Blackhawks 2026-27 Projected Lines & Pairings Without Bedard

The Chicago Blackhawks and their fans received some harsh news on July 2, when they learned their franchise cornerstone Connor Bedard sustained a left shoulder injury during an offseason skating session. On July 8, the organization reported Bedard had undergone successful surgery, and set his timeline for recovery at approximately four months.

This puts the Blackhawks without their star player until early November, meaning he’ll miss over a month at the beginning of the 2026-27 campaign. It’s a tough blow for a team that’s trying to take the next step towards playoff contention.

There’s been some talk that general manager Kyle Davidson could be more aggressive in acquiring an additional forward this offseason now that Bedard is sidelined. But it has to be the right situation and the right fit. I wouldn’t want the Blackhawks to sign someone just to sign someone, regardless of Bedard’s status.

All this said, let’s look at what the forward lines and defensive pairings could look like to start the season, sans Bedard, with the Blackhawks’ current roster.  

Blackhawks Forward Lines

When the Blackhawks signed Russian prospect Roman Kantserov on May 14, I took a stab at way too early projected forward lines. After all, Kantserov was an exciting addition. The expectation is he could be the elite sidekick Bedard’s been looking for since he was drafted. Alas, the two will have to wait a little longer to find out.

These lines also included veterans Ilya Mikheyev and Andre Burakovsky, who we now know have been traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Ottawa Senators, respectively. But for a starting point, I’ll share this lineup below:     

Tyler Bertuzzi – Connor Bedard – Roman Kantserov

Frank Nazar – Anton Frondell – Nick Lardis

Teuvo Teravainen – Oliver Moore – Ilya Mikheyev

Ryan Donato – Ryan Greene – Andrew Mangiapane

Extras: Landon Slaggert, Andre Burakovsky

We also now know the Blackhawks acquired depth forwards Jordan Greenway (from the Buffalo Sabres) and Cole Smith (from the Vegas Golden Knights). Let’s insert them into our new lineup, remove those departed and the injured Bedard, and then discuss each line combination separately.

Bertuzzi – Frondell – Kantserov

Teravainen – Nazar – Lardis

Greene – Moore – Smith

Slaggert – Donato – Greenway

Extras: Mangiapane, Sacha Boisvert

First Line Thoughts

Bertuzzi – Frondell – Kantserov

In my initial projections, I had Nazar on the wing to better balance out the top-six. But with Bedard out, I’ve slated him back in at center. However, I believe Frondell will receive top line center honors over Nazar. Frondell usurped Nazar as second line center at the end of last campaign, and head coach Jeff Blashill has raved about his strong two-way game.

Bertuzzi and Frondell gained some good chemistry last season, so it makes sense to continue that. Bertuzzi can win puck battles and be the net front presence for this line. Kantserov can hopefully provide some scoring punch alongside the youngster and the veteran. He can also become accustomed to top-line minutes and responsibilities in preparation for Bedard’s return.

Second Line Thoughts

Teravainen – Nazar – Lardis

With Bedard out, Nazar obviously needs to step up and produce on a more consistent basis. He showed flashes throughout last season, but never seemed to put it all together. Honestly, this could really be his opportunity to shine.

The same goes for Lardis. The 21-year-old scored a respectable 10 goals and 15 points in 41 games last year, and got some run with Bedard to close out the season. Perhaps he and Nazar can find some good chemistry together.  

To round out the second line trio, I went with the Teravainen. Granted, the veteran had arguably his worst NHL season in 2025-26. But hopefully that’s behind him, because the Blackhawks need the 31-year-old to have a bounce back campaign.

Teravainen is an extremely smart player, and defensively sound. When playing well, his game could be the perfect complement to the other two. Plus, he and Nazar gelled when they lined up together earlier last season.

Third Line Thoughts

 Greene – Moore – Smith

Moore fared better at center than he did on the wing, and he finished last season as the third line center. He found he was able to utilize his speed more to is advantage when playing down the middle. Greene, on the other hand, performed pretty much the same whether he was at center or wing. Therefore, I put him on Moore’s wing. Two young players with the opportunity to grow together.

Greene spent a lot of time playing next to Bedard on the top line last season, where he did quite well for himself. But he’s thought of as more of a depth player on a more talented team. Either way, his versatility is something that will come in awfully handy for the Blackhawks this coming season. He’s defensively responsible but also can find the back of the net when given the opportunity.

You may have noticed by now there’s a theme with my line combinations, of having a veteran to complement younger players. Hence, rounding out the third line with the newly acquired Smith. He doesn’t offer much in the way of scoring, but he does have a physical edge. This line could become the new shutdown line, but with a threat to score.

Fourth Line & Extras Thoughts

Slaggert – Donato – Greenway

Extras: Mangiapane, Boisvert

This is your typical grit line. Slaggert has always taken pride in being hard to play against. However, it will be important for him to have a good start to the season. There’s lots of similar-minded players currently with the Rockford IceHogs knocking on the door to replace him. Not to mention Mangiapane, who also plays with an edge. However, I have a hunch Mangiapane could become what Sam Lafferty was last season, an insurance player who’s a healthy scratch more often than not.

Donato is another guy that brings a lot of energy. He’s very versatile and can play up and down in the lineup, including at center. I believe fourth line center is where the Blackhawks will need him the most. Boisvert plays center as well, but I think some quality time with the IceHogs will do him good first.

Finally, we have Greenway, included in the blockbuster trade to attain defenseman Bowen Byram. The 29-year-old offers size in that he’s 6-foot-6, 231 pounds. He’s also not afraid to drop the gloves. He’ll likely become the Blackhawk’s new enforcer.

Blackhawks Defensive Pairings

Moving on to defense, we already touched on the addition of Byram from the Sabres. Byram will automatically make the Blackhawk’s defensive corps better, with the expectation he’ll be the No. 1 defenseman for the club.

However, the team had to give up Louis Crevier as part of the Byram deal, leaving the Blackhawks with only two natural right-handed defensemen in Levshunov and Rinzel. Additionally, they acquired 37-year-old Ian Cole to be a steady veteran presence on the back end.

With these changes, let’s look at the new projected defensive pairings.

Byram – Rinzel

Vlasic – Levshunov

Kaiser – Cole

Extras: Korchinski, Del Mastro

Defensive Pairing Thoughts

Since the Blackhawks have such high hopes for Byram to elevate their group, I see him on the top pairing and on his natural left side. Can Rinzel live up to top-pairing expectations on the other side?! Well, I believe he’s further along in his development than Levshunov, even if Levshunov’s ceiling might be higher.

Hence Alex Vlasic and Levshunov on the second pairing. With Byram in the fold, some of the pressure can be taken off Vlasic, who can now fall back into more of a defensive defenseman role. His defensive responsibility can be a good complement to Levshunov, since the Belarusian’s play can be an adventure at times in the defensive zone. It can also free him up to be more aggressive offensively, which is his strength.

I slotted Kaiser on the third pairing, although depending on chemistry I could also see him and Vlasic flipped. After all, Kaiser and Levshunov played well together last season.

It would make the most sense to play Cole on his off side. He’s obviously the most experienced defenseman, so the transition wouldn’t be as difficult for him. Plus, he indicated at his introductory press conference he’s actually played close to half his career on his off side.

Finally, things get a little tricky when it comes to Kevin Korchinski and Ethan Del Mastro. Both were tendered qualifying offers by the Blackhawks, meaning contract extensions should be coming. Both would also have to clear waivers to be sent down to the IceHogs. It’s certainly not ideal for either of these players’ development to sit out on a regular basis. So just how will the Blackhawks balance this?

The Blackhawks could want to rotate Rinzel and Levshunov in and out of the lineup, giving them a chance to observe and learn from the outside at times. The same could be true for Korchinski & Del Mastro. Del Mastro probably has the most experience playing on his off side, so this could wind up being an advantage to him as he tries to crack the lineup.

Coach Blashill is also known for deploying a seven defenseman lineup, which would give an additional blueliner playing time. Plus, injuries always seem to factor into things.

But it will be interesting to see how this plays out. Perhaps Cole becomes more of a true seventh defenseman (as a healthy scratch) as the campaign progresses, and younger D-men grow into their roles. However, I also wouldn’t be at all surprised to see either Korchinski or Del Mastro be part of a trade before the season starts.

It’s a shame we have to complete this exercise without the inclusion of Bedard among the forward lines. Nevertheless, it’s always fun to attempt to predict lines and pairings! We’ll follow up on these projections during training camp, once we have a better idea what Coach Blashill has in mind for his roster combinations.

Until then, what are your thoughts on these projected lines and pairings?!