Blackhawks Offseason Road Map: Key Dates, Deadlines, and When Things Might Get Crazy

The Chicago Blackhawks 2022-23 season is now officially in the books.

We witnessed the end of the Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane Era in Chicago. We watched a team compete hard almost every night despite being out-manned (intentionally). As the players empty their lockers, book their tee times and vacations and plan their summers, fans are left to wonder what comes next for our hockey interests.

Here are some significant dates on the Blackhawks’ calendar that we know now as we plan our summers. We’ll begin with one of the more important dates in the franchise’s history since Game Six of the 2015 Stanley Cup Final: the 2023 NHL Draft Lottery.

Monday, May 8 — 2023 NHL Draft Lottery — 6 PM ET (ESPN)

May 12-28 — 2023 IIHF Men’s World Championship (Finland, Latvia)

June 4–10 — 2023 NHL Scouting Combine presented by adidas in Buffalo

Monday, June 26 — 2023 NHL Awards from Nashville

Wednesday, June 28 — Round One of the 2023 NHL Draft from Nashville — 6 PM CT (ESPN)

Thursday, June 29 — Rounds 2-7 of the 2023 NHL Draft — 10 AM CT (NHL Network)

Friday, June 30 Thursday, July 6 — Blackhawks Development Camp

Saturday, July 1 — Free agency begins — 11 AM CT

Wednesday, July 5 — Deadline for player-elected salary arbitration notification — 4 PM CT

Thursday, July 6 — Deadline for second club-elected salary arbitration notification

July 20 – Aug. 4 — Salary arbitration hearings held

Sunday, Aug. 6 — Deadline for salary arbitration decisions to be rendered

Sept. 13 –17 — Blackhawks Rookie Camp (St. Paul, MN)

Thursday, September 21 — Blackhawks open NHL training camp for the 2023-24 season

written by

Tab Bamford has been writing about the Chicago Blackhawks for almost two decades. He joined Bleacher Nation as the lead Blackhawks writer in May 2022. Tab is a member of the Professional Hockey Writers Association and is the author of two books about the Blackhawks: "100 Things Blackhawks Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die" (Triumph Books) and "Chicago Blackhawks: An Illustrated Timeline" (Reedy Press, 2021). Find him on Twitter/X/Instagram/Threads at @The1Tab

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