NHL free agency began Wednesday, and what followed was the usual — a flurry of signings across the league. The Chicago Blackhawks acquired two players shortly after the clock turned 11 a.m.
Two Coles — defenseman Ian Cole and left winger Cole Smith — joined the Hawks, who then signed defenseman Bowen Byram to a six-year, $75 million contract extension.
The Hawks still have questions to answer this summer. Who will be star center Connor Bedard’s wings on the top line? Will they try to make a big trade?
Here are four things general manager Kyle Davidson shared in his media availability Wednesday.
1. That’s it for free agents … maybe
The Hawks signed a few two-way deals after Smith and Cole, but they had a quiet day compared with other teams. It’s a long offseason, but Davidson said he would be content with this Hawks roster for the upcoming season.
“This is all we’ve really got going right now,” Davidson said. “I believe we’ve filled some spots that we wanted to shore up while also leaving runway for some young players to continue their development and grow into roles that they’ve already started to mature into.
“At the same time, we’re going to keep looking into what’s available to us and making sure that we’re leaving no stone unturned to try and maximize our roster potential going into the season.”
The potentially inactive offseason will further Davidson’s belief in the young skaters he has drafted and signed during his tenure. When — or if — those players take a step forward has yet to be seen.
“(We’re) making sure that we’re putting all of our young players in situations to succeed while also shoring up some things that we need to shore up to make sure that the team is taking the necessary steps forward,” Davidson said. “Those are going to be discussions that we continue to have and try and gain further clarity in what that opening day lineup looks like.”
Though he’d be content with this roster, his phone’s ringer is always on.
“I don’t think you’re ever done in the offseason,” Davidson said. “The season’s a long way away, so you’re always going to be talking (and) interacting with teams.”
2. The new signees
Cole, 37, spent the last two seasons with the Utah Mammoth, playing all 82 games in both. It’s a new veteran voice in the Hawks locker room — Cole will be 10-plus years older than a majority of his new teammates.
The 2026-27 season will be the 17th of Cole’s career, in which he has won two Stanley Cups and skated for nine teams. The defenseman has registered 233 points (38 goals, 195 assists) with a plus-168 rating.
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“(Ian Cole) provides some veteran presence and a steadying influence on our young D corps,” Davidson said. “That veteran understanding of the game allows you to be effective, specifically in the defensive zone, and he’s a great penalty killer.
“There’s an understanding that he can bring to the game and a calm 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, (who’s) seen and experienced so much and won’t panic when things get a little haywire.”
Smith, 30, was traded to the Vegas Golden Knights from the Nashville Predators in exchange for Christoffer Sedoff and a 2028 third-round pick on March 3. He had 12 points (eight goals, four assists) across 63 games last season and added three goals and three assists with a plus-3 rating in the playoffs.
“If you watched the playoffs, he was a little bit of a wrecking ball on (the) forecheck,” Davidson said. “You look at some of the hit totals, they were pretty high.
“That’s an element we wanted to add to our group, (and I) felt it was something we probably lacked a little bit, especially after the deadline once Nick (Foligno) went to Minnesota. Trying to make life a little more difficult on the opposition was something that we intended on adding.”
3. Bedard’s wing men
Who will skate with Bedard on the top line? Likely someone on the current roster.
It won’t be André Burakovsky — who was traded to the Ottawa Senators for a 2027 sixth-rounder — but rather one of the many 20-somethings in the Hawks locker room. Davidson labeled a few players he has in mind.
“There are a number of guys that could work there,” Davidson said. “Whether it’s a younger guy like Nick Lardis, one of the guys that we have planned (for) the middle, can play on the wing — Ryan Greene’s a year older.
“Oliver Moore has got a growing game, there’s a number of different bets. We don’t know if Roman (Kantserov’s) going to work there — we believe it will — but that’s what training camp and games are for.”
Anton Frondell, 19, excelled in a small sample as Bedard’s wing. Davidson has different ideas, placing Frondell in the center group that includes Bedard and Frank Nazar.
“It’s probably (his) hockey sense and natural instincts on the ice,” Davidson said of Frondell skating at center. “Making sure he takes care of his own defensive responsibilities, his strength down the middle (and the) ability to create offense.”
“He has a mature way that he operates on the ice. It’s that two-way mindset and hockey IQ that allows him to be a trusted presence down the middle and one that management and the coaching staff believe in.”
Bedard, 20, was able to perform despite a revolving door of forwards skating alongside him in his third season. He had a career-high 75 points (30 goals, 45 assists) in 69 games in 2025-26.
Rumored trade targets such as Jason Robertson and Matthew Knies are still on the table, but it looks as if Bedard will share the ice with his current teammates instead.
4. Ilya Mikheyev’s departure
The inevitable happened Wednesday when veteran right winger Mikheyev signed with the Tampa Bay Lightning on a four-year, $15.4 million contract. It ended a two-year run with the Hawks.
“(Mikheyev) was an important player for us last year,” Davidson said. “Our coaches leaned on him a great deal, and I think the same can be said for (Connor Murphy) and (Jason Dickinson). These guys that did play those more defensive roles, those are much more specialty roles learned through experience and understanding in the league.”
Mikheyev, 31, had 36 points (18 goals, 18 assists) last season while being one of the best penalty killers in the league. It’s a hole to fill but one Davidson believes his new signings will satisfy.
“That motivated and informed our decision to target Cole Smith and Ian Cole,” the GM said. “We do have other players internally that we feel can contribute on the penalty kill and in defensive situations but we don’t want to put it all on young players that haven’t done it.”