Chicago Blackhawks have parted ways with Stan Bowman, now what?
Tuesday afternoon the Blackhawks held a press conference to announce that their internal investigation had been completed. The results of which were handed over to the league, as well as made public.
The testimony by the investigation’s participants, which will not be discussed here, is unsettling, and the team’s ownership is committed to improving the organization. Even though what’s transpired can never be undone, hopefully, the public conference was some kind of vindication for the former players that were victims’ the team’s neglect which lead to the lawsuits against Chicago.
Whatever changes Rocky and Danny Wirtz implement will have to be significant, but those changes started on October 26, 2021, when Chicago parted ways with Stan Bowman and Al MacIsaac.
It’s hard to imagine how the Chicago Blackhawks could have handled things much differently when their gm resigned, but the departure of Bowman is significant. Will the team re-commit to rebuilding, or will it stay the course and aim for a deep playoff run this year? It’s not often you see a team lose general manager and a president of operations in one clean cut, but Chicago did just that.
With Bowman gone, the team will have Kyle Davidson as interim general manager. Despite the team being rock-bottom in the NHL, there’s almost a whole season to play. Chicago was allegedly rebuilding, and then they weren’t, and a couple of weeks into the 2021-22 season the general manager is gone. Someone else now has to come in and sort out the mess that the team has become, and I’m not speaking about internal operations.
Chicago paid dearly for Seth Jones to join the team, and Rockford isn’t exactly overflowing with game-breaking talent. If the team doesn’t suddenly become incredible, then this bizarre off-season about-face was basically for nothing. What happens now is anybody’s guess. Roster composition is the general manager’s vision of what will make a Stanley Cup-winning team. With the spasms in recent years regarding the approach to acquiring and developing talent, yet another decision is going to have to be made about how best to proceed.
Could this mean that Davidson fires Colliton? Possibly. Jeremy Colliton has been on the hot seat, but his problems are partially the result of the roster Bowman built. With Bowman now gone, does Davidson begin re-tooling the former GM’s work? He may have to, and it might be interesting to see what kind of mandate he’s been given by Rocky and Danny Wirtz.
How substantive will the changes be that Davidson, or whoever lands the role permanently be making? Davidson may only be in the job for a short time. Then again, if Danny Wirtz isn’t in a rush to find a replacement, Davidson may see the 2021-22 season to its conclusion. If that’s the case, the composition of the roster could change somewhat drastically. Or not. We’ll have to see. Especially someone else is expected to take over next season.
Then again, it isn’t just the general manager that needs replacing, it’s the person in charge of every aspect of hockey for Chicago. Anything that doesn’t relate to business had been handled by Bowman. With him gone, that’s another vacancy to fill. Before Bowman was promoted to that position, there were quite a few names kicked around. That conversation will necessarily need to resume again. Where does that put Chicago?
Will Chicago hire a new President of Hockey Operations, and if so, who might that be? It’s possible Danny Wirtz decides to oversee hockey operations himself, and rely on his subordinates to run things. However, with Danny Wirtz’s lack of knowledge of the game, it might be better if he hires someone else to do that. Rumors are circulating on social media networks like Twitter that Eddie Olczyk is pursuing the position.
Eddie O. is certainly someone fans would rally behind, but is he the best choice? Does he get the minutiae of management? He’s done well as a player and a broadcaster, but running an entire professional team is a big thing. He’s certainly a competent professional, but this may be outside his area of expertise. Regardless, if it isn’t him, someone should take that role. The person that gets the job will, like the next GM, have a significant impact on the future of the franchise.
Will Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane be brought back after their current deals expire? Both denied knowledge of the sexual assault, but both were contradicted by former teammates. Toews and Kane denied knowledge of what happened with Kyle Beach and Brad Aldrich as was reported by the Chicago Sun-Times, as well as SportsNet and other organizations. However, so did Joel Quenneville, but the internal investigation revealed that he knew more than he’d initially stated. Quenneville resigned from his position with the Florida Panthers as of Thursday, October 28, 2021.
The reason this is worth noting is that both Kane and Toews are due new contracts in a couple of years. The fallout from this scandal and the fact that a new GM will be taking over may mean that neither player retires a Blackhawk. Should they be re-signed at this point? It’s going to be a question to consider, especially since multiple former players are contradicting claims that they didn’t know anything. Three players, Brent Sopel, Nick Boynton, and Shawn Lalonde have made comments stating “everyone knew”.
Kane and Toews have been the faces of the organization for over a decade, but their legacy may be tarnished by this episode. If they’re still fit to play in a couple of years, should they continue playing for Chicago? Considering everything that has come to light over the last few days it’s going to be a tough decision for the next GM to make.
Ultimately, the path forward isn’t clear for anyone. The situation is one gigantic mess, and there is no quick fix to any of it. Whatever direction the Blackhawks decide to move in, it needs patience and consistency. That’s probably the only way Chicago can realistically proceed.