Roman Kantserov

Since the Blackhawks selected Connor Bedard first overall in 2023, the most glaring holes on their depth chart have been the two wing spots next to him.

Bedard’s most common linemates at 5-on-5 in year one were Nick Foligno and Philipp Kurashev. In year two, amid a never-ending rotation, Ryan Donato and Ilya Mikheyev eked out the honors.

This year, it’s André Burakovsky and rookie Ryan Greene. The 20-year-old’s continued emergence into a top-tier superstar and increased defensive commitment this season have helped fuel a resurgence for the former, with Burakovsky’s nine goals and 23 points in 34 games on pace for his highest totals in three years. Greene, only one year older than Bedard, is up to 14 points in 39 games after a recent hot streak.

Of course, Bedard’s 44 points on the year are still nearly twice what his best support man, Burakovsky, has posted, despite missing the last several games with a shoulder injury. While Chicago’s early hot start offered some promise, it’s clear now that was a Spencer Knight-fueled mirage as they’ve slipped back to being one point out of last place. As for Bedard and his support system, the talent gap has never been more apparent – even Kurashev and Donato finished within spitting distance for the team lead in points in 2023-24 and 2024-25, respectively.

With a top-two pick spent on Artyom Levshunov and an elite young netminder acquired in Knight, Chicago has stars lined up at every position – except for Bedard’s linemates, if only looking at the NHL roster for the past few years is any indication.

In reality, the pieces to complete an era-defining forward line for the Hawks are already in place and won’t necessarily require the big free-agent splash that some were hoping for this year or last. One of them comes down to a math problem. In the early stages of their careers, Chicago has preferred to keep Frank Nazar separate from Bedard at 5-on-5 and have them each center their own lines. That’s largely worked out well with Nazar on a 52-point pace in his second NHL season.

Center Anton Frondell is on the way as well after being drafted third overall last year. With 10 goals and 15 points in 25 games for Djurgårdens IF in a challenging European pro environment in the SHL, he will almost certainly be a top-six option for the Blackhawks in 2026-27. Neither he, Bedard, nor Nazar is suited for third-line duties long-term. One of them will slot in on Bedard’s wing next season.

The premise of this article could all be for naught if the Hawks end up with another lottery pick in this year’s draft. Their selection would almost undoubtedly be either Gavin McKenna or Ivar Stenberg, both wingers with the skill level to drop in as a Bedard running mate out of camp. But if the balls don’t bounce their way, there’s an in-house candidate who will likely get a shot with a mix of Bedard, Frondell, and Nazar next fall.

Roman Kantserov has long been overlooked as an impact piece. Perhaps that’s simply because Chicago’s wealth of draft picks over the past several years has created one of the deepest pools in recent memory.

The 2023 second-round pick wasn’t viewed as much of a draft steal at the time. He was the 16th-ranked European skater by NHL Central Scouting, and only one major public scouting service had him as a late first-rounder (some even had him in the third).

No longer can he be ignored. Fast forward three years, and the 21-year-old is already a champion and an All-Star in Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League, a top-three competition in the world. Even that doesn’t give proper credence to what the undersized but extremely high-motor winger has brought to the table this season. With a 26-19–45 scoring line in 38 games, he’s third in the KHL in scoring and is first in pure goal-scoring. If that holds, he will break Kirill Kaprizov‘s record as the youngest single-season goal-scoring leader, albeit only by a few months.

McKeen’s Hockey tabbed Kantserov as the No. 8 prospect in the Hawks’ pool entering the season and profiled him as a “high-energy, third-line grinder with the potential to contribute offensively.” He’s answered the bell on the last part of that sentence as best as he possibly can before making the jump from Russia. Pairing two sub-6’0″ players on a top line may be an area of concern, but his pace and physicality make him a near-perfect stylistic complement for Bedard, with his historic overseas production suggesting he boasts much more upward mobility in their lineup than some thought.

Kantserov is in the final season of his contract with Metallurg Magnitogorsk. Technically, his contractual obligations won’t conclude until May 31, but KHL clubs have shown some degree of willingness to release players a few weeks early – assuming their season is over – to sign NHL entry-level contracts. Whether that’s something Chicago wants to pursue to get Kantserov in the lineup for the final few games of the regular season remains to be seen. It should be a foregone conclusion, though, that he will be given a lengthy runway to add his name to Chicago’s long list of young, NHL-ready stars come September.