In the 2015–16 season, in the final year of his contract and with the Jets out of playoff contention, on February 25, 2016, Ladd was traded back to the Blackhawks (along with Jay Harrison and Matt Fraser) in exchange for Marko Daňo and a 2016 first-round draft pick. Ladd appeared in 19 games for the Blackhawks, where he recorded eight goals and four assists. He generally skated with captain Jonathan Toews on the team's first line. Ladd also played in all seven of the Blackhawks playoff games, tallying one goal and one assist.