Chicago Blackhawks Are The Latest Evidence Of Tanking In The NHL, And Prove That It Is Here To Stay
While NHL commissioner Gary Bettman famously said early in the 2022-23 NHL season, “Nobody tanks because we have a weighted lottery,” the Chicago Blackhawks are solid proof of that statement being untrue. Along with the Blackhawks, several of the league’s bottom teams were doing their absolute worst in order to have the best odds for prized and top prospect Connor Bedard.
After eight long seasons since their last Stanley Cup win and genuine success, the Chicago Blackhawks have truly begun a new era. The team seemed to be on a never-ending rollercoaster of heartbreaking trades and confusing expectations because longtime general manager Stan Bowman insisted that only a “retool” was necessary for future fortune. Just shy of a year and a half since he officially took over the general manager position, Kyle Davidson has flipped Bowman’s philosophy on its head.
AP Photo / Charles Rex Arbogast
In the most recent NHL season, Chicago’s hockey team had a roster that earned a 26-49-7 record, 59 total points, and 30th place out of 32 teams. Not only that, but the team parted ways with Alex Debrincat, Dylan Strome, and Kirby Dach, players that were assumed to be a large part of the future, in the offseason beforehand. During the season, Kyle Davidson was not afraid to trade big names like Sam Lafferty, Jake McCabe, Max Domi, and Patrick Kane, one of the greatest Blackhawks and NHLers of all time. Captain Jonathan Toews also sat out most of the season due to on-again, off-again injuries.
To many, the 2022-23 Chicago Blackhawks were a joke. Compared to some of the top teams in the league, that is a fair assessment. Regardless of what was being said about the present state of his team, though, Kyle Davidson had one goal in mind. That goal was to secure the number one pick in the upcoming NHL Entry Draft.
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Davidson ended up being successful and achieving his goal when the ping-pong balls bounced in favor of the Chicago Blackhawks a little less than two months ago. Teams at the bottom of the standings such as the Anaheim Ducks, Columbus Blue Jackets, and San Jose Sharks tried the same but were all unsuccessful in their attempts. While no general manager is going to directly say that they want their team to tank, actions speak louder than words. Each of these four rosters was demolished by trades and signings in order to get just one step closer to winning the contest for Connor Bedard. Although Bedard has not donned an official NHL jersey just yet, he has already made an impact on the league. Talented prospects like himself prove that Gary Bettman’s claim is not only false but foolish.
