Blackhawks: Kyle Davidson was dealt the hardest hand this season

When Kyle Davidson took over as General Manager of the Chicago Blackhawks, he took over for the previous regime that was ousted when their coverup of a sexual assault scandal during a Stanley Cup run was publicized and they were forced to step down.

Davidson inherited the role with the knowledge that he was going to have to make contract decisions on Blackhawks royalty in the ending deals of Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews. He also knew he had to sign and trade contracts on a year-by-year basis such as Max Domi.

Davidson did his best with Patrick Kane and his representatives around the trade deadline. He dealt Kane where he wished to end up while doing the best he could to lock down a return between the three teams involved in the deal.

The publicized response to the conversation with Jonathan Toews noted the role Toews has played in his extensively successful career with the Blackhawks and was very respectable as a response to not renewing his contract. That also means ending his time with the Blackhawks.

The Chicago Blackhawks didn’t make life easy on Kyle Davidson upon his arrival.

Calling things like the Max Domi trade at the deadline a “casualty” is a tad bit harsh but the word fits. While he had settled into his stride in Chicago and was on a roster looking for leaders, Domi was good in that role when Kane or Toews were out of the lineup.

At the end of the day, it’s a business. Doing what is best for the organization’s future rightfully had been prioritized. Being on a one-year deal, Domi could end up back in Chicago when the season ends.

The Blackhawks finished near the bottom of the NHL this season and it was all but written in stone when the season began that they were in a rebuild that wouldn’t lead to many wins.

The returns given may not have been what Blackhawks’ fans wanted but given the circumstances, a thinning market, and the limited areas to move stars to, Davidson locked down solid notes for the Hawks and ensured he got the very best he could.

Playing ArmChair GM is always fun and we all think we can do the job but the reality remains the same.

It’s harder than it looks to be an NHL GM and despite it “being a business”, players are people and willingly deciding to uproot their whole life for a chance at glory (but under certain circumstances) adds pressure to what was already fairly overwhelming, to begin with.