Will Kyle Davidson’s Willingness To Take Risks Pay Off Once Again?

Chicago, IL. – The Chicago Blackhawks are in a very unique position, all thanks to their general manager, Kyle Davidson. Ever since Davidson was named the interim on October 26, 2021, and earned the permanent position less than a year later on March 1, 2022, he has not been shy with taking the team in the direction of his vision – a full rebuild.

“If it takes a bit longer than the players wish -- not everything can align perfectly with their perspectives and ours, but we’re going to do this right, we’re going to build it the right way.”

—Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson on players’ beliefs about a quick rebuild pic.twitter.com/sqRpqW5eWX

— Phillip Thompson (@_phil_thompson) May 3, 2022

Since gaining full control of a team that was quickly falling down the NHL ranks, Davidson has done wonders. He ended the Jeremy Colliton and Derek King experiments with the hiring of Luke Richardson as head coach, which has completely shifted the culture in the locker room and attitudes of players. Former Blackhawk Max Domi was very vocal in expressing that Richardson was the reason he chose to sign with Chicago in free agency last summer. By choosing the correct head coach for his team, Davidson made the Chicago Blackhawks a place where players want to go, a stark difference from the past five seasons.

Max Domi: "As soon as [the Blackhawks] hired Luke Richardson as their head coach, I got on the phone with my agent and told him, 'I want to go to Chicago.'"

— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) July 28, 2022

Davidson has absolutely taken some risks as general manager, but he has been rewarded. Some notable departures under Davidson’s reign are Brandon Hagel, Marc-André Fleury, Alex Debrincat, Kirby Dach, Jake McCabe, Sam Lafferty, Patrick Kane, and Jonathan Toews. With these tough decisions, however, comes 20 draft picks in the next two years, half of which are in the first two rounds, and the first-overall pick in the upcoming 2023 NHL Entry Draft. 

Getting to know the next generation of players 👊 #NHLCombine pic.twitter.com/mwIIA5Bnr2

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) June 9, 2023

With the draft less than two weeks away, Davidson has a lot of options to work with. Although nothing is certain until the pick is in, the Blackhawks will likely take Connor Bedard, who many claim to be a franchise-altering talent, with the first-overall pick. After that, though, there are a ton of questions. Will Davidson trade the 19th pick to pursue a player he has his eyes set on? Will there be any blockbuster trades on draft day, similar to last year? Aside from Lukas Reichel, Drew Commesso, and Kevin Korchinski, who will he rebuild around? Davidson has been a pleasant surprise to Blackhawks fans, but unpredictable. For now, it is a waiting game to see what Davidson has in mind for the 2023 draft, one unlike any other in the typical NHL offseason.