The Blackhawks’ offseason is being built on a simple bet: trust the kids, patch the holes, and keep looking for the big swing if it appears.
On Wednesday, general manager Kyle Davidson added two pieces that fit the summer checklist by signing Cole Smith and Ian Cole. With Jordan Greenway also in the mix, Chicago has already made itself tougher to play against than it was a year ago. The one item that still stands out, though, is the top-six forward the team wanted but couldn’t land.
That search was always going to be the hardest part of the summer. The kind of winger Chicago had in mind wasn’t sitting on the free-agent market, and the trade market hasn’t produced one yet.
Davidson did explore a run at Matthew Knies from the Toronto Maple Leafs, but the reported ask was the fourth-overall pick plus a player like Anton Frondell or Frank Nazar. From there, the focus shifted to Bowen Byram, who signed his big contract extension today.
Some will argue that landing a 25-year-old No. 1 defenseman is even tougher - and more valuable - than finding a scorer on the wing. There’s a case for that. But Byram still has to go prove he’s that kind of player.
Davidson made clear he’s not sitting still if the right deal comes along.
“We’re always talking to other teams, but it doesn’t always work,” Davidson said. “Sometimes you think that you’ve got something that makes sense, but it doesn't always pan out that way.
Normally, with good players around the league, teams want to keep them. The one thing I believe I’ve shown now with the Byram acquisition is that I’m willing to be aggressive when something is there and to be had.
I’m not going to hesitate, but it's got to be there, and it’s got to make sense. We do have good assets, and that’s something we have working for us and are not afraid to use if the opportunity arises.”
For now, the door isn’t fully closed on that top-six forward. But the price still has to line up, and right now that player simply isn’t available in a deal Chicago wants to make.
“We’ve filled some spots we needed to shore up, while leaving runway for some young players to continue to develop and grow into roles they’ve already started to mature into,” Davidson said. “At the same time, we’re going to keep looking at what’s available to us and making sure we’re leaving no stone unturned to maximize our roster.”
That’s the heart of it: Davidson is all-in on the young core. He believes Connor Bedard will be the elite player Chicago saw early last season.
He believes Frank Nazar will justify the big contract that starts next season. He believes Anton Frondell and Roman Kantserov will make an impact in their first full NHL seasons.
He believes Artyom Levshunov, Sam Rinzell and Wyatt Kaiser will become the NHL defensemen they were drafted to be. He believes Nick Lardis and Oliver Moore are ready for a major step.
There are plenty of moving parts in that vision, and plenty of things that still have to go right. That was always the rebuild’s plan.
The Byram move raised the bar for what the rest of the summer might look like, so only getting Smith and Cole on the board will feel underwhelming to some. Still, Chicago is better today than it was when last season ended.
Whether that’s enough to chase a Stanley Cup Playoff spot is another matter. A lot has to break the right way, and Davidson is clearly willing to bet on that happening. If it doesn’t, someone else will be left to sort out the fallout.
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Leo Carlsson Just Raised The Stakes For Connor Bedard And Kyle Davidson
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For Kyle Davidson, the timing matters almost as much as the number. The Blackhawks still have ample cap flexibility and Bedard is the main summer priority left on the board, but a rising market for elite young centers can quickly change the conversation. And once Bedards number is set, it could shape the rest of Chicagos planning for the core pieces coming behind him, from Anton Frondell to Artyom Levshunov and Sam Rinzel. [Read more 🡒]