What will Ian Cole's veteran presence look like?

Defenseman Ian Cole's storyline for the 2026-27 season surrounds the reason general manager Kyle Davidson said he signed him in free agency: "I think in Ian Cole's case, (he) provides some really veteran presence and a steadying influence on our young d-core."

What the veteran entails

Cole will be taking on a lot of responsibility with the defense. As Davidson mentioned, it's a young defense, and at 37 years old, Cole will be the most mature player on the blue line, as he is 12 years older than the next two oldest defensemen (Alex Vlasic and Bowen Byram)

Besides that, he has been on 10 different teams (Utah Mammoth last season), won two Stanley Cups, and is 10 games away from 1,000 NHL games. There is a lot of wisdom to be shared with that resume.

In Cole's media availability after signing his one-year deal with the Blackhawks, one topic that was brought up to him is his durability, as he has played a full, 82-game season the past two seasons.

Then, there are two other aspects to the signing: his significant penalty kill experience, and being able to play his off side. Cole mentioned in his media availability that he has played half his career on the right side, and he's comfortable with that. This helps because the Blackhawks only have two right-handed defensemen on their roster (Artyom Levshunov and Sam Rinzel).

He can wear many hats, so the young defense won't feel so swamped in their development.

Cole said, in part, "...Like I said, (they) have a lot of potential on this team. One that... something I can help grow and help this team win hockey games."

Cole also had a respectable 23 points in 82 games and was a plus-16 last season.

Will Cole bring the same presence brought by past veterans?

One of the first thoughts that came to mind with Cole was that, in a sense, his role will be similar to Connor Murphy's. Obviously, Murphy was the beloved veteran on defense whom his teammates turned to for guidance. Now that he is on the Edmonton Oilers, Cole will be taking on that kind of presence.

The Blackhawks had some good veterans that the roster really looked up to, including Murphy, Nick Foligno, and Jason Dickinson. Next season, Cole will have other veterans alongside him, including Patrick Kane and Tyler Bertuzzi.

Those roles are hard to fill, but, specifically, on defense, Cole's voice will be significant.

Davidson mentioned about Cole, "In all likelihood, he's going to be paired with a younger defenseman, and there's a steadying presence. There's an understanding that he can bring to the game, and a calm that he can bring to the game that he can impose and impart on a younger defenseman on whatever side he ends up playing. There's residual benefit from having that kind of guy around who's played so many games and seen so much and experienced so much, and won't panic when things maybe get a little haywire. He's gonna be able to calm the waters and allow some of our young players to feed off that, and to learn from that."

Cole was asked how he has been able to deliver consistent results in different settings. He replied, "I think you touched on it.. It's consistency, right? Being able to be someone that the team, the coaches, your teammates can rely on. If I can handle my business and bring a consistent product night after night, you know, it's something that the coaches and teammates can rely on and grow with, and kind of figure out how we can all kind of meld all these different skill sets and personalities together for the best on ice product, right? So, if I can play how I played and continue to do what I do, I think I'm still a huge asset to a team. And then, like I said, continuing to grow with my teammates."

Overall, if Cole brings a reliable, guiding voice in the same way that past veterans did, that is what his veteran presence should look like.

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