It’d be one thing if the Blackhawks had a proven track record of doing things the right way, ya know?
If the club didn’t have morally questionable (at-best) ownership. If it had a proven player development system. If its last general manager hadn’t routinely been on the wrong end of lopsided trades. But that’s not the reality inside the United Center these days.
There is no goodwill left on Chicago’s west Madison street. No success story the team can point to.
When the Hawks decided to move Alex DeBrincat and Kirby Dach at the NHL Draft on Thursday night for a handful of picks and a prayer, it wasn’t a pair of trades anyone could trust. And that’s the most damning part about the rebuild ahead for Chicago’s newish front office—the benefit of the doubt simply does not exist.
Regardless of what GM Kyle Davidson says, the Hawks did not have to part ways with DeBrincat, a 40-goal scorer who at 24 years old hasn’t even reached restricted free agency yet, and the reaction around the league was pretty much universal that Davidson got fleeced. Sure, the Hawks moved up to the No. 7 overall pick in a first round they were previously absent from, but they would’ve had the No. 6 overall pick had Stan Bowman not traded it to Columbus last year for an ill-fated Seth Jones acquisition.
.@JamisonCoyle & @FriedgeHNIC discuss the deal sending Alex DeBrincat to the Sens.
Tune in now for our #NHLDraft coverage leading up to the 1st pick! pic.twitter.com/7ZxGw9tE0G
— NHL Network (@NHLNetwork) July 7, 2022
It gets worse. Because not only did the Hawks accept bargain prices for their top trade chip, they didn’t even come away with one of the Ottawa Senators’ top prospects in Jake Sanderson, Ridly Greig or Tyler Boucher.
And here’s where the benefit of the doubt would be nice. Because for the last few years, the Blackhawks have essentially zero proof they can successfully develop emerging talents. Instead, the franchise has been all too willing to give up on its top youngsters.
The Blackhawks have traded all these first-round picks over the last decade: Phillip Danault and Mark McNeill ('11), Teuvo Teravainen ('12), Ryan Hartman ('13), Nick Schmaltz ('14), Henri Jokiharju ('17), Adam Boqvist ('18) and Kirby Dach ('19).
— Scott Powers (@ByScottPowers) July 7, 2022
The trade of Dach later on Thursday was the latest egregious example. Chicago moved a 21-year-old who just completed his first full professional season that wasn’t interrupted by a significant injury or global pandemic. If the new regime can’t develop Dach, the No. 3 overall pick in 2019, what confidence should anyone have in the team’s ability to grow any of its incoming players?
Maybe Davidson and new head coach Luke Richardson have a solid plan and maybe this is all venting for the sake of venting. But neither have earned that kind of trust. Not yet. Not even from the remaining star players on their roster.
Asked agent Pat Brisson about his client Patrick Kane and his NHL future in lieu of today’s trades by the rebuilding Blackhawks. Brisson said they’re not “going to make any decisions or comments at this point.”
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) July 8, 2022
There are a lot of dark days on the ice ahead for Chicago hockey fans. There’s no indication it’ll be worth it. And it’s probably going to get a lot worse before anyone starts to figure out if it will get better.
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