{"id":368399,"date":"2025-12-24T23:42:08","date_gmt":"2025-12-24T23:42:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/368399\/"},"modified":"2025-12-24T23:42:08","modified_gmt":"2025-12-24T23:42:08","slug":"blackhawks-gm-kyle-davidson-lays-out-the-next-steps-of-his-rebuilding-plan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/368399\/","title":{"rendered":"Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson lays out the next steps of his rebuilding plan"},"content":{"rendered":"

Nearly four years ago, general manager Kyle Davidson chose to rebuild the Blackhawks<\/a> through the draft rather than reconstruct them via trades and free agency.<\/p>\n

Now it seems the approach he took might be the only one still viable.<\/p>\n

The NHL\u2019s skyrocketing salary cap temporarily has squashed the trade and free-agency markets (with a few exceptions). It\u2019s no longer possible, for example, to do what the Panthers did: create a Stanley Cup contender by bringing in loads of established talent from the outside.<\/p>\n

During a conversation with the Sun-Times last week, Davidson examined this new league dynamic and explained the next steps of his plan for the franchise to move forward within it.<\/p>\n

\u2018\u2018It just feels like more and more you have to do it yourself,\u2019\u2019 Davidson said. \u2018\u2018That\u2019s always been our philosophy. That was going to be the bedrock of how we build this thing. We\u2019ll stick to that, and then if something comes up along the way, we\u2019ll explore that.<\/p>\n

\u2018\u2018But it just doesn\u2019t feel like there\u2019s going to be the ability to trade or sign your way into contention. It just doesn\u2019t feel like that\u2019s the environment we\u2019re in. I don\u2019t want to say [that\u2019s] advantageous to us, but I\u2019m glad we did what we did. .\u2009.\u2009. The depth and strength of our prospect pool is going to serve us very well in this environment.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

That\u2019s because the Hawks have a river of talent that will flow into the NHL during the next several years. Teams with weaker prospect pools who plan to roll the dice on the tenuous trade and free-agent markets have no such guarantee.<\/p>\n

The bounty of prospects \u2014 and potentially picks, if the Hawks maneuver this spring<\/a> to acquire more \u2014 also will allow them to make substantial offers when trade opportunities do arise. Davidson doesn\u2019t think it\u2019s quite time to do that, however. That\u2019s why, for instance, he wasn\u2019t involved in the Quinn Hughes sweepstakes.<\/p>\n

Indeed, Davidson remains an extremely patient man<\/a>. And the Hawks\u2019 NHL roster remains flawed, as the injury to Connor Bedard has revealed<\/a> in recent weeks. They\u2019re better than they were last season, but so is every bottom-feeder. Thus, they\u2019ve slipped back into last place in the standings.<\/p>\n

So what should less-patient fans expect during the next couple of years?<\/p>\n

\u2018\u2018We\u2019re going to continue to prioritize youth and hand things over to the young players and let them run with it and show us where they\u2019re at,\u2019\u2019 Davidson said. \u2018\u2018We\u2019ll determine where the team is at then and determine what we need to do to assist or augment.<\/p>\n

\u2018\u2018We\u2019ve invested a lot of time and energy in these young players, and we believe in them. So we have to give them the opportunity and the runway to make good on that belief.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"General<\/p>\n

Davidson (left) and assistant general manager Norm Maciver (right) want to give the Hawks\u2019 prospects time to reach their potential.<\/p>\n

Michael Reaves\/Getty Images file photo<\/p>\n

It\u2019s worth reiterating that the Hawks\u2019 roster features six players from 20 to 22 years old (Artyom Levshunov, Nick Lardis, Oliver Moore, Frank Nazar, Ryan Greene and Bedard) and another six either 23 or 24 (Wyatt Kaiser, Ethan Del Mastro, Colton Dach, Alex Vlasic, Spencer Knight and Louis Crevier). Those lists include their leading and fourth-leading scorers, their top three defensemen by average ice time and their No. 1 goalie.<\/p>\n

Outside the NHL, their prospect pool features Sam Rinzel, Anton Frondell, Roman Kantserov (the leading goal-scorer in the Kontinental Hockey League), Marek Vanacker (the leading goal-scorer in the Ontario Hockey League), Kevin Korchinski, Drew Commesso, Vaclav Nestrasil, Sacha Boisvert and dozens of others.<\/p>\n

This season is interesting because the first fruits<\/a> of the rebuild can be seen at the United Center, with more fruits en route. But it takes time for kids to learn how to succeed against experienced NHL competition.<\/p>\n

\u2018\u2018These guys coming up, I guess there was an \u2018if\u2019 they\u2019re going to arrive in the NHL, but more so a \u2018when,\u2019\u2009\u2019\u2019 Davidson said. \u2018\u2018You\u2019re learning the when, which is now and next year. Now it\u2019s, \u2018How good can they get to be?\u2019 And, \u2018When can they arrive at their potential?\u2019 That\u2019s what remains to be seen.<\/p>\n

\u2018\u2018What we learn over the next year or two will determine where this group goes and what we need to add.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

Not every prospect will pan out, but there are many more prospects than available roster spots anyway.<\/p>\n

\u2018\u2018Some guys are going to overshoot where they\u2019re on track for right now, and then there\u2019s naturally going to be players that just don\u2019t reach that,\u2019\u2019 Davidson said. \u2018\u2018That\u2019s the nature of development in pro sports. We\u2019ll constantly evaluate who\u2019s trending in the right way.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

Davidson has two young daughters at home, and he knows there eventually will come a time when he must let them \u2018\u2018grow up and figure things out on their own.\u2019\u2019 He feels similarly about the Hawks as he hands off prospects to head coach Jeff Blashill and his staff.<\/p>\n

He derives fatherly pride in watching friendships and chemistry form among players who never would have crossed paths if not for his draft decisions.<\/p>\n

But after years of sculpting the Hawks\u2019 future through those decisions, it\u2019s mostly out of his hands now whether his plan ultimately will succeed. That\u2019s simultaneously scary and exciting.<\/p>\n

\u2018\u2018When you get to make a merger between .\u2009.\u2009. players with high upside, players you believe in and players that really enjoy playing together and being around each other, it\u2019s exciting,\u2019\u2019 Davidson said. \u2018\u2018I believe we have [done that], but we\u2019ve got a long way to go.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Blackhawks<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

The Hawks fell 3-1 on Tuesday to the Flyers at the United Center.<\/p>\n

[month] [day], [year], [hour]:[minute][ampm] [timezone]
\n \u00a0\n <\/p>\n

read<\/p>\n

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\"Blackhawks<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

Bedard hasn\u2019t played since Dec. 12 because of an upper-body injury, and Nazar will miss about four weeks after taking a shot to the right cheek Saturday.<\/p>\n

[month] [day], [year], [hour]:[minute][ampm] [timezone]
\n \u00a0\n <\/p>\n

read<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Matt<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

Amid a rough stretch for the team and its youth, Grzelcyk \u2014 a 31-year-old defenseman signed three days before the season opener \u2014 has proved to be surprisingly important and helpful.<\/p>\n

[month] [day], [year], [hour]:[minute][ampm] [timezone]
\n \u00a0\n <\/p>\n

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