Blackhawks’ Offseason Strategy Shows Next Stage of Rebuild Has Arrived

Martinez, 36, retired alongside Maroon after the season ended. The Blackhawks bought out Brodie in June and sent Smith to the Detroit Red Wings in March. Clearly, Davidson didn’t think that those veterans executed the vision he had in mind when he signed them.

Elliotte Friedman’s comments on the final episode of 32 Thoughts make sense. He said:

[The Blackhawks] weren’t exactly thrilled with how things went last year with some of their vets. And I think they just decided we’re not doing that again.

Davidson didn’t outright say what Friedman said, but his trades and acquisitions (or lack thereof) speak volumes. This summer looks different because last summer didn’t work. But that isn’t the only reason.

Davidson Sends Clear Message

The Blackhawks have a bevy of young, talented hockey players. At some point, if this team wants to evolve, these players need to play.

This season will be that time. Davidson made that clear.

Speaking on his approach to the free agency frenzy, he said, “[We] didn’t want to put any players in front of some of the young guys that we do think are ready. Now, we have enough young players that there aren’t enough spots for all of them to play..but we do feel that a couple of them are ready to take a role and run with it.”

That’s an exciting quote to read. Sure, the Blackhawks will most likely struggle this season, but at least the future of this organization will be on the ice, developing and maturing. Veteran presence can help that process, but there’s no substitute for playing.

Furthermore, Davidson’s comment proves that he has a plan, and he’s sticking to it. Last summer, on adding many veterans during the offseason, he said, “What we’re looking for is to create an environment that’s an environment of more winning than it was in the past and the young players can come up and elevate that when they are ready.”

The winning didn’t come last season, but now he and the organization believe that those younger players are ready.

The Players Need to Deliver

For years, we’ve heard Davidson double down on his plan to draft and develop. There’s been plenty of criticism, but you can’t ask for much more from your general manager. He’s telling you what he’s going to do, and then he’s doing it.

Now it’s on the players to deliver.

We aren’t expecting a playoff berth, but the young guns won’t be able to hide from the big questions. Can Connor Bedard produce more consistently and round out his game? Will defensemen like Artyom Levshunov and Sam Rinzel handle heavy minutes against the other teams’ best? Will Spencer Knight seize this opportunity to make the Blackhawks his team?

Those are only a few of the questions that the team will face this season. Davidson has cleared the way for the players who need to answer.