Davidson on Kane, 'Our door is always open'

Chicago Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson appeared on Toronto’s TSN 1050 AM this afternoon. While on the OverDrive show with Bryan Hayes and Frank Corrado, he was asked to reflect on a very busy offseason. The Bowen Byram trade and the Connor Bedard contract extension and injury were big topics.

Eventually, Hayes brought up the elephant in the room: what is going on with Patrick Kane?

Davidson Gives the Diplomatic Answer

The rumblings about Kane returning to the Blackhawks have been going around all offseason. But the chatter was amplified last week when Chris Chelios told the Mully and Haugh show that Kane told him it was down to the Blackhawks and the Buffalo Sabres.

“I’m not going to lie to you guys; it’s down to Buffalo and Chicago,” Chelios said. “I know that because, obviously, I spoke to him. It’s a tough decision for him; it really is. Whether to go home and make it easy on his parents and family, and finish like Tazer tried to do. Or he comes back, and in my opinion, he’s a Blackhawk. The Blackhawks see how tough it is to make the playoffs. With the absence of Connor at the beginning of the season, how great would that be? He’s so beloved in Chicago. I’m hoping he leans that way. I think he’s going to make his decision pretty quick now.”

Bedard was asked about possibly playing with Kane this season, and his face lit up with excitement when he gave his answer.

“I hope so,” he said. “I don’t know what I could say to persuade his decision. Obviously, we’d all be so excited to have a player like that but also a guy like that. I can’t imagine his first game back at the UC – the reaction he’d get and how much juice that would bring to not only our team, but our fans, as well. It would be incredible to get to play with him and learn from him. Hopefully, he decides to come back; it would make us a much better team. He’s still an amazing player.”

Of course, the majority of Blackhawks fans are excited about a possible reunion with the franchise legend. The fact that he’s still producing at a high level is adding to the buzz. Adding Kane to this roster makes them a much better team, especially with Bedard missing the first few weeks.

Davidson wouldn’t tip his hand when asked about the rumors, but he didn’t shoot them down either.

“Patrick is someone that our organization, myself, have had a relationship with for a long time,” he said. "I don’t necessarily think it’s right for me to comment on the process he’s going to be running this offseason. A guy like Kaner has done pretty much everything there is to do in our game. He’s inspired every young player playing hockey today with what he’s accomplished, and he’s earned the right to take his time and make a decision.

https://x.com/OverDrive1050/status/2079702497766031604?s=20

“We see him all the time. He trains at our practice facility in the offseason. We’ll await his decision, but he knows our door is always open. He’s a Blackhawk at heart for life, even if he’s not wearing our jersey. We’ve got a great deal of reverence, respect, and love for Patrick Kane, so we’ll leave him to that decision, and we’ll see where he ends up when that day comes.”

That all but confirmed that Davidson has made an offer, which I don’t think anyone doubts at this point. Could he be waiting to see if the Sabres pull off a trade for Connor Hellebuyck before making up his mind? He could possibly be waiting to see if he can get a second year out of this bidding war. We’ll keep waiting for the official word, but if he chooses the Blackhawks, it would give this team and fanbase a huge shot in the arm.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow