NEWSLETTER
No general manager in sports is perfect. Not every rebuild is going to work out or go exactly to plan. But… so far, I love what Kyle Davidson has done with the Chicago Blackhawks.
Obviously it helps that they won the 2023 NHL Draft Lottery and landed Connor Bedard. But I think he’s done a fantastic job identifying and hiring a head coach, shipping off veterans to acquire a ton of draft capital, and bringing in solid players to help establish a culture. (Well, with that one exception.)
Over the last week, we’ve gotten some contract extension news too. Nick Foligno and Jason Dickinson have been great culture guys in the room for the Blackhawks, and both have produced. They both agreed to two-year extensions.
According to ESPN’s Kevin Weekes, goaltender Petr Mrazek could be up next. I like the fact that, instead of shipping those guys off for mid-round picks at the deadline, Davidson is choosing to help build a culture and build toward a roster next season that can be better than this one.
However… having said that, I still think money needs to be spent this offseason.
This year’s team wasn’t built to be a playoff team this year, but the roster was certainly in a better spot than last year’s squad. Injuries are going to happen — no one is to blame for that — and no one could have predicted the calamity of injuries the Hawks have dealt with this year.
This offseason, though, I think we need to see a step further than last year’s. Mainly, I think it’s time to go get Bedard some real help.
Now, please read this: I’m not saying go spend stupid money with lengthy term attached. Truth be told, I’m happy that William Nylander got extended with the Leafs. I don’t think he’s a guy I wanted to break the bank for. I’d be much more interested in breaking the bank for a guy like Leon Draisaitl in 2025. Or (and if this happens I’ll jump in Lake Michigan in my Hossa jersey) Connor McDavid in 2026.
What I do want to see though is Davidson bringing in established players who can keep up with Bedard. Taylor Hall was a start, and it was really unfortunate he hurt his knee. But Hall will be 33 years old next year and coming off an ACL injury, so who knows if he’ll be the same player he was before.
Bedard has been great this season, and he’s been doing a lot of the heavy lifting on his own. Foligno is a great locker-room guy. I’m pumped he’s sticking around. He’s also been a 3rd or 4th liner the last few years on good teams and shouldn’t really be a top-line guy. Dickinson has easily surpassed my expectations. I’m thrilled he’s hanging around, but on a playoff team, he should probably be a third-liner.
For Bedard’s development, it’s time to go get him some players who can keep up with his ELITE skill.
For example: Steven Stamkos might become a free agent this summer because Tampa has a brutal cap situation. Maybe he wants to chase a Cup next year, or maybe he’d take a two-year deal with a higher cap number to play alongside and mentor Bedard the way Foligno has. He’s a winner, he fits the culture, and he can still play at an elite level (41 points in 41 games this season). The question is how much are the Blackhawks willing to potentially “overpay” him on a two-year deal, and if he would accept a shorter-term deal at his age to play in a building scenario.
If you look back at Patrick Kane & Jonathan Toews’ rookie seasons in 2007-08, the Hawks had a decent amount of NHLers already. Kane and Toews were able to play with highly skilled guys like Patrick Sharp and Martin Havlat. Jason Williams and Tuomo Ruttu were established players. I’m not saying the Hawks are anywhere near as far along now as that roster was, but Kane & Toews stepped into situations and played with players who could keep up with them.
This year’s list of older, skilled players the Hawks could afford to overpay in the short term to play alongside Bedard is at least interesting. Jordan Eberle, Jake Guentzel, Jonathan Marchessault, and Vlad Tarasenko could be a few possibilities.
The Hawks are in a GREAT salary cap space. They have a ton of draft picks and prospect capital. Davidson has done a fantastic job setting them up for the future. By no means do I want them to spend too early and tie up too much money going forward.
In the short term, however, I’m hoping Davidson does his best to surround Bedard with as much top-end talent as he can that still makes financial sense for the long term. That way, when the time comes to go and win, Bedard is as far along in his development as possible, and the cap situation is still solid.
