Since 37-year-old Kyle Davidson took over as general manager of the Chicago Blackhawks in an interim role in 2021, things have been tumultuous to say the least. The team has finished dead last in the Central Division four times and second-to-last in the other season, and have finished the past three seasons in 31st place in the league. In the past three years, Davidson has made first, second, and third overall picks in the NHL Draft.
With the season officially over, Davidson will have a chance to make another top-four pick. Just before the puck dropped on Wednesday night’s season finale against the Sharks, the Blackhawks announced that Davidson has signed a multiyear contract extension, giving him the chance to see his rebuild through to the end.
That rebuild has been a doozy. After he was hired, he was given permission to tear it all down and start over, and he’s done just that, making 11 first-round picks in the past four years. At least for now, it looks like quite a few of those picks have panned out, with Connor Bedard, Anton Frondell, Frank Nazar, and Artyom Levshunov making impacts at the NHL level. We’re seeing some of his other picks come to fruition as well, with Ryan Greene, Oliver Moore, and Nick Lardis, among others, poised to become NHL mainstays.
The fact that Danny Wirtz and team ownership chose to extend him speaks volumes about the confidence they have in the young Blackhawks, despite not enjoying any success whatsoever.
🔥 Subscribe to the Untold Chicago YouTube channel to hear Chicago legends tell stories you’ve never seen in headlines — real moments, real experiences, straight from the athletes themselves.
“I think the biggest thing for me really is the culture that’s getting built. I think — and you guys are around our players now — you really see something a little bit different in the locker room. You see the way they are looking out for each other, the way they’re competing with each other. And really that’s kind of the biggest ingredient to winning hockey.” — Danny Wirtz
Even with his seat now ice cold, this offseason is an important one for Davidson. The Blackhawks aren’t thrilled about being at the bottom of the standings once again, and even with another top-four pick in the draft, it’s time to make a change. That’ll certainly happen with Sam Lafferty and Matt Grzelcyk hitting free agency and the contract of Shea Weber falling off the books, but it’s up to the GM to do something with that cap space. With over $40 million to play with and a war chest of draft picks, the Blackhawks will be looking to make a splash on the trade market. They’ll bring back Bedard, Nazar, and Frondell, and add Roman Kantserov to the mix, but they could certainly use a proven top-six forward. There won’t be many to choose from in free agency, so Davidson might be working the phones. He got the extension—now it’s time to earn it.
