Blackhawks’ Rebuild Plans Won’t Change Regardless of Record

According to general manager Kyle Davidson, no matter how often the Chicago Blackhawks win or lose, the team won’t alter their rebuild plans. Heading into the 2022-23 season, the Blackhawks started dumping stars and speculation was that more trades will follow. The idea was to essentially start over and an offseason of departures was only the beginning.

Interestingly, the Blackhawks are off to a good start with a 4-2 record and have won four straight games. Few probably would have expected that result out of the gate considering the franchise traded Alex DeBrincat and Kirby Dach this past offseason. Talk that the team will shop Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane continue with teams like the New York Rangers, Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars, and Edmonton Oilers all linked in rumors. Both players are producing, Kane with five points in six games and Toews with three goals early.

For Chicago, where the Oilers are playing on Thursday, Mark Spector of Sportsnet appeared on Oilers Now with Bob Stauffer and said he spoke to Davidson who responded when asked if the plan changes if they keep winning: “The plan here does not change.” The Blackhawks will not veer from their projected course and names will still be leaving.

What that means is that fans should keep an eye on players like Kane, Toews, Max Domi, Andreas Athansiou, Jack Johnson, and any other pending free agents. Obviously, Kane and Toews have some say in where they wind up, but if they know the franchise isn’t changing course no matter how well they play and produce, chances are they’ll be more open to a change of scenery.

In the long term, that might be exactly what Davidson wants. If the plan is to tear it down and start over, Kane and Toews shouldn’t think things could change over the next few months.

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