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Rebuilds take time, so Blackhawks fans will need still more patience

It’s been 10 months since I’ve written anything about the Blackhawks.

Check that.

It’s been 10 long, painful months for fans as you’ve endured another wretched season — one that has included the firing of head coach Luke Richardson, the inexcusable play of several big-name veterans and the disappearance of a couple highly touted youngsters.

Oh, yeah: Let’s not forget about the television rights debacle that has left thousands across Chicagoland unable to tune in for much of the season.

It’s a lot to unpack, and I’ll get to most of it over the coming weeks.

For now, let’s pull the lens back and focus on general manager Kyle Davidson. There are those who believe he’s ill-equipped to handle this rebuild, pointing to the standings and the lack of development among the prospects.

Here’s the thing, though: NHL rebuilds are often long, drawn-out dramas — especially when a team is stripped down to the studs the way the Hawks were.

Blackhawks General manager Kyle Davidson watches during the team's preseason camp. AP/Sept. 19, 2024

Whether or not Davidson should have gone in that direction is certainly up for debate. He could have retained Alex DeBrincat, Brandon Hagel, Dylan Strome, Kirby Dach and even Patrick Kane. Their combined cap hit today is about $27 million. Throw in Seth Jones ($9.5 million), Tyler Bertuzzi ($5.5M), Teuvo Teravainen ($5.4M), Alex Vlasic ($4.6M) and Connor Murphy ($4.4M) and you’d have a very solid core at $54.4 million.

Considering the parity across the league, it’s completely plausible the Hawks would be at least a playoff threat (assuming Davidson also signed a solid goalie).

Obviously that’s not what happened, so here we are in the nascent stages of a rebuild. Davidson is attempting to build a winner through the draft. It’s not something that happens overnight as most draftees aren’t ready to contribute for quite a while.

Defensemen normally need three-plus years in juniors, college and/or the minors before making the leap — and even then they usually need two more years before they begin to excel.

Of course, that’s of little consolation to current players, all of whom can’t believe this team sits at the bottom of the standings at 15-28-3.

“We’re obviously not putting the product on the ice that we want to, and I’ll gladly take the blame for that,” Seth Jones told reporters last week after practice. “That’s what comes with the territory of the contract that I got, and I’m willing to stand in front of that.”

Jones’ deal, inked by former GM Stan Bowman, carries a $9.5 million cap hit through the 2029-30 season. He’s the subject of trade rumors, and kudos to Davidson if he can convince another GM to take that contract without the Hawks absorbing at least a portion of it.

From what I’ve heard, Davidson is not even close to being on the hot seat, which is hardly surprising considering many of his draft picks haven’t even sniffed the NHL yet.

One thing Davidson needs to get right is the team’s next coach. His first, Richardson, was let go after 26 games this season. Davidson obviously expected much more from this year’s team and felt Richardson wasn’t maximizing the talent from an improved roster.

GMs aren’t normally afforded the chance to hire three-plus coaches, so Davidson cannot blow this decision. One name that surfaced two weeks ago is Denver University’s David Carle, who led the U.S. junior squad to back-to-back gold medals. Carle’s ability to guide young athletes would be a huge plus for a Hawks team that needs as much seasoning as possible.

I loved Davidson’s acquisition of Teravainen and Bertuzzi. Those were the type of moves I wanted to see Davidson make so the Hawks could learn how to win consistently.

But it hasn’t worked out that way. Much of the blame falls on Richardson, who made several mind-boggling moves during the first two months.

Now the Hawks are again playing out the string. Davidson has opted to promote youngsters like Colton Dach and Frank Nazar, hoping the experience kick-starts their careers. He’d be well advised to tell interim coach Anders Sorensen to play goalie Arvid Soderblom far more often while leaving players like Kevin Korchinski, Artyom Levshunov, Sam Savoie, Paul Ludwinski and others in the minors.

The bottom line is to remember the last rebuild, which resulted in three Stanley Cup titles from 2010-15, was a long process as well. That one built steam while Duncan Keith was still in the minors, Brent Seabrook was in juniors, Niklas Hjalmarsson was overseas and Jonathan Toews was in college.

This one, if it comes to fruition, also can’t be rushed.

So, again, have patience. And try to enjoy the bumpy ride.

John Dietz worked at the Daily Herald from 1998-2024, covering the Blackhawks from 2014-24. You can reach him at jdietz6917@hotmail.com.

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