Dietz: How much patience should Hawks have with Davidson?
Patience is a funny thing when it comes to rebuilds.
With the Blackhawks, some fans are OK with GM Kyle Davidson playing the long game.
Others, however, are either fed up or downright disgusted.
Over the last two weeks, numerous emails have hit my inbox questioning Davidson’s ability to build a consistent winner. The concerns are genuine, especially with the Hawks headed for a fifth straight bottom-five finish.
One emailer went so far as to say it’s “common knowledge around the league (that Davidson) is clueless.”
This is neither true nor fair. While I certainly won’t defend Davidson indefinitely, he’s made his fair share of shrewd moves while also drafting plenty of bona fide NHL players.
To wit:
— Last year’s trade of Seth Jones for goalie Spencer Knight was a stroke of genius and gave the Hawks perhaps the No. 1 ingredient to becoming a successful team. In previous years Davidson traded for future captain Nick Foligno and penalty-killing ace Ilya Mikheyev.
— This season he got teams to overpay for Connor Murphy, Jason Dickinson and Foligno.
— Yes, he fell into Connor Bedard, but he’s also drafted at least a half-dozen other young prospects who will be cornerstones for years to come. We can debate whether Davidson should have taken Ivan Demidov over Artyom Levshunov. But even if Demidov does turn out to be the better player, it was not an easy choice on draft night.
— One area Davidson needs to improve upon is in free agency. While he did hit with Ryan Donato and Tyler Brett, there have also been some disasters. TJ Brodie tops that list, followed by Alec Martinez, Craig Smith and Pat Maroon. Even Teuvo Teravainen hasn’t moved the needle much.
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So how much time does Davidson deserve? That’s tough because when you allow a GM to strip a team down to the studs he is going to get A LOT of leeway.
This isn’t the NFL where things can change in 1-2 seasons. Nor is it the MLB where you can buy your way to consistent dominance. In the NHL it usually takes three-to-five years for draft picks to reach their potential. Sometimes it’s longer, and you have to be careful not to give up on guys too soon (see Gustav Forsling).
The problem with a roster overloaded with too many young players is they don’t have the same mental fortitude as peers who are five-to-10 years older.
A bad day or week can sink a young athlete’s confidence for a long time. A grizzled veteran, on the other hand, understands the ebbs and flows of an 82-game grind.
Why do you think the Hawks of 2010-2015 thrived under pressure? Guys like Marian Hossa, Patrick Sharp, Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook rarely allowed tough moments to get to them. And even better, when star teammates were struggling or melting down (a la Jonathan Toews vs. Detroit in 2013), someone like Seabrook stepped in and calmed the waters.
Next season the roster will likely have a dozen players who are age 23 or younger. Eight will have fewer than 100 games of NHL experience.
“I think we understand that the growth of our team will be internally, not necessarily from guys that are added,” Blashill said last week.
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Blashill’s statement is a bit concerning.
After all, what is the long-term plan to consistently finish ahead of Colorado, Minnesota, Dallas and Utah? Because guess what? Those teams aren’t going anywhere.
Make no mistake: The Hawks are at a pivotal crossroads, and Davidson must figure out a way to add gasoline to this brush fire.
Putting all your chips on “internal growth” is awfully risky and makes me second-guess my column from two weeks ago when I proclaimed THE HAWKS AREN’T THAT FAR AWAY!
Blashill has breathed new life into the organization and these young players will continue to improve. But many questions need answering — and soon.
What will Bedard’s extension look like? And is he truly cut out to be a center or better positioned on the wing? Is free-agent-to-be Mikheyev going to re-sign or are the Hawks going to lose him for next to nothing? What will the backup goalie situation look like? Are any bruisers coming or are the forwards all going to be 5-foot-11, 170 pounds?
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, will pivotal, difference-making free agents eventually come along for the ride?
If Davidson navigates these waters successfully, then watch out. The Hawks should rocket up the standings.
But if not, then perhaps the Hawks — as one reader put it — really are “the new Buffalo” where it will be Year 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14 without a true postseason appearance.
If it’s that long and the Hawks are still being run by Davidson, then we can officially call the entire organization clueless.
No he way deserves that much time. Two more years. That’s it.
After all, a GM deserves only so much rope before everyone’s patience should run out.
John Dietz, a sports writer at the Daily Herald from 1998-2024, covered the Blackhawks from 2014-2024. You can reach him at jdietz6917@hotmail.com.