Where are they now? The 2020 Blackhawks playoff team

It's been six years since the Chicago Blackhawks last appeared in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, falling to the Vegas Golden Knights in the 2020 postseason at Rogers Place during the pandemic. Little did anyone know that on August 18, 2020, an era that produced three championships from 2010 to 2015 would end in a 4-1 loss in Game 5. Since we just passed the sixth anniversary of the club's last playoff game, let's see what happened to that night's lineup.

Once a Blackhawk, Always a Blackhawk

• Patrick Kane -  Future Hall of Famer Kane gets his own section, since he was on the last Blackhawks team to qualify for the playoffs. After 16 seasons, he left Chicago for Broadway and came back to the Midwest to skate with Detroit for the past three seasons. Now, the franchise’s second-leading scorer is back, making him the only active skater on the roster to play in the postseason with the Blackhawks.

The Retirement Club

Out of the 19 players in that game, five are retired, including franchise icons Jonathan Toews and Duncan Keith. Who else hung’em up in the past six years?

• Corey Crawford (2020) - Unfortunately for Chicago fans, that playoff loss to the Golden Knights was the final game of Crawford's career, who retired at 35 that summer.

• Slater Koekkoek (2022) - Immediately following the playoff loss, Koekkoek signed as a free agent with the Oilers, where he split time from 2020 to 2023 between the NHL and AHL, last skating in 2022.

• Duncan Keith (2022) - As a former Norris Trophy winner, Keith stayed in the Windy City until 2021, when the Blackhawks traded him to the Edmonton Oilers. He played one season in Alberta and retired at the age of 38, in 2022.

• John Quenneville (2025) - Quenneville, second cousin to longtime coach Joel Quenneville, last played in the NHL on August 18, 2020. He briefly appeared with the Rockford IceHogs in 2020-21, then went to Europe for a twirl before his last professional game in 2024-25 with Tappara in Finland.

• Jonathan Toews (2026) - Longtime captain Toews took 2020-21 off and came back for two seasons before departing as a free agent in 2024. He played one season with his hometown Winnipeg Jets before officially retiring in 2026.

Former Chicago Skaters Still Active NHLers

Heading into the 2026-27 season, several members of the 2020 Blackhawks are still in the league, just playing in other cities. In addition to the five players under contract, three are unrestricted free agents looking for a new home this fall.

• Dylan Strome (Washington) - Strome left the Blackhawks in 2022 as a free agent to sign with the Washington Capitals, where he still plays. He has two years left on his current deal.

• Olli Määttä (Minnesota) - Former two-time Stanley Cup champion Määttä only played in Chicago for the 2019-20 season before being traded to Los Angeles. He’s been with a few other teams, including Calgary, which traded him to Minnesota in July 2026.

• Alex DeBrincat (Detroit) - DeBrincat recently played alongside his old teammate Kane in Detroit last year. The multi-time 40-goal scorer has also skated in Ottawa before another blockbuster sent him to his second Original Six team, the Red Wings, in 2023.

• Kirby Dach (Montreal) - Unfortunately, for the former third overall pick from 2019, health has limited Dach to just 306 games over seven NHL campaigns. He’s been with the Montreal Canadiens since 2022 and recently matched his games-played total from his Chicago days.

• Connor Murphy (Edmonton) - In March 2026, Chicago sent Murphy to the Oilers, where he just signed a five-year extension. When he left, he was the last Blackhawks skater from the playoff series in 2020.

• Adam Boqvist (Free Agent) - Boqvist has been with three teams since leaving the Blackhawks in 2020, and most recently played on a one-year deal with the New York Islanders. He’s 26 years old and has 272 games of NHL experience over seven seasons.

• David Kampf (Free Agent) - Kampf stayed with Chicago through the 2020-21 season before signing with Toronto as a free agent. He had his most productive campaigns in Canada and just split the 2025-26 season between Vancouver and Washington.

• Brandon Saad (Free Agent) - Saad won two Stanley Cups with the Blackhawks, before the club traded him to Columbus Blue Jackets. They also brought him back for a few seasons after that, but then dealt him to the the Colorado Avalanche. He then spent time with the St. Louis Blues. After 15 seasons and 984 games, Saad is looking for a new deal after a season and a half with the Vegas Golden Knights.

Still Playing Professionally

Playing in the NHL is the dream of hundreds of thousands of kids. Some get to live out that dream for their entire careers, while others have to find a way to stay in the game and earn a paycheck. Today, five players from the 2020 playoff team are still skating, just not in the NHL.

• Dominik Kubalik - As of 2026, Kubalik is still playing professionally in the Swiss NL league with EV Zug. He stayed in Chicago for two seasons after 2020, before a brief stint with Detroit and Ottawa. Meanwhile, he continues to represent Czechia internationally, including the 2026 Olympics.

• Matthew Highmore - The Blackhawks dealt Highmore to the Vancouver Canucks in April 2021. He eventually played with St. Louis and Ottawa and now skates with the Hamilton Hammers, the AHL affiliate of the New York Islanders.

• Ryan Carpenter - Carpenter hasn’t played in the NHL since 2024, but for the past two seasons he’s been captain of the San Diego Gulls. Heading into 2026-27, he’s still listed as the Gulls captain.

• Calvin de Haan - After 13 years in the NHL, including three seasons with the Blackhawks, de Haan opted to continue his professional career in Sweden. He last played in the NHL in 2025 with the New York Rangers, and now skates with Rögle BK in the SHL.

• Drake Caggiula - As another player who bounced around the NHL for eight seasons, Caggiula finally landed in the Swiss NL league in 2025. He is currently heading into his second season with Lausanne HC.

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