Kyle Davidson Is Having His Biggest Offseason as Blackhawks GM & He’s Not Done

Chicago Blackhawks general manager (GM) Kyle Davidson has had quite the offseason so far. He took big swings on defenseman Xavier Villeneuve and forward Ryan Roobroeck at the NHL Draft a couple of weeks ago, banking on their high ceilings (his first time aggressively doing that). Then, on July 1, he signed defenseman Ian Cole to a one-year deal and forward Cole Smith to a three-year contract. 

All of that was headlined by a blockbuster trade, as the Blackhawks traded the fourth overall pick to the Buffalo Sabres to acquire Bowen Byram. On top of that, Davidson and Connor Bedard’s camp still needs to work out an extension; his busy offseason isn’t done, but it’s already been his most impactful one. 

Davidson Throws Analytics to the Wind With Byram 

Davidson may as well have put his job on the line when he traded for Byram. Trading the fourth selection in the draft is no small feat; in fact, the last time it was done was in 2008. As well as signing Cole and Smith, on July 1, Byram inked a six-year extension at a $12.5 average annual value (AAV), making him the highest-paid defenseman in the NHL. That contract will start in the 2027-28 season, as he’s in the last year of his current deal heading into this season, making $6.25 million. 

When the extension was made official, the analytics didn’t quite agree. The 2022 Stanley Cup champion, while being talented on the offensive end, having 42 points (11 goals and 32 assists) in 82 regular-season games and tallying seven points in 13 playoff games, isn’t the best on the defensive side of things. Byram had a 0.51 wins above replacement (WAR) last season, putting him all the way down at 97th in the league among defensemen, and he is overall weak in his own end, which is where the Blackhawks struggled the most last season. In the 2025-26 campaign, the Blackhawks ranked 27th in defensive zone time and 31st in offensive zone time; Byram may not be a huge help with that if they get hemmed in. 

However, Davidson voiced the importance of just going and getting the guy you believe in and tossing the analytics into the wastebasket. This was the first time he had traded a major asset and had been aggressive in winning a bidding war. Byram has never had the chance to be the No. 1 defenseman before, as when he was on the Colorado Avalanche, he was slotted behind Cale Makar, and on the Sabres, he was a pair behind Rasmus Dahlin, partnered with 2021 first-overall pick Owen Power. The Blackhawks hope that the 25-year-old can still improve his game and step up into that role.

Bedard’s Upcoming Extension

Bedard’s next contract is the true make-or-break point of the offseason. Bedard, needing surgery on his left shoulder on July 8 after taking an unfortunate fall while practicing in Vancouver, made things a little more complicated and pushed things back a little bit, but it shouldn’t be that big of a setback. The hope is that he’ll be back in November, only missing the first month or so of the upcoming campaign. Bedard had to have received an offer sheet by now; the fact that he hasn’t signed one yet shows he’s committed to the team, and there should be no worry about him re-signing in Chicago. 

Leo Carlsson’s offer sheet and signing a five-year, $18 million AAV deal shook up Bedard’s contract, as well. Bedard will be asking for and should get around the same amount as Carlsson. Davidson will be kicking himself if he had been able to get him at a couple of million dollars cheaper before Carlsson signed his contract to make him the highest-paid player in the league. Nevertheless, Bedard is the face of the franchise and deserves to be the highest-paid player in the organization’s history. 

By the end of the summer, Davidson will have handed out around $30 million in AAV to those he views as his future star players at both ends of the ice: Byram and Bedard. It’s also worth noting that the Blackhawks will have around $12 million in cap space, which is the least amount they have had since they started the rebuild. Davidson has made moves for the future over the last couple of weeks and will continue to do so up until September. This is the most important offseason this front office has had, and it sets up, at the very least, the next six years of the future.