3 major mistakes Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson cannot make in the 2024 offseason

Ill-advised trades could haunt Kyle Davidson

This isn’t saying Kyle Davidson will make a big trade for an established player this offseason, so it’s nothing more than a hypothetical. But it ties in well with the first point on this list - panicked free agent signings. 

Player movement is inevitable regardless of which offseason it is, and this summer will be no different. So again, this one falls into the temptation category, considering how much the fans in Chicago want to see a winner in accordance with the sheer number of draft picks Davidson has. 

Davidson has seven picks in the first three rounds of 2024 and five apiece in 2025 and 2026, so it would be easy to package them into a trade for a solid player and perhaps even a prospect. But unless that trade is for a young player who fits well with the program Davidson is building, he needs to hang onto those picks. 

Every Blackhawks fan out there would love to see a more relevant hockey team take form, and those days are coming back. But to rush a winner onto the ice at the expense of what could be a decade-long (or more) window isn’t worth it. Build around at least one (and perhaps two) generational prospects, and what you’re seeing in Colorado and Edmonton today is what you will ultimately see arrive in Chicago. 

(Statistics provided by Tankathon and Hockey-Reference)