Jets gave up Nikolaj Ehlers but still found a way to haunt Blackhawks

After finishing at the bottom of the Central Division in 2024-25, the Chicago Blackhawks have shown a disappointing lack of urgency to improve their roster for next season. At the other end of the extreme, the reigning division champion Winnipeg Jets have hit the ground running.

The Jets knew ahead of time that they were going to lose forward Nikolaj Ehlers in free agency, which prompted them to be more proactive about filling the offensive void left by his departure. They did so by signing veteran forwards Gustav Nyquist and Tanner Pearson to one-year contracts to bolster a Winnipeg offense that finished last season with 12 different players recording double-digit goal totals.

Plus, as Blackhawks fans are painfully aware, the Jets made one other high-profile signing this offseason that could end up giving them a huge boost when it comes to getting over the playoff hump.

Jets gave up Nikolaj Ehlers but still found a way to haunt Blackhawks with Jonathan Toews signing

Former Blackhawks captain, two-time Stanley Cup champion and future Hall of Famer Jonathan Toews signed a one-year contract with his hometown Jets for this upcoming season. While he hasn't played since 2023 due to health issues and admittedly wouldn't be a fit on a rebuilding Blackhawks roster, Toews signing with a Central Division rival adds salt to the wound for Chicago.

The additions of Toews, Nyquist and Pearson still left the Jets with more than $18 million in cap space as they head to arbitration with RFA forward Gabriel Vilardi, who was third on the team with 27 goals last season. The Blackhawks, meanwhile, have more than $22 million in cap space that they don't seem to be in any hurry to spend.

This isn't to suggest that the Blackhawks should spend for the sake of spending. They have clear needs to address on their roster, such as adding proven scorers around Connor Bedard or filling the void on the blue line left by Seth Jones' departure. They've only made minor moves this offseason, though, adding Andre Burakovsky and Sam Lafferty to their forward group and re-signing Ryan Donato to a four-year contract.

As the Blackhawks enter contract extension talks with Bedard, this lack of urgency to improve their roster is concerning. After all, they're going to have a hard time convincing their superstar center to sign long-term if they aren't showing any commitment to building a winning team around him.