What does an alternate roster of former Blackhawks look like?

Almost exactly two years ago, I constructed the best possible roster of former Blackhawks still playing. Though many of those players are still active, the roster looks a bit different in 2026 than it did in 2024, as more key players have left Chicago’s roster. So, I figured it would be a worthwhile exercise to take a little trip down memory lane, ponder what could have been, and ultimately decide how the current Blackhawks roster stacks up against this one. 

Before we briefly dive into each player, here is what the Blackhawks roster could have looked like this season with former players:

First line: Panarin – Strome – Hagel

Second line: DeBrincat – Schmaltz – Kane

Third line: Hall – Domi – Hartman

Fourth line: Duclair – Toews – Perry

Scratches: Gaudette, Kurashev

First pair: Forsling – Jones

Second pair: McCabe – Raddysh

Third Pair: Zadorov – van Riemsdyk

Scratches: Seeler

Goalies: Forsberg – Lankinen

Artemi Panarin

Though he has just been put on the trade block, Panarin is still one of the best playmakers in the world at 34. After two stellar seasons in Chicago, The Breadman was dealt for Brandon Saad and proceeded to torch NHL defenses and goalies as a Blue Jacket and Ranger. The next team to acquire the Russian will significantly improve its Stanley Cup chances.

Dylan Strome

Another elite playmaker, Strome has ridden shotgun with Alexander Ovechkin since he left the Windy City as a free agent in 2022. Though the team was starting a massive rebuild at the time, Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson has to be kicking himself after seeing Strome’s gaudy and consistent production as a Capital.

Brandon Hagel

Speaking of those that got away from Davidson, Hagel is probably the player that is missed most in Chicago. Since joining Tampa Bay, the 27-year-old has developed into one of the league’s best two-way players and has posted 282 points in 310 games as a Bolt. The Saskatchewan native will represent Canada at the Olympics in February. 

Alex DeBrincat

Another casualty of the rebuild, the undersized DeBrincat developed into one of the game’s premier goal scorers in a Blackhawks sweater. After a year in Ottawa, The Cat was moved to his hometown Red Wings and has since been reunited with best buddy Patrick Kane. The 28-year-old was in contention for a roster spot on Team USA’s Olympic squad this season and is a big reason why Detroit currently holds first place in the Atlantic division.

Nick Schmaltz

Schmaltz was swapped for Strome during his third season in Chicago and has been an offensive driver for Arizona/Utah ever since. The North Dakota alum is on pace for his most prolific season yet and is set to hit the open market this summer. Could a Chicago reunion be in the cards for the 29-year-old?

Patrick Kane

The living legend recently reached 500 goals and, if he doesn’t pass Brett Hull for the most points all-time by an American player this year, he will early next season. After three Cups, a Conn Smythe, a Hart, a Lindsay, an Art Ross, and a Calder, Kane is the most decorated Blackhawk ever. It still stings to see Showtime in a Red Wings jersey, but Kane will always be beloved in the city of Chicago. 

Taylor Hall

Hall was brought in to be Connor Bedard’s running mate in 2023, but injuries and inconsistency prevented that from ever materializing. The 2018 Hart winner was dealt to Carolina last season as part of the Mikko Rantanen deal and has been a reliable middle-six contributor there ever since. The veteran will be competing for his first Stanley Cup this spring.

Max Domi 

Domi had a brief but productive run in Chicago in the 2022-2023 season. The 2013 first-rounder has since joined his father’s former team in Toronto and hopes to play a part in ending the Leafs’ 59-year Cup drought.

Ryan Hartman 

From the moment he laid out Dainius Zubrus in his first NHL game, you knew Hartman would be an impact player. After spells in Nashville and Philadelphia, Hartman settled in Minnesota, where he has been a steady presence for seven years. Despite not reaching the potential he flashed in 2021-2022 when he tallied 65 points, the 31-year-old has averaged a respectable 0.47 points-per-game in his career.

Anthony Duclair

Considering that he is on his ninth NHL team in 12 years, it is not shocking that Duclair lasted just 23 games in Chicago. The 30-year-old appeared to develop into a legitimate top-six forward with Florida when he notched 58 points in 2021-2022, but he has failed to come close to that total since. 

Jonathan Toews

The heartbeat of the Blackhawks franchise since he was selected third-overall in 2006, Toews will go down as one of the greatest leaders to ever play the sport. Captain Serious’ all-around game was the stuff of legend, and aspiring hockey players all across the Chicagoland area modeled their game after him. His emotional return to Chicago this week and the three-minute ovation he received showed just how much fans love and respect number 19. 

Corey Perry

Perry played just 16 games as a Blackhawk before he was found in violation of his contract and it was terminated. The longtime Duck went on to join the Oilers and showed he still has some gas left in the tank with an impressive 10-goal playoff performance in 2025. The 40-year-old now plies his agitating trade in Los Angeles. 

Adam Gaudette

The 2018 Hobey Baker Award winner suited up for 15 games as a Blackhawk in 2021 before he was placed on waivers. Gaudette bounced between the AHL and NHL before experiencing a resurgence with 19 goals for Ottawa last season, earning him a two-year pact in San Jose. 

Philipp Kurashev

Selected by Chicago in the fourth round of the 2018 Draft, Kurashev worked his way up the organizational depth chart until he found himself on a line with Bedard in 2023. Unfortunately, that 54-point season would be his peak as a Blackhawk, and he signed with San Jose this past summer. The 26-year-old will be a member of Team Switzerland at the Olympics next month.

Gustav Forsling

The Blackhawks shrewdly acquired a then-18-year-old Forsling in 2015 but could not develop him into a consistent NHL defenseman. After he was dealt to Carolina and subsequently placed on waivers, Florida picked up the Swede and hasn’t looked back since. Forsling is now a two-time Cup winner, one of the best defensive defenseman in the NHL, and a soon-to-be Olympian.

Seth Jones

Jones’ blockbuster acquisition in the summer of 2021 had many Blackhawks fans believing the team would compete for a Cup again. Unfortunately, when it became evident that it wasn’t happening, and Jones didn’t look worthy of his $9.5 million salary, the fan base turned against him. The Texas native eventually forced his way out of Chicago in a deal that worked out for both sides – Jones won a Cup, and the Blackhawks got their goalie of the future in Spencer Knight and a first-round pick. Jones was slated to represent the US at the Olympics until an injury forced him to withdraw. 

Jake McCabe

Another addition from that fateful 2021 offseason, McCabe was solid for a year and a half in Chicago. When the team struggled, the Wisconsin alum became a valuable trade chip, and he was traded to Toronto. Included in that trade was a 2025 first-round pick that became Vaclav Nestrasil, who is currently a point-per-game player as a true freshman at UMass.

Darren Raddysh

Admittedly, this selection is a technicality because Raddysh never played a game for the Blackhawks, but he was a Rockford IceHog from 2017 to 2019. The late-blooming defenseman has become a bona fide top top pair blueliner in Tampa Bay. He is currently tied for sixth in defenseman scoring with 42 points in 42 games.

Nikita Zadorov

Zadorov’s one season as a Blackhawk in 2020-2021 was unremarkable, much like the team’s. Since then the towering Russian has been a Flame, Canuck, and Bruin. Zadorov led the league in penalty minutes last year and appears well on his way to do the same this season as he has already accrued 121 of them.

Trevor van Riemsdyk

Signed by Chicago out of the University of New Hampshire in 2014, van Riemsdyk was a member of the 2015 Stanley Cup-winning team. Since leaving the Blackhawks in 2017, the 34-year-old has carved out quite a career for himself as a reliable defensive defenseman with Carolina and Washington.  

Nick Seeler

Claimed off waivers in 2020, Seeler played just six games as a Blackhawk. He has found a home on Philadelphia’s blue line in the years since and recorded a career-best 20 points last campaign. 

Anton Forsberg

A part of the trade that sent Saad back to Chicago in 2018 and then traded in the Forsling deal to Carolina in 2019, Forsberg was an average Blackhawk and good IceHog. The 33-year-old has been a career backup but has had a solid year in LA thus far, sporting a 2.56 GAA and .907 SV%.

Kevin Lankinen

Lankinen spent two years as a Blackhawk from 2020 to 2022 before he left to back up Juuse Saros in Nashville. In 2025, he inked a lucrative five-year, $22.5 million contract extension in Vancouver, but he has struggled mightily this year on the league-worst Canucks. 

Overall, this team is better than the 2025-2026 Blackhawks, but it does not have long-term potential.

Sure, this roster boasts a deep and dangerous offense and a reliable defense corps, but its youngest player is 26. Furthermore, that goaltending tandem is atrocious. Of course, it would be fun to watch Kane, Toews, and Panarin still lighting it up at the United Center, but in two to three years, this group would be unable to compete for a playoff spot. 

It’s taken a long, painful time to get to today, and the Blackhawks have had to say goodbye to legends and elite players in the process. But, through good drafting and cap management, Kyle Davidson has placed his team in a position to compete for years to come, and Blackhawks fans should be thankful for that.