BUFFALO, N.Y. — Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson used to attend all 60 or so of the team’s mind-numbing prospect interviews during NHL combine week.
This year, he attended only 25 or 30 with the most intriguing prospects, letting scouting director Mike Doneghey run things otherwise. Davidson used his newfound free time to meet with other GMs around the league.
Such is one reflection of Davidson’s growing interest in making trades to inject established talent into his extremely young NHL roster.
‘‘I’ve talked to every team, so [I] have a pretty good understanding of what’s going on around the league and what’s out there — and also what’s not out there,’’ Davidson said Friday.
‘‘We’re certainly engaged in trying to be aggressive and seeing what we can do to help the group because we believe in the group as currently constructed. We think it would be a good thing to add, if at all possible.’’
In December, Davidson said he wanted to give the youth movement time to mature before
assessing and filling its holes. Six months later, he’s starting to see where those holes are.
‘‘We have more information at this point,’’ he said, ‘‘which allows us to be much more specific and targeted in what we might want.’’
One target is a veteran defenseman. That’s because the Hawks’ all-24-or-younger defensive corps struggled down the stretch this season after Davidson traded veteran Connor Murphy.
‘‘We wanted to see how it went,’’ Davidson said. ‘‘It didn’t go quite the way we were hoping to give us that full shot in the arm, that ‘set it and forget it’ [feeling]. So it’s probably something we want to at least explore.’’
A left-handed defenseman would make more sense, joining Alex Vlasic and Wyatt Kaiser on that side of the depth chart. The Hawks still have immense belief in righties Artyom Levshunov and Sam Rinzel, and Louis Crevier has established himself.
Davidson’s overarching challenge is that, for a second consecutive summer, the NHL is overflowing with prospective buyers and devoid of sellers. The Canucks are the only team actively rebuilding, even though several others logically should.
‘‘There’s a lot of teams looking to add,’’ Davidson said. ‘‘So if you’re looking to find a player, they probably want a player [or players] back. . . . It feels like there’s much more of a desire for ‘hockey trades’ rather than a player for futures or prospects.’’
The Hawks don’t have any prime-aged players to dangle in negotiations. They now can offer up young players with some NHL experience, which they couldn’t previously. Nevertheless, caution is required.
‘‘I do believe that, given the youth throughout our lineup, we have to be careful about not moving too many pieces for one,’’ Davidson said. ‘‘It’s delicate right now . . . to not go too far blowing holes in the roster for one thing that may or may not be improvement.’’
The fourth overall pick is one valuable asset that Davidson is open to moving and that other teams have shown interest in.
‘‘There’s been a lot of calls to move up,’’ he said. ‘‘It’s been a lot busier — way busier — in terms of trying to inquire about our pick at No. 4 for teams behind us than any year I’ve been doing this.’’
Centers locked down
A veteran center is likely not on the Hawks’ wish list. Davidson said he thinks they’re already set down the middle with youngsters Connor Bedard, Frank Nazar and Anton Frondell.
That means Frondell’s trial run at center during the final month of the season — even though he typically played wing in Sweden — convinced Davidson he should stick there.
‘‘I really like [Frondell’s] hockey sense and two-way game and strength down the middle with a little bit of size,’’ Davidson said. ‘‘We’re working toward making his primary position center.’’
That means Oliver Moore, who played better at center than at wing this season, likely will get pushed back to wing to start next season. He and Ryan Greene being able to play center if needed, however, helps with roster flexibility.
The Blackhawks see Anton Frondell as a center moving forward.
Michael Reaves/Getty Images
Analyzing draft class
If the Hawks end up keeping the No. 4 pick, it won’t be because they know for sure which prospects will be available and which one they’ll take. Davidson claimed he has ‘‘no clue’’ what the Maple Leafs, Sharks and Canucks plan to do ahead of them.
‘‘You read stuff, you hear stuff,’’ he said. ‘‘But until the names are called and they’re not available on the draft board anymore, I don’t really take too much stock in it. You’re planning for a bunch of different scenarios there at [No. 4].’’
One particularly complicated scenario entails the top three forwards — Gavin McKenna, Ivar Stenberg and Caleb Malhotra — going 1-2-3, forcing the Hawks to choose among a large group of defensemen.
Interestingly, they got to contrast Chase Reid, Carson Carels and Keaton Verhoeff directly when their interviews with those three defensemen Thursday lined up back-to-back-to-back.
Meanwhile, Davidson also senses more passion from his scouts about possible second- and third-round prospects than in years past. They weren’t excited about many second-round options last season, which influenced the decision to package picks to trade up for Mason West at No. 29.
Russian factors
During the process of signing Russian prospect Roman Kantserov, Davidson said he was impressed by how much Kantserov’s English has improved in the past few years.
‘‘On our meetings, there was no interpreter necessary,’’ Davidson said. ‘‘He would [take] questions, listen, respond and ask his own questions.’’
Kantserov’s Russian team, Magnitogorsk, features two former Rockford IceHogs players in Robin Press and Luke Johnson, and Kantserov intentionally spent time with them this season to improve his English.
That reduces the Hawks’ perceived need to employ a Russian veteran to help Kantserov, although, independently from that, Davidson said re-signing pending free agent Ilya Mikheyev is still a possibility.
The Hawks reportedly had given Mikheyev permission to discuss his value with other teams before July 1 and to compare their contract offer to hypothetical others. But Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman recently reported the NHL stomped out that effort, considering it illegal tampering.
Notes
Wing Teuvo Teravainen recently had surgery after the world championships, but he should be fully recovered by July, Davidson said. It shouldn’t affect his availability for next season.
• The Hawks could keep embattled veteran forward Andre Burakovsky for next season. Davidson said he isn’t planning on executing any contract buyouts this summer, although that might change based on whom the Hawks are able to acquire.
• The Hawks and Bedard are being private about their contract negotiations. Davidson had no update to share. It doesn’t sound as though a deal will get done soon.
The Hawks will likely continue to struggle to convince lower-tier prospects to sign into their crowded system after losing Pridham and Dominic James to the Lightning over the past year for that reason.
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The Hawks’ 100-year history is filled with stories of success, failure and downright anger.
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Hull had 640 points over 13 seasons with the Hawks from 1964 to 1977.
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