chicago_suntimes
Rebuilds can sometimes shield executives from accountability, and the Chicago Blackhawks are a prime example. Now in Year 5 of a rebuild that has veered off track, the team entered Monday with the second-fewest points in the NHL—just nine in 18 games.
That pace projects to a mere 42 points, which would be the franchise's lowest in a full season since 1953-54 when they managed 31 points in a 70-game schedule. The low point may have come Saturday when the Stanley Cup-champion Hurricanes routed the Hawks 9-2 in a game that was even more lopsided than the score suggests. It concluded a winless three-game road trip that had many speculating about imminent changes.
The team was in crisis, and coach Jeff Blashill's job appeared to be on the line. Yet when the Hawks practiced on Monday, general manager Kyle Davidson was nowhere to be found. Davidson took over as interim GM in October 2021 after Stan Bowman resigned amid the fallout from the sexual assault investigation involving former video coach Brad Aldrich. The interim tag was removed in March 2022, giving Davidson full authority to reshape the roster as he saw fit.
At the time, Davidson acknowledged the challenges: "There are some things that we need to fix that are going to take time. Whether it's three, five years, I don't have an answer for that now. But we have to do this the right way." Three years have passed, and five years loom large for fans who are paying high prices to watch subpar hockey. At this rate, the rebuild could stretch to eight or ten years, even with star center Connor Bedard in the fold.
Davidson should have addressed these issues on Monday, but instead, he is scheduled to speak to the media and fans on Wednesday. He is currently in Toronto for GM meetings, leaving coach Jeff Blashill to face the music once again. Many believed Blashill's job was in jeopardy—and it still might be—but there he was, leading practice and halting drills that had gone awry with a sharp whistle and a shout of "Can't have it!"
Blashill, who coached mostly struggling Red Wings teams from 2015 to 2022, finds himself in a familiar tough spot. As in Detroit, he lacks the necessary pieces, but he also isn't getting enough from the players he has. He empathizes with the fans' frustration. "I get the disappointment. Our record is what our record is," he said. "It's not nearly where the fans thought it would be and not where we want it to be. We're going to do everything we can to try to grind our way through this, get incrementally better, find our way to wins and, if we can do that, the satisfaction you get is awesome. That's the only thing I could really say to them. I can promise them whatever I want. That's pretty much all bull----. We're trying to grind like crazy to get better results through great process."
The process that truly needs fixing is player procurement. Davidson committed fully to the teardown but hasn't matched that effort in the build-up. Yes, he acquired defenseman Bowen Byram and brought back Patrick Kane, but he failed to surround his prized prospects with capable veterans. He could have addressed that on Monday. Instead, his most notable move in absentia was trading backup goalie Arvid Soderblom and calling up Drew Commesso—a move that will hardly excite fans for Thursday's home game, where boos will likely rain down at the first sign of trouble.
Davidson could have also tried to appeal to fans on Monday, especially with the Sabres coming to town. Buffalo went 14 seasons without a playoff berth before qualifying last season. How many rebuilds is that? Do you remember the last time the Hawks went 14 seasons without making the playoffs? Of course not, because it hasn't happened—yet.
Davidson got lucky by landing Connor Bedard with the No. 1 pick in 2023. But did he get unlucky or miscalculate by drafting Artyom Levshunov at No. 2 over Ivan Demidov in 2024? The jury is still out on Anton Frondell, the No. 3 pick in 2025. Meanwhile, other rebuilding teams are surpassing the Hawks with ease. Davidson could have discussed that, too. Instead, the wait continues until Wednesday for Davidson to back the—let's see—fourth coach he has hired. When public perception points to the coach as the problem, it doesn't reflect well if the person who hired him is absent. If Davidson is spread too thin, perhaps a director of hockey operations is needed—someone who can be there to put out the fire.
Originally reported by chicago_suntimes.