https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5672796/2024/08/06/nhl-front-office-confidence-rankings-2024/
Excerpt from Athletic article:
Last year: 15th
“I like what Kyle Davidson is doing. I think the focus on rebuilding through the draft and acquiring picks has been consistent over the last three years. The patience needed for a rebuild of this type is hard to muster and I’m not sure they have always made the right pick in every instance, but I do think the front office knows what they are doing when it comes to taking their time with prospects and developing them the right way.”
“Davidson has been clear and consistent with his vision. So far, he has followed through well, and I like this year’s moves to improve and give prospects additional time. As we move beyond the teardown, each step becomes more difficult and it remains to be seen just how effective he will be.”
Getting Connor Bedard is one thing. Building around him is another. That’s the challenge now for Kyle Davidson and company as they enter the next phase of the Bedard era: climbing out of the bottom.
That won’t be easy, but the team made some wise bets this offseason to start the process. That earned Chicago decent marks on the free-agency front and should give the Blackhawks a much stronger supporting cast around Bedard.
That’s without sacrificing the overall vision, too. The goal was to stop being a nightly pushover and get Bedard some help, all while maintaining long-term focus toward finding cornerstone pieces at the draft. They’re savvy stop-gap solutions to fill out the roster and between Teuvo Teravainen, Tyler Bertuzzi, TJ Brodie and Laurent Brossoit, the team made solid bets on that front.
The lack of support in Bedard’s rookie year felt like a major misstep by most, but that’s been fixed for his sophomore season. Aside from that, any other error has felt marginal or debatable.
by mcosta1973
1 Comment
12th is a great score for where our team is at. I was worried it would all still be based on the “vision” piece because of Bedard, but it seems like they’ve just been doing a thoroughly good job.