On Monday, the Chicago Blackhawks announced qualifying offers for Connor Bedard, Kevin Korchinski, Drew Commesso, and Ethan Del Mastro.
They also decided not to tender offers for Ryan Mast and Dmitri Kuzman, who were likely never going to make it onto their NHL roster.
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The most interesting of these names is obviously Connor Bedard. They qualified him with an offer to keep him as an RFA on July 1st, but a lucrative contract for a notable number of years should follow.
It will be a long-term extension for a large amount of money, which will be the organization proving to Bedard that he is their franchise cornerstone.
As for Korchinski, Commesso, and Del Mastro, they are all depth pieces right now. Each of them has a ceiling of an NHL contributor. For Commesso, he should get more than 3 starts in the NHL next season, but it will also depend on how things go for Arvid Soderblom.
Korchinski and Del Mastro are probably not on the opening day roster, but will each get looks throughout the season for different reasons.
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Bedard eclipsed 30 goals and 70 points for the first time in 2025-26, and it likely would have been more had he not lost more than a month to a shoulder injury.
Chicago will “overpay” Bedard at first, but the contract that they give him could look like a bargain by this time next year if he reaches his goal-scoring potential and has over 100 points. His health will be a key to his success, as well as decisions made regarding his linemates.
As for the other three, only time will tell, but they are somewhat important pieces to the current state of the organization. The Rockford IceHogs are looking to have a big year in 2026-27, and these three are almost certainly going to have a say in that, even though they would like to be playing more games in the NHL.
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