Elliotte Friedman and his new co-host, Kyle Bukauskas, dropped their first episode of the 2024-25 season on Friday. They go thru all 32 teams’ offseasons and discuss what’s going on, which is a massive undertaking so big applause right out of the gate. The Blackhawks were up second based on their record from last year (see: draft order).
Friedman opens his comments by noting that, when bad contracts really hurt is when the term is bad. Teams can deal with dollars as long as there isn’t a lot of term. And Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson has added a lot of, as Friedman puts it, pros to his roster for the coming season without making the mistake of too much term.
“What it said to me is Chicago took the intermediate step this year,” Friedman said. “[That means] okay, we’re going to get a little better but we’re not ready yet to start taking the big swings. To me, what’s going to be the most interesting thing is when does Chicago go out, whether it’s trade or free agency, and they say ‘Alright, we’re Aaron Judge. We’re at the plate carrying the big bat and we’re swinging for the fences.'”
They also talk about learning on the job, and how young players actually do need nights where things aren’t great. But, as Friedman says, you don’t want 50 or 60 of those in a season. Having veterans who can “do that” so young players don’t have to push too much or be put in too many situations was the intent of the Blackhawks’ offseason. Development is still the path, but doing it with some cushion around the young players is now happening.
