Eddie Olczyk
Best of luck in the future Edzo â¤ï¸ pic.twitter.com/lx7pqAQjjE
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) July 18, 2022
Regardless of who may be in the right and who may be in the wrong -- or perhaps nobody is incorrect and there's instead just a bunch of half truths -- this isn't a good pattern for the Blackhawks as an organization. It's one thing to simply disagree with a decision that the franchise made. That's part of fandom.
However, what's troubling is that the actual decision made isn't the issue but more so the feeling that it was mishandled. Being apart on agreeable terms happens all the time in sports. Yet, it becomes worrisome when decisions made are confronted with claims of "that's not exactly how it went down" by both parties.
The reality of how things happen is often at odds with the optics of what is perceived by others whether the parties involved, media, fans, etc. When reality and optics increasingly leave a sour taste in the mouth, then something seems off with not just the one decision but the process for making all decisions.
One could place all of this scrutiny on the previous regime with Stan Bowman as the general manager -- not to mention other executives like John McDonough -- but it's not like the Danny Wirtz, Kyle Davidson, and Jaime Faulkner era has been free of blemishes, head scratchers, and negative press. Far from it.
The rebuild is in full effect with not just player personnel but also in nearly every nook and cranny of the organization on both sides of the house, i.e. hockey operations and business operations. There certainly is a long-term plan in place that the current executives are resolute to enact come hell or high water.
It better work because if fans are disgruntled now when the team is expected to be bad, matters will only get worse if the team can't reverse the downward spiral into an upward revival. When the team starts contending for Cups again, the other things may not be under such a microscope.
But, alas, they're nowhere near that point.
Thank you for everything â¤ï¸ pic.twitter.com/DQ2ZifPk5i
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) July 18, 2022
Buddy Robinson
The #Blackhawks signed 30 y/o RW Buddy Robinson to 1 year deal
— PuckPedia (@PuckPedia) July 18, 2022
NHL 750K
Minors 475K
6P in 32 GP
Rep'd by Todd Reynolds @RazeHockey https://t.co/Jnpesrw83l
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Adam Clendening
ðŸ–‹ï¸ OFFICIAL 🖋ï¸
— Rockford IceHogs (@goicehogs) July 18, 2022
He's BAAACCCKKK!! Our all-time greatest scoring defenseman Adam Clendening joins us for the 2022-23 season!
Full Story: https://t.co/o2V4ooBMV3 pic.twitter.com/nqjmzHjLZv
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See you on the boards!
Sources: Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago Tribune, Daily Herald, NBC Sports Chicago, The Athletic Chicago