Three Stanley Cup Championships in five years established the Chicago Blackhawks as a dynasty. A new golden era of hockey dawned on Chicago throughout the 2010s. Fans became accustomed to winning. The thought of a rebuild was far from anyone’s mind. But that last Stanley Cup victory was nearly 10 years ago, and with Kyle Davidson joining as general manager in 2022, he made it clear that the franchise was embracing a full rebuild.
A daunting word to digest for any fan, player, or organization member. It is safe to say that most understood Davidson’s approach. After every peak there are valleys, so no one expected the Blackhawks to maintain their dominance from the 2010s indefinitely. Brandon Hagel, Alex DeBrincat, and Kirby Dach all were traded within months of Davidson’s hiring. Then, in 2023, a move that officially signaled the closing of the former era, Patrick Kane was traded to the New York Rangers.
A new story was to be written under Davidson; one that honored the legacy of an Original Six franchise while distinguishing itself from the period led by Jonathan Toews, Kane, Corey Crawford, and Duncan Keith. Again, though a tough pill for most fans to swallow, Blackhawks supporters understood. The team could not thrive fueled by the fumes of what had been.
A rebuild is upon the city of Chicago. Fans understand that it will take time, patience is vital, and growing pains are inevitable. Fans will criticize Davidson for the transactions he has made and the performance of players. This is natural and, to an extent, healthy.
In a recent interview on 32 Thoughts, Davidson directly addressed the Blackhawks’ attempt to write their own story, distinct from the glory days or golden era. The problem, more than any one trade or signing or player, is that the team has failed to establish what story they want to write.
Davidson’s Thoughts on Turning the Page
Elliotte Friedman and Kyle Bukauskas did not shy away from asking Davidson about the rebuild process. His responses and insight were honest and transparent. He owned up to the fact that it will be a long road but reiterated his confidence in the path chosen. One answer from Davidson stood out in particular. Friedman asked him if he uses any of the Blackhawks’ Stanley Cup Championships as motivation, something to look back on and inspire belief that the franchise will return. In response, Davidson talked about what it’s like when the team gains momentum, saying:
You can feel that electricity in the United Center and really feel, “Oh my gosh. Remember what this place was like when it was really rocking in here?” And, to some extent, we do want to turn the page, and we don’t want to always call back on those moments. But you can feel the remnants of those great Blackhawks teams 10 or so years ago, that this fanbase is starved for some excitement. And they want to believe. And it’s our job to give them something to believe in.
This philosophy is needed for any team during a rebuild. Of course, you want to recapture the glory of your past successes. But you cannot try to be those teams or embody that era. It simply does not work because you are a new team in a new era. That is okay, and Davidson’s job is to guide the organization through its evolution and to ultimate success.
The most insightful two lines, though, of that answer are, “And they (the fans) want to believe. And it’s our job to give them something to believe in.” Is that not a subtle admission that we do not quite fully believe? That we haven’t been given something to believe in?
What Is the New Story?
Connor Bedard. He is the new story. Everything depends on him, and he is the piece that the Blackhawks are building around. No story worth telling has one character, though. It needs supporting characters, a plot, a genre, a beginning, a middle, and an end.
We can safely say that the plot of this new story is the rebuild. The Blackhawks are definitely in the beginning stages (though most hoped the team would be further along this season). Some supporting characters have been identified, but even that remains unclear. The destination is another Stanley Cup. Digging deeper though, we realize that these plot lines become murky.
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Take, for example, the stage of the rebuild. It is only year three, but expectations were much higher. Progression was anticipated. Instead, the Blackhawks are in last place and fired head coach Luke Richardson before the halfway point. Davidson consistently preached patience on 32 Thoughts, as he should. Rushing will only hinder the rebuild. But Davidson also agreed that he had hoped for a better season. “Better” has never been clearly defined. Where should the Blackhawks be? Those answers have not been articulated. Anyone writing a story knows what needs to happen along the way to the final page.
Then there is the problem of the cast of characters. The Blackhawks signed Teuovo Teravainen and Tyler Bertuzzi, along with others, to surround Bedard with a veteran presence. The blue line was bolstered with Alec Martinez and T.J. Brodie. Those players are needed to bolster the young players as they develop. But a torrent of healthy scratches touched nearly every player on the roster, including veterans. It destabilized confidence in the locker room. Taylor Hall said he was “surprised” when he had been healthy scratched, revealing there had been no communication concerning him sitting out.
Teuvo gets his second of the night 🤩 pic.twitter.com/GLQfWneeOF
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) January 11, 2025
A standard needs to be established and adhered to, particularly during a rebuild. The healthy scratches created more confusion than cohesion. In November, barely one month into the season, 11 different players had been scratched. How difficult it is to know who the supporting characters are when the cast is constantly rotating.
A more consistent roster has been played over the past couple of months. However, questions remain about who the core players for the Blackhawks will be. Lukas Reichel has made improvements this season, but he still is finding his footing. Frank Nazar has now played 13 games but only has three points. Granted, both are young, so patience (the common theme here) must be a virtue. If guys like Reichel and Nazar are the future, some concern has arisen around rushing them to the NHL.
Again, there are more questions than answers. That makes it very difficult to write a new story.
Finally, the genre of this Blackhawks saga may be the most difficult component of this current iteration to digest. This is not a “retool” or a “reset.” It is a rebuild—and not just a rebuild. It is a slow, slogging, dragging rebuild that will take time. We are talking a Stephen King-esque or Leo Tolstoy-esque novel that easily eclipses 1,000 pages. That is fine. But if you are going to write a story that long, every facet of that story must be crystallized. Otherwise, you will meander in the telling of it, and you will lose even the most dedicated readers.
Balancing Patience with Expectations
Blackhawks fans are committed readers to the story that is this franchise. As I said above, they understood the necessity of the rebuild. Now, though, unsettledness and a lack of enthusiasm permeate the fanbase. That is because the thread of the story has been lost.
For the third time, rebuilds demand patience. Fans accustomed to winning may need to learn that after having a dynasty for a decade. But once that is learned, a rebuild demands accountability and a clear path forward. That path forward cannot be recapturing the spirit of a bygone era. It must build on history to create a new era, distinct from its predecessors.
The Blackhawks are still trying to write that story.
