“Previous to this year, we finished third last. This year, we finished second last. That can’t happen again. We need to start moving up and onward.” — Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson.
The Chicago Blackhawks cleaned out their lockers on Saturday, met with their coaches and the front office, and then got to chat with the media. In total, 13 players spoke with the media before head coach Luke Richardson and general manager Kyle Davidson shared their closing remarks to put the 2023-24 season to bed. There was a lot said by the players — some of whom are staying, some were departing — and the head coach and GM to break down and digest. I’ll undoubtedly have more thoughts from the players this coming week.
But the comments from Davidson got a lot of attention. And they should. The Blackhawks are coming off the worst regular season record (of more than 70 games) in the history of the franchise. They landed Connor Bedard and… got worse — at least on paper.
Davidson was cautious but also on point with his comments on Saturday. The “losing to get better via high draft picks” part of the rebuild is officially over. Done. Rearview mirror. Next year, he expects improvement from the team. And, while he wouldn’t promise a championship or even the playoff yet, it sounded like he was expected a significant step in the right direction.
“I think the standard has to be raised. The expectation has to be raised. Through that, accountability will be raised. That’s the nature of the path we’re on. Eventually, we have to start making positive steps. And I think we’ve reached that point.”
Connor Bedard talked about handling the pressures on and off the ice this season, becoming a Chicago resident and some of the special moments along the way. He lit up when he talked about playing floor hockey with local kids and Kevin Korchinski during the season, and that he looks forward to finding more ways to be an active part of the community as he moves forward in his career.
Seth Jones had plenty of interesting things to say. He was very specifically asked if the team needs someone who will be more blunt with levying criticism on teammates, and he said they do. Nick Foligno didn’t necessarily agree, but it did sound like more internal accountability was something everyone in the organization was looking for moving into next season. Jones reiterated that he didn’t come to Chicago and sign his eight-year deal to sit thru a rebuild, and that he doesn’t like losing. He’s mentioned that a few times this year. Which begs the question: is there a point at which he asks out? Seth turns 30 this fall.
Alex Vlasic was the one guy who was able to take a step back and say he was proud of what he did on the ice this season and where his game has gone over the past nine months. And he should be. Vlasic has turned into one of the better defensive defensemen in the entire league. He’s a restricted free agent this summer, so that obviously came up. He said he wants to play for the team he cheered for growing up as long as he possibly can. Here’s hoping we hear about a long-term extension in the near future.
Bedard confirmed he’s playing for Canada at the World Championship.
Philipp Kurashev confirmed he’s playing for Switzerland. He also confirmed that he and Bedard both “want to score on Petr Mrazek” badly in the tournament.
If we add Jones and Vlasic (USA) to Mrazek (Czechia), Bedard (Canada) and Kurashev (Swiss), the Blackhawks have a nice collection of players heading to the Worlds in a few weeks.
Finally, a young player doing special things. Blackhawks fans are hoping for more of that trend this coming season.
NEWSLETTER
