work some magic on the power play to help the Blackhawks find some offense.

It’s a lot to ask, but if the Blackhawks are going to make a run for a Stanley Cup Playoff spot, they will need all these things anyway. On the plus side, the team will have an entire training camp and preseason to prepare for playing without Bedard. When he got injured last season, they had to figure things out on the fly. At least now they have time to come up with a viable game plan and find the right line combinations.

If the Blackhawks can find a way to play .500 hockey without Bedard, they will get a huge boost when he returns. If they struggle out of the gate, the season could be lost before he even hits the ice.

Add us as a preferred source on Google