The Chicago Blackhawks have an important season ahead of them. The organization has committed to building through the draft, and a plethora of draft picks are NHL-ready, or on the cusp of being NHL-ready. Many young players will have a chance to make their mark this season; some becoming everyday players while many others will make their NHL debuts. Meanwhile, a small group of veterans will be tasked with helping the youngsters find their way.
In this series headed into the 2025-26 campaign, we’ll preview each player projected to make the roster, and what their role will be with the team. This edition’s spotlight is on Wyatt Kaiser.
Kaiser By The Numbers
Drafted: Third round (81st overall) in 2020 by the Blackhawks
Position: Defenseman (Left Handed)
Height/Weight: 6-foot, 173 pounds
Age/Birthdate: 23 years old (7/31/2002)
Country: USA
2024-25 Stats: 4 goals, 4 assists, 8 points in 57 games
Career Stats: 4 goals, 14 assists, 18 points in 98 games
How He Got Here
Kaiser was introduced to Blackhawks fans after signing an entry-level deal out of the University of Minnesota-Duluth in 2023. At the time, he was coming off a career-high his junior year with 23 points in 35 games, and played nine games with the Blackhawks to end the season, recording three points.
He made the team out of training camp in 2023-24, but then struggled and was sent to the Rockford IceHogs in December 2023. When he was brought back to Chicago in March 2024, he was better and mentioned rejuvenating his play in Rockford.
That has been the pattern with Kaiser: going up and down between Rockford and Chicago. Last season, he started with the Blackhawks, got sent down in December, but got recalled nine days later after sending Kevin Korchinski back down. Here’s the thing with Kaiser: besides the back and forth, he improved with each call-up, and that final recall in February was his defining stint.
Kaiser has always been commended for being able to use his skating ability well. Former head coach Anders Sorensen said in March, “He’s been really good. I think constant communication about his super strength, which is his skating. He’s doing that really well in terms of closing in on gaps with his skating, breaking pressure with his skating, just advancing pucks with his skating, with his feet and just keep doing that.” (from ‘How Blackhawks defenseman Wyatt Kaiser’s game has taken off lately’ – The Athletic – 03/22/2025).
He became a lot more defensively sound, and it was encouraging to see, as that is what the Hawks want from their defensemen’s development. He had his best month in March, when he once had four points in an eight-game span. He was also the only Blackhawks defenseman to play 30-plus games without a negative plus/minus, with a zero rating.
Because of the growth he showed, Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson gave him a qualifying offer, as Kaiser is a restricted free agent.
Kaiser’s Role in 2025-26
Now, here’s the catch. Kaiser was given a qualifying offer in June. We are less than a week away from training camp, and there has yet to be a contract extension. Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times reported that the two have yet to reach an agreement on terms.
The Blackhawks are in a weird predicament, knowing they have a lot of defensemen. However, it’s hard not to think they won’t reach an agreement. AFP Analytics projected that a short-term contract could be around three years, costing a little over $3 million AAV.
Related: Chicago Blackhawks 2025-26 Player Previews
Whenever a deal gets done, Kaiser can continue to progress. He played with Artyom Levshunov towards the end of the season as the second or third pairing, so that could be one to watch. He’s only two days away from hitting 100 NHL games, making him one of the more experienced members of the young defense core, and he can use that to his advantage.
Like most of the d-core, he hasn’t fully hit his ceiling yet, and whenever they reach an agreement, that is exactly what the Blackhawks will want to find out. Kaiser makes yet another intriguing piece on defense.
