Bringing back Patrick Kane was a team effort

Chicago Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson had quite the busy offseason, which included trading for Bowen Byram, dealing with another significant Connor Bedard injury, and signing him to a contract extension. While much of the national media hasn’t gotten on board, The Athletic’s survey shows Blackhawks fans have confidence in the team’s direction. One of the biggest reasons the fan base is energized is the return of franchise legend Patrick Kane.

On Wednesday, Davidson joined Jay Zawaski, Mario Tirabassi, and me on the CHGO Blackhawks Podcast while watching games at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup. He gave us some insight into what it took to get Kane in a Blackhawks jersey again, and it was a lot more than just a text message to his agent.

Why Now is the Right Time

At the 2023 trade deadline, Davidson made the difficult decision to trade one of the greatest players in franchise history. He knew that he was going to have a room full of young players over the next couple of seasons, and he wanted them to find their identities on their own. While many fans didn’t agree with the move, you could understand the logic. Now that this group is three years into their NHL journey, a guy like Kane can help get them to the next level.

“We didn’t think about Kaner this early, but coming out of last training camp, we felt that our young players had their feet under them much more,” Davidson said. “Certainly, Connor came back a different player, but also just an ease about him and a confidence about himself that he was displaying. You go through the full season, and as the group comes together, there’s a young nucleus that was really starting to build something together.

“After the season, we felt that if he got to free agency, this was something we wanted to pursue. At the onset, we wanted those players to establish themselves. As you saw when we signed Patrick, there’s a lot of gravity to his presence. There’s huge value in that. There are also some elements that, if the players aren’t prepared, there could be a little bit of them watching him a little too much – they haven’t figured out what works for them and gotten comfortable in their own. I think we’ve reached the point where we can bring him in, given everything he has accomplished and what he brings; it is additive. It’s extremely positive.”

It Takes a Village

Davidson knew that if he wanted to convince Kane to return to Chicago, he would have to do it the right way. This wasn’t your normal free agent. This is one of the greatest players to play in the NHL over the last few decades, and he’s still productive.

“First of all, if you decide to go down that road without 100 percent confidence across the board, whether it's management and coaching staff, especially with someone of Patrick’s stature, you don’t want to just dip your toe in,” Davidson said. “Everyone has got to be aligned. That has to be right because there is way too much respect for the player to not be 100 percent committed to why it would work.”

The Blackhawks general manager wasn’t the only one making a sales pitch. Head coach Jeff Blashill was involved in the recruiting before the big guns were called in. Owner Danny Wirtz called Kane to let him know just how important a return would be for the franchise.

“While we were gearing up for the opening of free agency, we felt that he’s a club legend and an icon in this city and in this sport. I don’t think there’s a young player out there today who isn’t inspired by what Patrick has done in the NHL. Through that, I don’t think there is anyone more impactful in the organization than our owner. So, we felt that was the ultimate respect and show of commitment, to have Danny be the one to reach out initially to express the commitment organizationally – that this is something that we believe in wholeheartedly. I think it was a great first step.”

It worked! The move re-energized the fan base, which was still reeling from the news that Bedard would miss the first few weeks of the season. We’ll see how Kane’s return translates to success on the ice, but there is no doubt that the Blackhawks are a much better team now than they were when the season ended in April.

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