In hindsight, there were hints the Blackhawks would be extremely active in free agency.
There was de facto captain Nick Foligno saying, after the Hawks' season-ending loss April 18, that "this has to change drastically over the summer." He certainly got his wish.
There was general manager Kyle Davidson mentioning, days later, that he intended to "create some meaningful battles in training camp" so that "no one's going to walk in here, next fall, anointed a spot." His broader declaration about it being time for the Hawks to "take a step forward" in 2024-25 grabbed the headlines, but that other comment was meaningful, too.
And there was, most tellingly, Davidson reportedly offering his 2025 first-round pick — with no lottery protection — to the Blue Jackets in a failed attempt to acquire the No. 4 pick and draft Ivan Demidov. That only made sense if the Hawks expected to finish well above the bottom five in the NHL next season.
Even so, the Hawks' haul of signings Monday was jarringly large. Forwards Teuvo Teravainen, Tyler Bertuzzi, Pat Maroon and Craig Smith, defensemen Alec Martinez and T.J. Brodie and goalie Laurent Brossoit are all en route to Chicago.
There's no doubt they will make the Hawks substantially more competitive in 2024-25. When Davidson made his "step forward" declaration, however, the logical assumption was he intended for the team's up-and-coming players to propel that ascension — with a few offseason upgrades brought in to help them out.
But that's not what has transpired. Instead, the Hawks' improvement in 2024-25 will be largely driven by veterans on short-term deals who likely won't factor into the long-term rebuild.
It will be refreshing for fans and Hawks employees alike to finally experience some winning, but how the team fares this season (aside from the individual play of Connor Bedard and Alex Vlasic) won't really reveal much about the long-term outlook. Essentially, the youth movement — and the fruits of the rebuild as a whole — has been delayed by a year.
That's not necessarily a bad thing. The Hawks made that decision partly because they believe the majority of their young guys will benefit from more time developing in the AHL or in college or junior hockey, and they're willing to be patient.
"You can’t just bring up all young guys when they’re not ready," coach Luke Richardson said Monday. "The idea for Rockford is to develop. If you pull them out of that too early, it’s hard. It takes them out of their timeline and sometimes puts them back even further behind."
Rockford's lineup will be stacked with notable prospects this season, and come summer 2025, some of those guys should be ready to graduate into the NHL. By 2026, even more should be ready, and the Hawks will wholly belong to their up-and-coming generation at that point.
The Hawks only have three veterans currently signed past 2026 — Teravainen, Bertuzzi and Seth Jones — so their contract chart is prepared for that turnover. It's worth emphasizing that Davidson's moves Monday added plenty of talent without mortgaging his future flexibility much at all, which deserves commendation.
But right now, the Hawks have created a potential logjam, and there are some questions that need answers. What's the plan with No. 2 pick Artyom Levshunov — clearly the NHL is not it, but will he go to Rockford or back to Michigan State?
What happens if Kevin Korchinski proves he has improved since last season, the entirety of which he spent in the NHL, and makes the concept of a Rockford stint — which might be considered as things stand now — look absurd?
What if several guys among the group of Frank Nazar, Landon Slaggert, Wyatt Kaiser, Ethan Del Mastro and Nolan Allan decisively prove they're NHL-ready right away?
Hopefully, the Hawks would be willing to cut bait on veteran depth — guys like Smith, Maroon, Joey Anderson, Ryan Donato, Connor Murphy and Martinez — if they struggle and a prospect appears deserving of their spot. This temporary change in roster construction approach is only acceptable if the front office and coaching staff adopt and maintain that mindset.
Regardless, the camp battles are destined to be fierce. Davidson was clearly serious about increasing competition.
