In the end the dollar trumps all so hiring Davidson was the easy, safe choice all along and when I read he was a favorite of Danny Wirtz I would have been surprised if it would have been anyone else. I am also offering a lot of caution for those of us who who want a TEAR down, and rightfully so, that we are likely as fans going to get a half @ss fly the by night retool as this team desperately tries to stay relevant and retain as many season ticket holders as they can while also bringing in casual fans on a game by game basis with more gimmicks, and bs to sell tickets. I get it, but that doesn't mean I have to like it and just stinks of desperation.

I personally, like a few others, hoped they (wirtz family) would actually do this RIGHT and hire somebody from outside the organization. Somebody with a fresh set of eyes on to what they have, who they should build around, etc....instead we have a GM who has been here since 2010 and while we can all debate he may have NOT have liked this pick, this signing or that trade....he also has been around these players a long time and to think he doesn't have biased is just not the case. It can work both ways...maybe he was the one pushing Stan to draft Dach 3rd overall?




I just hope the lap dog media, IF given a chance, grills Wirtz, Faulkner and Davidson as to what the plan actually is to get back on top. What made Davidson THE pick over candidates from winning organizations? As a fan, before investing my time and money into something I feel I should be given a vision as to what this organization plans to do because what they have been doing since 2016....is just pure garbage and they have wasted years and millions and the results haven't changed.
- SteveRain

You should just stick to your first love. THE TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS!

Why are you and many others so convinced that the owner is meddling on the roster of the team? Is there actual proof and not speculation by a bunch of fans? I'm genuinely curious because I'm not in Illinois so I don't see it.
- GPHawksfan

Is there proof? NO

Is there a trail of things which says otherwise? YEP

Hawks announced a rebuild....then have their off ice bomb go off, and a team that was supposedly rebuilding mortgages a lot for a chance to win by trading for Jones, signing McCabe, trading for Johnson and Fleury....but the one thing Stan didn't count on was his hand picked coach to derail it all.

How do you take away negative feelings for an organization? YOu win on the ice....

You should just stick to your first love. THE TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS!
- GPHawksfan

What a great suggestion....so happy you dropped by today. Are you still locked down up there, eh?

Is there proof? NO

Is there a trail of things which says otherwise? YEP

Hawks announced a rebuild....then have their off ice bomb go off, and a team that was supposedly rebuilding mortgages a lot for a chance to win by trading for Jones, signing McCabe, trading for Johnson and Fleury....but the one thing Stan didn't count on was his hand picked coach to derail it all.

How do you take away negative feelings for an organization? YOu win on the ice....
- SteveRain

Yea I believe this was an extraordinary circumstance. I know when they spoke about a rebuild Rocky was disappointed, but he seemed to accept it, then the big secret/reveal happened, i believe its Kyle's team now going forward.

Oh!
I thought he was talking about YOU, Theo.

I wanna go back to my post about every NHL team needing four vet defenders in a rebuild not necessarily three youngsters (that are NOT Mo Selider).

My point on Murphy is IF you trade him, they have to go and sign a veteran NHL UFA after they traded him.

Or trade for one.
- wiz1901

Agreed Wiz, too many young defensemen on the ice will actually be a detriment to their development IMHO. And if Gus is one of the vets, it becomes a bigger challenge. I’d like to see Stillman and Mitchell as part of their top six next year.

And it would not surprise me if a lot of young talent on this team went no where at the TDL. It seems the word used often by many in the org is patience.

Is there proof? NO

Is there a trail of things which says otherwise? YEP

Hawks announced a rebuild....then have their off ice bomb go off, and a team that was supposedly rebuilding mortgages a lot for a chance to win by trading for Jones, signing McCabe, trading for Johnson and Fleury....but the one thing Stan didn't count on was his hand picked coach to derail it all.

How do you take away negative feelings for an organization? YOu win on the ice....
- SteveRain

You can say that but after reading here for a dozen years and witnessing all the whining and moaning even when the team was winning leaves me a doubter.

I hope to witness another boon for this team but don’t antipasto anything different from the fan base…at least here anyway.

Agreed Wiz, too many young defensemen on the ice will actually be a detriment to their development IMHO. And if Gus is one of the vets, it becomes a bigger challenge. I’d like to see Stillman and Mitchell as part of their top six next year.
- Angotti

Yea Gus is a joke, but does this also mean an established goalie as well?

You can say that but after reading here for a dozen years and witnessing all the whining and moaning even when the team was winning leaves me a doubter.

I hope to witness another boon for this team but don’t antipasto anything different from the fan base…at least here anyway.
- HawkintheD

When the window is open to win, I want/expect my team to be "all in" to do whatever is necessary to give that core of players as many chances to win as possible. Bowman/Talon did that and you can't blame them. Did some of the trades not work out? Sure...we have been over that and I get that and you will never see me blast this team for trading Teuvo or Danault who came back and bit them, but you never see people raging over the immortal Marko Dano being gone.

At the end of the cycle, they need to also do it correctly and that means they need to have the sober conversation and realize how depleted this organization is with lack of prospects at the NHL and AHL level. That to me is EXTREMELY concerning....

To me it's the happy medium...you deal whoever and restock for younger players and picks. By the time this team is good again...likely 3+ years where are guys like Murphy, DeBrincat, Kubalik, hagel, Strome at in their careers? I get the business side of it....but I also see an ownership who lived high on the teet for over a decade so can they stomach 3 years of spare crowds trying to rebuild this? Yeah they can....will they? I highly doubt it.

I think we should get a very good insight into all this when Davidson speaks....also reading he plans on completely changing up hockey ops which is a GREAT start. Also alarming this team was outsourcing analytics under Bowman which to me tells a lot as to why they have fallen so far behind so quickly....

And it would not surprise me if a lot of young talent on this team went no where at the TDL. It seems the word used often by many in the org is patience.
- BetweenTheDots

"a lot of young talent"

May I ask who qualifies for "a lot" ?

Wait, I thought Ek had MAF going to EDM?

No one has an idea if Davidson will be good, bad, or somewhere in between. But he certainly is getting thrown directly into the fire. Lots to do with setting up the Hockey Ops Dept. and then the ELCs and trade deadline.

And it would not surprise me if a lot of young talent on this team went no where at the TDL. It seems the word used often by many in the org is patience.
- BetweenTheDots

They will go no where because they are worth ZERO

I think we need to throttle our expectations. A 2nd for Fleury (if he wants to go). A 3rd for Strome. A 4th for deHaan (if he is healthy) and Kubalik. Maybe a 5th for Carpenter and Gus. I don’t think they move Murphy, but he might get a 2nd or 3rd. I really cannot see them moving Hagel. But if they do it would be a 1st and a decent prospect.

Why are you and many others so convinced that the owner is meddling on the roster of the team? Is there actual proof and not speculation by a bunch of fans? I'm genuinely curious because I'm not in Illinois so I don't see it.
- GPHawksfan

I personally don't see him meddling with the roster. I suspect/fear Rocky will tell the new GM that he needs to at least partly focus on ticket sales; and that Rocky further believes that they won't sell tickets without at least looking like they are trying to contend. This would make it harder for the new GM to accumulate young, elite talent.

Really wish this team would start focusing on the hockey product and stop with all this pr spin marketing bs. Doesn't matter how much lipstick you put on it, a pig is a pig.

All decisions should be based on the 2023/24 season or beyond. They should have a pretty good idea of Lankinen, Soderblom and Commesso by then. The young dmen should be well seasoned shuttling between Rockford and the NHL. Reichel will have played a full season in the NHL. They will have cap space.

Excerpts from the Hawks press release....

Rocky:
Kyle is one of the final pieces of this new executive team that will lead the Chicago Blackhawks into the next generation. He shares the vision Danny, Jaime and I have to build a consistent winning team on and off the ice. We are committed to winning and winning the right way. Kyle's fresh lens, integrity, commitment, and knowledge of the game are all characteristics I believe make him the right person to structure the team on the ice. I appreciate the work that Danny, Jaime and the Advisory Committee did to lead this process and Kyle has my full support in his role as General Manager."

Danny:
"We have a vision here for the future of Blackhawks hockey and today we are a step closer to that coming together. As an organization, we know we have a lot of work to do on and off the ice and Kyle is the leader we trust to oversee our hockey operations.

The thorough process we undertook affirmed much of what we believed we had in Kyle and he stepped up to lead and make tough decisions during his time in the interim role. He without a doubt met every qualification we were looking for, is passionate about the game and represents the high character across everything we do.

I'd like to thank Jaime and the members of our Advisory Committee for their help in this process. We had several strong candidates; I am confident Kyle is the right answer. I look forward to working with him for years to come and I am excited about what this means for the future of the club."

Kyle:
"Today is another step not just for me, but for my Blackhawks teammates within the organization and Blackhawks fans across the world. I'm committed to building a winning team on and off the ice the right way -- improving our internal framework and processes and working closely with a strong team of people to make decisions. I share the vision of the leadership team to create a positive culture throughout the organization and the game of hockey and promise to uphold our values in everything we do.

I am thankful for the support of Rocky, Danny and Jaime throughout this process. We all learned a lot and I'm excited to share the work with this leadership team, my colleagues throughout the organization and Blackhawks fans. Leadership has challenged us to 'reimagine the potential of hockey' and I look forward to that challenge in building a hockey operations department for the future. It is an honor to serve as General Manager for the Chicago Blackhawks and I promise to be dedicated, transparent and utilize all resources available to me to contribute to this organization."

After the TDL Davidson should focus on completely new coaching staffs in Chicago and Rockford for next season. Also he will engage the agents for Kane and Toews to see what their desires are. Stay? Go to a contender? If stay, what are their expectations for dollars and term? Either way finalize things before the next TDL.

But so much better than the Cubs guy. Its going to take time and now that the big dark secret is out of the closet this org can move forward again.
- BetweenTheDots

Yup. I don't think it would matter who was selected because every candidate was going to start behind the 8-ball.

And as others have said, the man who signs the checks is going to dictate whatever sense of urgency there will be.

Hopefully KD does some exciting things to end the year. Pretty boring season otherwise.

Does this begin the transition to become Seth Jones and Reichel’s team. With Kane as the elder statesmen if he decides to stick around.

(Although I think Toews was amazing I think he goes on permanent LTIR after this season ala Seabs, Shaw, and Hossa, not pls next season but collecting his full pay.)

If Davidson sells off at the deadline and moves to a rebuild then you know he has full autonomy from ownership to do whatever it takes.

I don’t have my hopes up that will happen though.

Why are you and many others so convinced that the owner is meddling on the roster of the team? Is there actual proof and not speculation by a bunch of fans? I'm genuinely curious because I'm not in Illinois so I don't see it.
- GPHawksfan

The theory is the edict was get the team in the playoffs so we can get asses in seats and reclaim some of the lost covid revenue.

Its the only thing that makes sense because only a moron or desperate person would reach for this year like they did.

Ben Pope's thoughts on Davidson

https://chicago.suntimes....idson-big-ideas-challenge

After the TDL Davidson should focus on completely new coaching staffs in Chicago and Rockford for next season. Also he will engage the agents for Kane and Toews to see what their desires are. Stay? Go to a contender? If stay, what are their expectations for dollars and term? Either way finalize things before the next TDL.
- Ztra

Why would they force a deal with Toews or Kane before they see how the next season goes? Seems like another stupid way to keep the old guard together for no other reason than nostalgia. The trade deadline shouldn't have any bearing on when decisions should be made