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Reacting to a Blackhawks trade & the Bulls' draft | Chicago Sports Tonight
Tuesday was a busy night in Chicago. The Bulls drafted two players in the first round of the 2026 NBA Draft. The Blackhawks made a blockbuster trade to acquire Bowen Byram. Cassie, Sam and Chris break it down.
There was risk in the Chicago Blackhawks trading for Bowen Byram.
Namely, the team would need to get a contracted extension done to keep a player they paid a premium for to remain in Chicago for the long term.
Check that off the list.
Here’s what we learned as the Chicago Blackhawks began NHL Free Agency on Wednesday, inking an expensive extension that was expected but necessary.
Byram is here to stay in Chicago
Bowen Byram didn’t want to step on any toes. He wanted to make sure his first foot forward with the Chicago Blackhawks was one made out of respect.
Byram was at Blackhawks’ developmental camp on Wednesday, skating with Alex Vlasic and Ayrtom Levshunov. He wore No. 24 on his helmet, which the number Blackhawks' star defenseman Doug Wilson wore during his playing days. He opted to wear No. 24 over No. 4, out of respect for former Blackhawks’ standout defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson.
It was one of the first moments for Byram in a Blackhawks’ uniform. It came after reports of his extension materialized, making him the highest-paid defensemen in the NHL.
That’s now come to fruition.
"The reason I'm standing in front of you guys in Chicago today is because they believe in me and how I play, the player I am," Byram said. "I don't think I necessarily need to change anything. Do I think I can be better and evolve? 100%. I think I'm going to get the opportunity to do so here, and I'm super excited for that. I also think I'm ready for it physically, mentally, on the ice, off the ice, whatever it might be."
Byram has officially signed a six-year extension worth $75 million per year with an average annual value of about $12.5 million per year.
This extension will kick in at the beginning of the 2027-2028 NHL season.
He’s officially the Blackhawks’ top defenseman for the foreseeable future, leading a pack that includes Levshunov, Vlasic, Wyatt Kaiser, Ethan Del Mastro, Kevin Korchinski and Sam Rinzel. All of these defensemen are 25 years old or younger.
Byram getting anointed the leader of a young defense is high pressure for a player that’s 25 years old, but the Blackhawks are taking a swing on a player who has won a Stanley Cup. He told reporters after the trade he’s been waiting for an opportunity to be a top defenseman.
That’s why he doesn’t feel pressure walking into a situation as a top defensemen when he has never played that role for either Buffalo or Colorado.
"I've had pressure my whole career," Byram said. "I was a fourth overall pick six years ago, whatever it is. I played in a lot of big games, world junior games, Western League final games, Stanley Cup Final games, Game 7s in the playoffs. I feel like, for being a young guy and only playing around 300 games in NHL, I've got a lot of experience. I'll definitely draw on that."
Blackhawks ink veterans to start free agency
The Blackhawks’ first move of free agency was agreeing to terms with Cole Smith to a three-year deal worth an average of $3 million per year.
Shortly after, they inked defenseman Ian Cole to a one-year deal worth $4.75 million.
The team announced both of these additions.
These are far from high-profile signings, but they represent depth moves that fill out the back end of the roster.
Smith is a fourth-line forward that’s a physical player who played well on the penalty kill for the Las Vegas Golden Knights. Smith played in all 22 games for Vegas in their playoff run to the Stanley Cup Final. He registered 100 hits across those 22 games, according to Hockey Reference.
Cole comes to Chicago as a seasoned veteran that’s an experienced shot blocker. He had 151 blocked shots in the 2025-2026 season for Utah, and 211 blocked shots in the year prior for Utah.
Cole also joins Byram in bringing a winning pedigree to the Blackhawks’ roster. He won two Stanley Cups in his career, both with Pittsburgh in back-to-back seasons in 2016 and 2017. Those two do bring good pedigrees to help mentor a young Blackhawks’ roster. Cole reportedly had options in free agency, but opted to sign in Chicago.
Plenty of the top names in this free agency class flew around the league.
Goalie Sergei Bobrovsky is moving from Florida to Toronto. Viktor Arvidsson was considered one of the top options available on the free agent market; he heads to Detroit.
The Blackhawks are fortifying their young core with experienced players, which has been the case for a few offseasons now.