What Will the Blackhawks Do With Andre Burakovsky?

Tuesday, April 14, 2026 ,
Chicago Blackhawks forward Andre Burakovsky skates with the puck during 2026 game.

Andre Burakovsky arrived last summer as a reclamation project, a two-time Cup winner acquired from the Seattle Kraken in exchange for Joe Veleno, given a shot at rediscovering his game with a change of scenery and a promising young centre to skate beside. 

Through the first half of the season, it actually worked. 

By January 9th, Burakovsky had 29 points through 38 games, and he was playing some of the best hockey he had in years alongside Connor Bedard. 

Then it stopped. 

Since Jan. 8, he has managed just one goal and three points in 35 games, and the Hawks have been getting outscored badly with him on the ice. He's also recorded a brutal -23 plus/minus rating in that stretch.

He has one more year remaining on his contract, carrying a $5.5M AAV.

The Numbers Don't Lie

Chicago was outscored 25-11 at five-on-five during his ice time over that stretch, outshot by 88. 

The Blackhawks tried everything, kept him with Bedard long past the point most coaches would have pulled the plug, then slid him to the third line, then the fourth. 

His final two appearances before the scratch saw him log under 10 minutes of ice time each night.

The 31-year-old simply appears to have no role on a team that's building around speed and youth, especially when he's not a defensive specialist, not a grinder, and clearly not the offensive linchpin he was supposed to be alongside the best player in the rebuilding. 

He ends the season with 11 goals and 21 assists across 74 games, which is a modest return on a $5.5 million cap hit. He also held a -34 plus/minus rating, bringing his career totals to an even 0 plus/minus rating.

The Crowded Summer Ahead

Seven young forwards are considered locks for the 2026-27 roster in Bedard, Frank Nazar, Ryan Greene, Oliver Moore, Nick Lardis, Anton Frondell, and Roman Kantserov. 

Add Tyler Bertuzzi and Ryan Donato, who have years left on their deals, and Landon Slaggert, likely as a 10th, and there's no obvious spot for Burakovsky even if he turns it around. 

The Hawks also want to re-sign Ilya Mikheyev. The Sun-Times' Ben Pope has been direct about the calculus: buying out Burakovsky's contract would cost $3 million against the cap in 2026-27 and $1.25 million in 2027-28, which is a manageable hit, and arguably the simplest path out of a situation with no good options on the other side. 

The alternative, trading him, is a harder sell when a player is coming off three points in three months.

Photo Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

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