The Blackhawks ultimate checklist for a successful 2024 offseason

Keep the door open for prospects who could land with the big club

Another reason Kyle Davidson must roll with an older, more cost-effective group for the upcoming offseason is that it is inevitable that he will have prospects who may not be NHL-ready at the moment earn a chance to compete in the big league at some point in 2024-25. 

Even if this isn’t something that will, or should, occur early in the season, Chicago’s prospects pool is an outstanding bunch, and they should comprise the team’s not-so-distant future. This isn’t to say that Davidson shouldn’t go after the big-name free agent or a major trade acquisition in time. It just doesn’t need to happen in the summer of 2024 or even during the 2024-25 season. This is a year when it’s best to resist adding top-end talent to the organization and instead add another layer to the foundation. 

No, there is also no guarantee the method will work. But if the endgame involves maximizing the organization’s overall window of opportunity, and it should with such a young group, taking a more calculated approach is the best way to go about it. 

Sure, Davidson could choose not to extend the current RFAs and make blockbuster moves all he wants this summer. But there are also no guarantees that method will work either, and it would also come with the inevitable shortening the window of success. Such a method may have been feasible with Patrick Kane in town, but long-term success should be key with Connor Bedard. 

(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)