No Splash, Just Strategy: Davidson’s Quiet Rebuild
The Blackhawks likely won’t make a splash in free agency—and that’s fine. With few real targets available, Kyle Davidson’s best path forward is through smart trades. But if the team wants to support Connor Bedard’s growth, risk-averse patience may not be enough.
The Chicago Sun-Times' Ben Pope recently wrote an article strongly hinting at Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson's plan for the offseason.
Steve Kwiatkowski
The big advantage that the Blackhawks had over other teams was their cap space. But with the cap rising to $95.5 million, nearly every team has the same advantage in terms of cap space. A team like the Vegas Golden Knights is still tight to the cap, but they'll do something to make a player like Marner fit.
What sets teams apart is how good they'll be. So, despite recent rumors that the Blackhawks were among teams "talking" to Marner's camp, I really do believe the Hawks will stay quiet for free agency. And they should. Other than Marner, there isn't anyone worth going after. I might have to write something about how I think Nikolaj Ehlers isn't a good fit.
So, while I want Davidson to swing big, there's really nothing worth swinging at on that end.
Which leaves the best option of bringing in talent via trade. Which I also wrote about here, and wrote more in-depth about at On Tap Sports Net.
Davidson doesn't show his hands. That's a good thing. He'll give the press very vague answers and maybe leave a bread crumb for them to write about. So, it doesn't surprise me that Davidson says in Pope's article that the smartest and best way to build a successful team is through building from within.
A lot of those trades that I proposed (namely, JJ Peterka and Jason Robertson) require a hefty price. Because the Blackhawks don't have players who are worth trading now, they'll have to dip into their prospect pool and draft capital.
Davidson has really fallen in love with his prospects to the point where I will be incredibly surprised if any of them are involved in a trade. And if you listen to 32 Thoughts, you've probably heard that saying about how falling in love with your own players is not ideal. While that is mostly about aging superstars, I believe that applies to prospects as well.
Rebuilding completely from within is going to take a long time. And while I would much rather have Davidson stick to his plan, I also believe smart adjustments to a plan are necessary. It's not as if Davidson is totally afraid of making a "splash." Pope quoted him as saying that if an opportunity presents itself, and it makes sense, he'll bite. It's just the sense I get is that Davidson is risk-averse.
This is going to be a long journey. I think making an aggressive trade this summer is necessary because of Connor Bedard. Bedard's arrival in Chicago should cause those slight adjustments I mentioned. For a player who was touted as being generational, playing with the Philipp Kurashev's of the world isn't going to help.
And if you're wondering what a team looks like when they acquire players through smart trades, well, look no further than the Florida Panthers.