A new era starts today 👊 pic.twitter.com/MRuJoODfVE
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) March 2, 2022
In a way, yesterday's press conference to introduce Kyle Davidson as the 10th general manager in Blackhawks history was what the infamous townhall from a few weeks ago was supposed to be like in terms of answering questions that were plaguing the minds of the fanbase.
Notable Quotes
Chief executive officer Danny Wirtz on Davidson:
"He's his own person. He has his own philosophies. He's not tied to anything from the past or any preconceived notions."
Davidson on the state of the team:
"We are looking at a rebuild. We're gonna stick to the plan and take our time with it."
"We're going to look at more of a rebuild here. There's some things that we need to fix that are going to take time."
"It's clear we need to be better. The standings tell us that every day. No matter if it takes 3 years, 5 year, when we get there it's our mission to stay there."
"We need to rebuild our prospect pool, we need to rebuild our roster, and that takes time."
"We need to do this the right way."
"What the fans can get excited about is this is going to be new. There's going to be a lot of change coming."
Davidson on veteran players:
"I think I'd be misguided to not to seek thoughts and opinions from someone like Patrick (Kane) who has first hand understanding of what it takes to succeed in this league."
"That’s too far into the future. All I wanted to share was my general sentiment that [Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane] deserve the heads up and hear it directly from me. We'll continue to be in contact with each other."
"There won't be any surprise for Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane moving forward."
"[Marc-Andre Fleury has] played so well and has been such an amazing influence in our locker room and you want to do right by that. He's definitely (deserving) of that respect on our end and we'll keep giving that to him."
Davidson on Derek King:
"[Derek King is] going to get a firsthand practical interview, just like I had. One thing I'm looking for is an elite communicator. Communication is so important now, especially with players."
Davidson on Brian Campbell:
"I asked if he could be at morning skate. That was October 27 and he hasn't left."
"I couldn't ask for a more loyal friend and confidant."
Personal Perspective
I for one am supportive of what Wirtz and Davidson said during the press conference. As long as they stay true to their word and remain devoted to the path they exclaimed yesterday, there's quite a bit to be excited about regarding the future of the Blackhawks.
Dedication to a rebuild rather than a retool on the fly or a reinvestment in an all-in strategy to try contending now is a breath of fresh air. The rise back to relevance and to the top of the league again as a perennially dominant force needs a rebuild.
But as mentioned in yesterday's blog, a rebuild comes in different forms. The quotes shared above provide some definition to how management may be shaping the franchise's rebuilding plan. If I ever had a chance to deposit my input, here's what I would suggest:
* Ask Toews and Kane whether they want to be part of a rebuild and re-sign with the team as their current twin deals near expiration. If they say yes, ink them to respectable and affordable contracts and lean on them for advice on how to reconstruct the roster.
* Request their list of teams they'd be willing to be traded to if one or both say no, then work the phones to negotiate a package that makes sense for all parties. Do them right out of respect but also don't settle for a less than optimal return just to play nice.
* Pose the same question to Fleury and Seth Jones and proceed based on how they respond. Identifying a suitor for him as well as getting a favorable return isn't a tall order -- or at least it shouldn't be. More news about Fleury at the end of this blog.
* Realize that Jones would be tough to ship out as his new 8-year contract worth $9.5M AAV doesn't kick in until the summer. It could take sweeteners in order to reap assets worth the team's while, i.e. high draft picks, viable prospects, and impact roster players.
* Find new homes for Dominik Kubalik, Henrik Borgstrom, Ryan Carpenter, Calvin de Haan, and Erik Gustafsson. Kubalik and de Haan likely net the best returns relative to the others. At minimum, get draft picks back. Stockpiling draft capital is critical for a rebuild.
* Decide on whether to keep investing in pending free agents Dylan Strome, Caleb Jones, and Kevin Lankinen but at least ink new contracts with other pending free agents Kirby Dach, Philipp Kurashev, Sam Lafferty, Andrei Altybarmakian, and Wyatt Kalynuk.
* Dangle Brandon Hagel and Connor Murphy to see if any teams bite but know it would take a lot to consummate any trades. On Hagel, he's the type of player that contenders need that don't grow on trees as easily as others think. Murphy as a top 4 RHD is an NHL commodity.
* Attempt to trade Tyler Johnson and Brett Connolly but be open to buying them out if there are no takers. Then be ready to matriculate Lukas Reichel, Ian Mitchell, and Jakub Galvas to the big club as starters for the 2022-23 version of the Blackhawks.
* Sign the following prospects to ELCs: Artur Kayumov, Jalen Luypen, Antti Saarela, Jake Wise, Ethan Del Mastro, and Alex Vlasic. Furthermore, have Colton Dach, Nolan Allan, and Louis Crevier -- all of whom have already signed ELCs -- start their pro careers this fall.
* Have King return to Rockford as the IceHogs head coach, decide whether to retain any of the associate and assistant coaches, and make new hires based on who stays and who goes with the current bench staff. The same goes with player development and skills coaches, too.
Okay, time to turn off the X-Box, take out the NHL22 game cartridge, and get some sleep.
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Roster Updates
Toews, Tyler Johnson, de Haan and Stillman all might be available Thursday vs Edmonton.
— Joe Brand (@Joe_Brand1) March 1, 2022
* Toews is officially cleared from concussion protocol and his capacity to suit up for a game relies on how he feels physically.
* de Haan started practice but left prematurely; it's unknown whether he tweaked his groin injury sustained last week.
* Reese Johnson was also at practice but was the only player donning a non-contact jersey.
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IceHogs Updates
Hogs on the Move: We have re-assigned goalie Cale Morris and defenseman Jake LeGuerrier to the @IndyFuelhttps://t.co/0pleM4OPnF
— Rockford IceHogs (@goicehogs) March 1, 2022
Collin Delia will get his reps as the backup but it wouldn't be a surprise if the Blackhawks dealt him either in a minor swap for another AHLer or low draft pick or as part of a larger deal with multiple assets going in both directions.
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Trade Rumors
Chris Johnston on Insider Trading says Marc-André Fleury is leaning towards staying in Chicago, he does have a 10 team no trade list, Chicago can still trade him but it was understood when he was acquired from Vegas that the #Blackhawks would do right by him.
— NHL Watcher 🇺🇦 (@NHL_Watcher) March 1, 2022
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See you on the boards!