After the NHL Draft, free agency and other offseason moves, NHL.com is examining where each team stands in preparation for the 2025-26 regular season, which starts Oct. 7. Today, the Chicago Blackhawks:

2024-25 season: 25-46-11, eighth in Central Division; missed Stanley Cup Playoffs

Key arrivals

Andre Burakovsky, F: The 30-year-old, who was traded from the Seattle Kraken for forward Joe Veleno on June 21, will bring a veteran presence and speed to the Blackhawks’ top nine. He had 37 points (10 goals, 27 assists) in 79 games with the Kraken last season. … Sam Lafferty, F: The 30-year-old was traded from the Buffalo Sabres on July 1 for a sixth-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. Lafferty played for the Blackhawks from 2022-23, so there’s familiarity there. He had seven points (four goals, three assists) in 60 games with Buffalo last season. … Jeff Blashill, coach: The 51-year-old was hired on May 22, replacing Anders Sorensen, who was interim coach since Dec. 5, when coach Luke Richardson was fired. Blashill was 204-261-72 in 537 games as coach of the Detroit Red Wings from 2015-22.

Key departures

Pat Maroon, F: Maroon retired after playing his final game with the Blackhawks on April 12. The 37-year-old had 19 points (five goals, 14 assists) in 68 games last season, playing mostly on the fourth line. … Philipp Kurashev, F: The 25-year-old was outstanding in 2023-24, when he had 54 points (18 goals, 36 assists) in 76 games, but struggled last season with 14 points (seven goals, seven assists) in 51 games. He signed a one-year contract with the San Jose Sharks on July 1. … Alec Martinez, D: He also retired and played his final game on April 12. The 37-year-old had 12 points (five goals, seven assists) in 44 games and dealt with injuries throughout last season.

On the cusp

Oliver Moore, F: The 20-year-old had four assists in nine games last season with the Blackhawks, making his NHL debut with them on March 30. Moore, who played the past two seasons at the University of Minnesota, will bolster Chicago’s forward depth. … Landon Slaggert, F: The 23-year-old has played 49 games over the past two seasons with the Blackhawks but hasn’t found a steady spot in the lineup. He could change that this season with a strong training camp. … Artyom Levshunov, D: The 19-year-old made his NHL debut with the Blackhawks on March 10, and had six assists in 18 games. He spent most of his time with Rockford of the American Hockey League and is expected to be more of a mainstay this season. … Sam Rinzel, D: Just like Moore, the 21-year-old made his NHL debut with Chicago on March 30 after wrapping up his sophomore season at the University of Minnesota. Rinzel, who had five assists in nine NHL games, looked strong and fearless in his brief time with the Blackhawks.

What they still need

Depth. This is especially true at defenseman, where the Blackhawks have six players listed on their current roster. Kevin Korchinski is expected to be in the mix there too after spending most of last season with Rockford, but Chicago would like to have more options there.

They said it

“As we sit here now, I feel pretty happy about the veterans we’ve got, but also just the opportunity for competition amongst our young players that we’ll have if things were to stay the same. Of course, we’re going to continue to explore options out there. In terms of the NHL team, it’s probably more so trade options. I don’t know how much will be available to us, but it’s always something we’re exploring and looking into. But it feels like we’re in a pretty good spot.” — general manager Kyle Davidson

EDGE stat to watch

Connor Bedard led NHL forwards and was fifth in the NHL in skating distance at even strength (249.47 miles). Bedard was second among forwards in skating distance at all strengths (284.41), behind Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche (291.89). He was tied for sixth in the NHL in midrange goals (16) and ranked just outside the top 10 in midrange shots on goal (95; 98th percentile). — Chris Meaney

Fantasy spin

Rinzel had an assist in four straight games to finish the season and a power-play assist in each of his final three games. He and fellow rookie defenseman Levshunov give Chicago two players at the position in NHL.com’s top 100 keeper and dynasty rankings and a total of five players on that list, along with Bedard, goalie Spencer Knight and forward Frank Nazar. The selection of forward prospect Anton Frondell with the No. 3 pick of the 2025 NHL Draft gives the Blackhawks even more long-term fantasy appeal. — Chris Meaney

Projected lineup

Ryan Donato — Connor Bedard — Teuvo Teravainen

Tyler Bertuzzi — Frank Nazar — Andre Burakovsky

Nick Foligno — Jason Dickinson — Ilya Mikheyev

Lukas Reichel — Sam Lafferty — Oliver Moore

Alex Vlasic — Sam Rinzel

Wyatt Kaiser — Connor Murphy

Kevin Korchinski — Artyom Levshunov

Spencer Knight

Arvid Soderblom