Blackhawks’ actual offseason strategy revealed amid rampant rumors

The Chicago Blackhawks are heading into a critical summer in which they will have a golden opportunity to make their already intriguing team legitimately better.

The Blackhawks are armed with cap space and a bevy of draft capital this offseason which they can utilize to sign free agents, accumulate more young talent and potentially swing some significant trades to bolster their roster.

Chicago may have totaled just 72 points this season and has missed the playoffs six years in a row, but there is no question that the Blackhawks are an ascending squad that could be in the mix for a postseason berth sooner than you think.

Of course, Chicago will need to ensure it makes all of the right moves to take that next step, which is what makes these coming weeks so pivotal for the franchise.

But amidst all of the noise about the Blackhawks’ rumored trade targets and what they’re going to do on the open market, what actually is the central theme of Kyle Davidson’s plan going into the offseason? Bleacher Report’s Lyle Fitzsimmons knows the answer.

Chicago Blackhawks are prioritizing Connor Bedard’s future

Connor Bedard is slated to hit restricted free agency on July 1, and while that doesn’t really put the Hawks in danger of losing the young star, it does mean they need to get moving when it comes to putting a contender around him and making sure he sticks around for the long haul.

Fitzsimmons feels that extending Bedard will actually be Chicago’s primary order of business this summer.

“GM Kyle Davidson is saying all the right things about wanting to improve on the back end after the Blackhawks surrendered the second-most shots and the sixth-most goals per game last season,” Fitzsimmons wrote. “But let’s face it, the whispers in the background are about getting pending RFA Connor Bedard signed long term.”

There are multiple reasons why signing Bedard to a long-term pact now would be enormous for the Blackhawks.

First and foremost, Chicago wouldn’t have to worry about him receiving a gargantuan offer elsewhere that it would have to match. Bedard is under team control for the foreseeable future, so if the Blackhawks really wanted to, they could play the RFA game for quite some time. But why do that when you can just save some money over the long haul by getting him locked up now?

Second, inking Bedard to an extension would allow Chicago to know how much money it can allot to other areas. It’s not just about keeping Bedard in the Windy City; it’s about contending for championships while he is aboard, so knowing exactly what you can spend elsewhere for years to come would help tremendously.

We’ll see if the Blackhawks can get something done with Bedard.

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