Kyle Davidson Met With The Media To Talk About How Our Long, Deep, Painful, Rebuild Is Going And He Was On Target With Everything
An unpleasant, but I guess obligated press conference after moving Taylor Hall out. To me everything about Brossoit, Hall, the trade as a whole, and even how this year has gone didn't really matter. It's (still) all about the future at this stage. It's Bedard and the young guys. I saw a TON of chatter online after the Rantanen/Hall/Necas/Drury trade where the Blackhawks played the role of the Arizona Coyotes (which is smart, but simultaneously embarrassing) and the fan base is mad. And that is the part of the fan base who still actually cares. I was glad to see Kyle say he thought this group would be better. It's been a miserable year. He fired his first hand selected coach and things haven't gotten any better in standings even though I guess you could argue that the team is more fun to watch.
I am frustrated as a fan, but I wouldn't put much of that on Kyle. The building is flat with bad crowds. The games aren't really widely on TV, still, in 2025...and the people we care about as fans were systematically removed. That part sucks. Kyle is still executing his plan. The've got prospects, as we all know, but it's just if those prospects can become stars and if they are capable of playing a style that helps you win the Cup. That's how this has to end for the rebuild to be a success. You don't go through this embarrassing rebuild on and off the ice to end up like the Winnipeg Jets or Minnesota Wild where you just can't quite get over the hump. They've got a ton of bodies, but we are entering the phase where Davidson needs to build a team. Can't really evaluate this group for probably another 2 years. I hope Davidson has enough job security to be given that chance.
There were a couple of quotes that stuck out to me
On Bedard
“I think Connor’s taken some really nice steps this year. I get the attention he gets. He’s a high profile player coming into the league people pick every word apart way too much. He’s a competitive player that doesn’t like to lose. None of these guys if you’re in this league, you’re in this league because you don’t like to lose and you’re pushing forward, you have that drive to get better. They all have it. His words get taken much further than everyone else and everything’s read into a little bit more. I think you’re starting to see that offensive creativity blossom over the last little while here and he’s got some confidence and he’s got some swagger back and it’s really exciting to see. I think he’s playing really, really well. He’s skating really well.”
I don't know if this is about what Roenick and others (hand up) have speculated on after talking to people with the Blackhawks and around the league. If it's not...I can't remember a super inflammatory quote in that got Bedard in hot water. Bedard has been undeniably better and more confident under the new coaching staff. He's going to be a 100 point guy some day. We'll see if he can do everything required to be the face and leader of a team that lifts the Cup. That's a tall ask for any player. They're exceptionally rare. Most guys in the Hall of Fame aren't that guy. Bedard is tracking towards that all-star type. Let's all hope he gets there across the board and is the player we all dreamed about on draft night.
On the upcoming trade deadline and prospect pool
"…we will just kind of see what comes our way … there’s nothing that we’re going to certainly force. We’ve got a lot of assets. We are not necessarily in that asset build stage we were a little while ago and so we’ve got the luxury of being patient and just seeing what comes our way and hoping that the group continues to take some steps in the right direction as we have the last week or so"
“That’s where we’re building this thing, right? It’s through our young players and they’re showing up and they’re performing and they’re doing everything that we want and need them to do to give us confidence that we’re on the right track. And so their play and their development is showing us that we are on the right track, that we are trending the right way. Now they have to keep doing that."
It's great to have prospects, it's better to have bonafide stars. The old "one in the hand vs two in the bush". It's nice to hear that he also sees that the Blackhawks are more in roster construction mode now than acquiring lottery tickets. I think the foundation of this team being built on the blue line is a good thing. Big, mobile, dmen will play. Seems like Lev, Korch, and Rinzel all have a long way to go defensively, but they have the the raw tools to become at least solid NHL defensemen. This is where the patience in necessary even if it's annoying. It takes dmen forever. The old cliche is like 200 pro games. We saw that play out in our face with Vlasic. Going back to the last dynasty, Hjalmarsson had a full season in Sweden and then two seasons where he was up and down between Chicago and Rockford before becoming a full-time NHL player. It took our (former) guy Gustav Forsling like 7 pro seasons before he turned into a true shutdown Dman. We are going to get looks at all the young defensemen in the pipeline in the next 24 months, but they might not be studs for 5 years.
Lardis is absolutely pumping in goals in the OHL. I bet Canada wishes they selected him for the WJC. He seems like a guy with a skill set who would pair nicely with Bedard. He, like almost every Blackhawks prospect, is on the smaller side, but his production is undeniable. The Blackhawks need goals. They need talent. Hopefully his talent can translate to the NHL. Boisvert is off to a great start in college. Greene and Moore should sign at the end of their seasons.
I would love to add some NHL top 6 talent via trade, free agency, or through offer sheets. I don't know why the Blackhawks didn't try to punish Stan Bowman in Edmonton the way St Louis did. How nice would Dylan Holloway look as a piece for the future? There's a lot of talk about Rantanen and Mitch Marner becoming UFAs. My instinct says that Marner will stay in Toronto because they'll use his expiring deal and Tavares' expiring deal to give him a number that keeps him with Matthews and Nylander. If that does happen I hope Kyle swoops in an gives Matthew Knies an offer sheet. He is the exact profile of a player the Blackhawks are missing. Power forwards who can pump in 25-30 goals don't grow on trees. If Toronto is in a tough spot, Davidson has to take advantage. The Blackhawks need legit NHL players and soon. They've had a ton of picks. They've got more high picks coming. You can't be a loser forever. They need to start being aggressive.
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I really like Davidson. I find him to be honest. He seems humble, which I think is an important trait in a GM. You need to be able to humble in order to evaluate yourself and mistakes you've made. We have to be patient with the defensemen, but Davidson needs to improve the NHL roster while the prospects are ripening and he needs to start doing that like…now.