Davidson Shares Early Plans For Blackhawks Center Position in 2026-27
Not only did Davidson spend time interviewing countless players and watching them go through drills, but he also spoke with Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times to discuss various topics at this stage in the offseason. It was the first time Davidson spoke with any media members since the results from the 2026 NHL Draft Lottery were announced on May 5.
One of the matters Davidson was asked about from Pope surrounded the Blackhawks’ makeup at center for the 2026-27 season, considering there are several options to play down the middle, and only four open spots. At the end of last year, Anton Frondell received his first trial run at center and flourished, perhaps cementing himself as the teams’ second-line center behind Connor Bedard moving forward. Aside from Bedard and Frondell, Frank Nazar, Oliver Moore, and Ryan Greene have each spent time at center early in their respective careers.
While there are surely training-camp battles to come in the fall over which player(s) begins the season in what specific role(s), Davidson mentioned that he already has an idea of how the Blackhawks’ depth chart will shake out at center. He believes the team is ready to move forward with Bedard, Frondell, and Nazar centering the top three forward lines.
Davidson’s plans presumably foreshadow that when camp begins in September, Bedard and Frondell won’t initially play alongside one another on the top line. Frondell made his NHL debut on Bedard’s wing against the New York Islanders on Mar. 24 and remained in that spot for a handful of games. The two former top-three selections fared well with each other before Frondell was eventually given the chance to center his own line.
With Nazar expected to center the third line behind Bedard and Frondell, there’s a strong chance that Moore will open next season playing the wing inside the Blackhawks top-nine forward group. He bounced between the two positions throughout his rookie season, although his best stretches mostly came down the middle. It will be fascinating to see how he looks while playing wing during camp and the preseason — and which center iceman he gets paired with.
Much like Moore, Greene split time between center and wing as a rookie in 2025-26, but most of his games came as Bedard’s winger. However, Greene was second among all players on the Blackhawks in faceoffs taken last season, winning 42.7 percent of his draws as a 22-year-old. Head coach Jeff Blashill seems to appreciate all the details in Greene’s two-way play, which could give him a chance to play center long-term.
Greene’s immediate role when camp begins will be interesting to watch for many reasons. First, with the Blackhawks hoping to make strides as a team in their rebuild next season, the organzation/coaching staff likely want a more high-end offensive player on Bedard’s wing. No offense to Greene, who led all Blackhawks rookies with 29 points last year, but it’s time for Bedard to have more capable linemates. Will Blashill and Davidson see it the same way?
Second, if Greene doesn’t slip into a top-six wing spot as anticipated, will he slide into the team’s fourth-line center role, underneath Bedard, Frondell, and Nazar? As mentioned earlier, Blashill was outspoken many times last year about Greene’s hockey smarts and utilized him often at the faceoff dot. Will that lead to a chance at centering his own line in the fall? The Blackhawks would be remarkably young down the middle, but Ryan Donato is the only other candidate currently on the roster to be the fourth-line center. We’ll find out in a few months.
It’s also worth mentioning that Moore and Greene’s versatility bodes well for the Blackhawks, as they both have are capable of sliding up and down the lineup at different positions. That gives Blashill and his staff no shortage of lineup options to tinker with, and their flexibility can also come in handy if/when injuries pop up.
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The post Davidson Shares Early Plans For Blackhawks Center Position in 2026-27 appeared first on Chicago Hockey Now.
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