CHICAGO (AP) — Frank Nazar and Sam Rinzel were part of a wave of young players who helped the Chicago Blackhawks put together a strong finish to another dismal season.
The arrival and success of those prospects delighted general manager Kyle Davidson. It just didn't change his approach to this summer.
When it comes to signing a top player in free agency or making a big trade, Davidson is open to every possibility. But he realizes the odds are against him.
“In all likelihood, there’s going to be a point where we do acquire someone that’s going to be a contributor in a big way,” Davidson said Thursday. “But I just, again, it’s so out of our hands, in many cases, right, that I can’t say ‘Yeah, that’s what we’re going to do this summer.’ Because I just don’t know if that’s the case. And honestly, in all likelihood, it’s not.”
So, while Chicago could try for Mitch Marner if he gets to free agency, or swing a trade for a forward to provide some help for Connor Bedard, the focus for the rebuilding Blackhawks is on the team's youngest players. And there were some signs of hope during a 25-46-11 season that put the team on the bottom of the Central Division standings for the third straight year.
Nazar, 21, had five goals and four assists in his last eight games. Rinzel, a 20-year-old defenseman, had an impressive nine-game stint with Chicago at the end of the season. Artyom Levshunov, 19, Oliver Moore, 20, and Ryan Greene, 21 — three more prominent draft picks — also made it to the NHL this season.
“Once I get to a spot and start to study and learn and understand how the game’s played at that level, then I start to do a lot better,” Nazar said. “It’s like that for a lot of people and I think toward the end of the season, just able to figure it out and understand the game a lot better and slow it down a lot more.”
Bedard, 19, got off to a slow start, but the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 draft finished strong. Surrounded by more speed and athleticism at the end of the season, he had 23 goals and 44 assists in 82 games.
“With the young guys coming up, I think there was so much positivity surrounded by it, especially at the end of the year,” Bedard said.
Bedard is eligible for a contract extension this summer, and the young center and Davidson sounded open to the idea on Thursday. But there are more pressing issues for the organization at the moment.
Chicago is looking for a coach again after Luke Richardson was fired in December. Anders Sorensen finished out the season on an interim basis, and he is being considered for the full-time position.
Davidson wants to move more quickly with the process than he did when he hired Richardson in June 2022. But he is more concerned with selecting the right person than any timeline, and he said experience is only part of the equation.
Each of the last four coaches — Sorensen, Richardson, Derek King and Jeremy Colliton — had never been a head coach in the NHL before they moved into the position with Chicago.
“The next head coach could very well have significant experience or they might not,” Davidson said. “It’s not something that we’re going to use as a filter to rule people in or out with.”
Davidson also plans to revisit contract talks with Ryan Donato now that the season is over. The 29-year-old Donato smashed his career highs with 31 goals and 31 assists in 80 games.
Donato is eligible for unrestricted free agency this summer. The sides talked about a new deal ahead of the NHL trade deadline, but they weren't able to close it out.
“We’ve talked, and I’ve voiced plenty of times how much I love being here and want to be a part of the future here,” Donato said.
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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/NHL
Jay Cohen, The Associated Press
