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3 Blackhawks Bounce-Back Candidates For 2026-27
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- 3 Blackhawks Bounce-Back Candidates For 2026-27
The Chicago Blackhawks made a handful of impactful additions to their group over the summer. There are veterans and young players ready to come together to try to get this team back into playoff contention.
Part of getting the Hawks on the rise will be players reaching and perhaps exceeding expectations. Development in certain areas will naturally help them progress.
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The team will have an even greater chance of climbing the standings if certain members have comeback seasons. These three, in particular, are expected to have a big bounce-back in 2026-27.
Teuvo Teravainen was signed to be a veteran point producer for the Chicago Blackhawks. He has had his moments, but the organization would admit that they expect more out of him.
Teravainen had 53 points in his final season with the Carolina Hurricanes , and he followed that up with 58 in his return to Chicago. 2025-26 is when he fell off as he had 14 goals and 21 assists for 35 points in 75 games played. Defensively, he is not good enough to make up for his lack of offensive production.
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At 31 years old, Teuvo Teravainen could have a lot of good years left as an NHL player, but he would like to have a bounce-back year in terms of points. Part of it will have to do with his role on the team, but he has the talent to have a better showing than he did one year ago, regardless of what line he's on.
The Blackhawks are a deeper team at forward after some additions made this summer, which almost guarantees a solid running mate to play with Teravainen. It also means that they won't dress players who don't contribute, so there is incentive for him to get back on track.
Artyom Levshunov will instill a lot more confidence in people if he has a great bounce-back year in 2026-27. In his first full NHL season, things didn't go the way he would have liked.
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There were times when his speed and skills were on full display, but they were mostly dulled by bad decision-making and a clear need for development.
A lot of pedigree exists within Levshunov, being a former second overall pick (2024). He has dominated in other leagues before, but he is still waiting for it all to come together in the National Hockey League.
Levshunov scored his first two career NHL goals in 2025-26, and he had 22 assists for 24 points. It's not terrible for a rookie defenseman, but another level can be reached if he continues to mature.
Entering his third season post-draft season, he has a lot to accomplish. The tools are there for him to be an offensive contributor, but he has to get the other parts of his game to a winning level.
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Arvid Soderblom is the one who may find himself looking for a new hockey home quickly if he doesn't have a bounce-back season.
In 2025-26, Soderblom was Spencer Knight 's full-time backup and didn't perform the way he wanted to on most nights. There were some good moments, but the entire body of work doesn't guarantee him the backup role beyond his contract ending in July of 2027.
Soderblom went 8-13-3 with one shutout, a 3.80 goals-against average, and an .880 save percentage. The record was mostly because the team was bad, and all of his stats can partially be blamed on that, but he knows he must be better.
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Part of the struggle for Soderblom is the fact that Drew Commesso is coming up quickly. Commesso has been great at every stop, including a handful of NHL appearances in 2025-26 when injuries/illness popped up. For Soderblom to keep his job this year and be an NHL goalie next year, a huge performance will be needed from him in the upcoming campaign.
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