Toews Is Done. Bedard's Chicago Begins.

Jonathan Toews retired in June, and with him went the last living connection to the dynasty — three Cups, a captaincy that defined an era, the kind of career Chicago hadn't seen since the Hull years. The franchise flag came down quietly, as these things usually do.

What's gone up in its place is stranger and more interesting. Connor Bedard, recovering from shoulder surgery and unable to skate, spent his summer reshaping the roster. He said publicly he wanted Patrick Kane back. Kane signed a two-year deal and came back. That's a 21-year-old center, rehabbing, pulling a future Hall of Famer home by force of will. The transition of power in Chicago happened faster than anyone expected, and it happened while Bedard was sitting in a sling.

The pieces around him are taking shape. Bowen Byram is locked in on a long-term extension as the defensive cornerstone the back end desperately needed after that 4.2-goals-against collapse to end last season. Tyler Bertuzzi is back as the second offensive option. Kane adds veteran presence and finishing ability to a group that was thin on both. There's even a Toews ceremonial return being floated, per recent reporting — which would be a tidy closing of the loop, if it happens.

The narrow path to relevance runs through Bedard's shoulder healing on schedule, Byram anchoring a defense that was genuinely broken, and Kane producing enough to justify the price tag. All three have to hold. But for the first time in a while, Chicago's offseason has had a logic to it — and the person supplying that logic is the one who can't even practice yet.