Chicago Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson met with the media on Wednesday as the club’s development camp draws near an end. He covered a lot of material in his first chat with the media since he became “Kyle from Chicago” — including that fun, viral video that dropped just hours before he stepped to the podium in Nashville and selected Connor Bedard.
One comment that reassured me that Davidson is staying on plan was when he was asked about selecting a goaltender — Adam Gajan — at No. 35 overall in the second round despite having four goaltenders signed already. One of those goaltenders, Drew Commesso, is just beginning his professional career this coming season. Davidson’s response to why he went goaltender there was “best player available” — they really liked Gajan and he was the next player on their board. In a rebuild, drafts should be best player available. And the Blackhawks stayed with that approach.
Davidson was also asked about his current NHL roster. He said they feel pretty good about their forward group; Davidson touted Ryan Donato‘s versatility as a reason they targeted him in free agency. Donato is the only player Chicago has signed since the market opened on Saturday. Norm MacIver was involved in the expansion draft in Seattle when they added Donato, so his knowledge of the player weighed into their decision. But injuries happen — Davidson noted how fortunate the Blackhawks were early last year in that regard — and Donato being able to play all three forward positions made him a valuable addition to the team.
Free agency is still open, and teams are still looking to make trades. Davidson said he may look to add some additional depth — specifically on the blue line — but thinks they’re “almost done” with the NHL roster at this point. However, he did caveat his statement with the points that the trade for Jason Dickinson happened during training camp and they claimed Jarred Tinordi off waiv🦹ers near the end of training camp. So the right player becoming available could impact things.
He also pointed out that Wednesday is the deadline for players to file for salary arbitration, and he fully expects Philipp Kurashev to file; the general manager said that would be the prudent thing to do for the player. But he was also confident they’ll get a deal done with the young forward who displayed versatility of his own last season.
Davidson was also asked about the center position. Anders Sorensen said earlier in the week that he feels Lukas Reichel can play center at the NHL level, and Davidson didn’t back away from that being a possibility. He did say they will likely incorporate some younger players down the middle this coming season; to me, that indicates Cole Guttman will likely get🐓 another good look at the NHL level after showing well before a shoulder injury hampered his game.
The coaches have talked about how much they liked what they saw when Reichel and Andreas Athanasiou were together last year; there’s a lot of speed on a line with those two together. AA saw some time as a center and performed well late last season, so he’s also an option. Luke Richardson talked from training camp on last season about liking the ability to have multiple players be able to confidently take a faceoff on the same line, so that might also be a biproduct of those two skating together this coming season.
Davidson was asked if any players stood out in their physical maturation, especially since last summer. He, like Sorensen, mentioned Kevin Korchinski looks more mature now. But Davidson also mentioned Frank Nazar and Dominic James as a couple players who have “filled out” since development camp last season.
On the subject of Korchinski, Davidson was asked about the tough balancing act the front office and coaches have to find with him this season. Because of his age, Korchinski isn’t eligible to spend a season in the AHL. They’re going to let play on the ice in training camp dictate who goes where and how ice time is distributed, but Davidson also said Korchinski could “force their hand” with his play if he earns an NHL roster spot.
The Blackhawks are not concerned about burning the first year of a player’s entry-level contract right now if they deserve an NHL roster spot. Davidson said they weren’t with Reichel and they aren’t with Korchinski. They want to put players in the best position to both succeed and grow as players, and it’s a case-by-case decision making process with when players are going to get the call to Chicago.
Finally, something that got my attention in Davidson’s comments came when he was asked about young players during this week’s development camp showing leadership. He talked about different types of leadership; some are vocal, some do it by example, and others do it by keeping the room loose (Samuel Savoie was mentioned as a guy who keeps a room light).
But Davidson specifically pointed out that Oliver Moore mentioned earlier this week that he was learning things from Bedard off the ice. Colton Dach talked about that, too, on Wednesday. And Davidson said seeing and hearing players talk about following the lead of others in the room is incredibly important — and reassuring that they have the right guys in the room.
