Reaction to Blackhawks’ Locker Cleanout: Notes From Davidson, Blashill, Bedard – The Hockey Writers – Chicago Blackhawks

The 2025-26 season is in the books for the Chicago Blackhawks. It was a disappointing campaign standings-wise, as the club finished 31^st in the league with a 29-39-14 record (72 points). But from a development standpoint, the Blackhawks feel like they’ve taken positive strides with their young team. Plus, they finished on a high note with a 5-2 win over the San Jose Sharks in their season finale (Apr. 15). That alone should give the Blackhawks a good feeling headed into the offseason.

Locker cleanout was on Thursday (Apr. 16) before the players and staff headed in different directions for the summer. Let’s hear from general manager Kyle Davidson, head coach Jeff Blashill, Connor Bedard and Alex Vlasic about the state of the team after this season, and where they’re headed moving forward.

Davidson Discusses Organizational Growth

Before we get to words from Davidson, it should be noted that the organization announced a multi-year contract extension for him ahead of their final contest against the Sharks Wednesday night. Per club policy, details of the deal were not disclosed.

Currently in his 16^th year in the organization and fourth year as general manager, Davidson is in the process of orchestrating an extensive rebuild that largely focuses on acquiring young prospects and developing from within. Blackhawks Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Danny Wirtz spoke to the media at first intermission about his faith in Davidson to continue what he’s started. “We’re really, really happy with the progress we’re making, and with all the work we still need to get done. We want to continue to build the way we’re building, and continue to execute on his (Davidson’s) plan and his vision.”

Many fans won’t agree with this assessment, as they feel this rebuild is taking way too long. But that’s the point. Davidson is playing the long game.

Rebuilding takes time, and player development takes time. He addressed his extension and the vision he has in place at the beginning of his press conference.

We started this a couple years ago with a plan, and we’re starting on our end to see some of the fruits of that labor show up in the NHL and start to develop in the NHL in big numbers. Having the trust from Danny Wirz and the Wirtz family to continue that work, and get the endorsement that he sees that it’s on the right path is nice for me.

But it’s great for our staff, and it’s good for our players to know that trust remains, and that belief remains in a very, very meaningful way. We’re going to keep building the way we have been, and to keep the positive momentum going. I have a great deal of belief in this organization and the direction we’re going. So I’m very honored and appreciative of the confidence from ownership.

Again, whether you agree with this or not, Davidson is here to stay. Let’s move on to his assessment of the state of the team.

Bedard’s Contract

Obviously a big piece of the puzzle involves extending Bedard’s contract. Davidson confirmed this is top priority. “Connor’s so important to this team and this organization. He took such a big step forward this year in every facet, so that’s certainly an important one to cross off the list.” While he obviously didn’t want to get into contract negotiation details, he did touch on Bedard’s extension in terms of the cap moving forward.

I think it probably goes more to the larger cap puzzle that we’re trying to build and remain competitive within the marketplace. In the end, there’s only so many dollars to go around. You want to build a deep team. You want to build a team that you feel is a championship roster, which is why we do this. And so we want to get it right, and you want to make sure that both sides feel like there’s common ground there…certainly we want to make sure that we’re more than fair, while also understanding that there is a finite amount of money to go around to spend on our roster again, while being fair to a very good, elite young player.

But there’s all kinds of money to go around right now, you might be saying! Well, let’s remember that Bedard might be signing an eight-year deal. It’s Davidson’s job to make sure he can build around Bedard for the entire amount of his contract. We’ll get to Bedard’s comments on this below.

Optimism in the Air

Davidson made a point to express his optimism for the group and the steps they’ve taken this season, saying, “These young players get experience, understand what the league is, take that information in the offseason and use that as motivation to grow over the summer.” Now, of course the general manager wants to be positive about the team he put together. But he did address the standings the another 31^st place finish.

I understand that recency bias certainly factors into something like this where it’s like, ‘Oh, we finished so poorly’, and that’s what people may remember. But the season as a whole certainly saw a lot of positive momentum. We saw over a 10-point increase in our point total while missing our top two centermen for around a month plus. That’s a pretty big hurdle for any team, certainly one that’s in an early stage with so many young players. We thrust a lot on to some players that probably weren’t ready for the responsibility they were given, and we still saw that increase in our standing.

One thing that really stood out to me was his quotes about the players, and their excitement to keep moving things forward.

I think they feel the positive momentum that they built this year. They’re excited to get to work this summer. I think already excited to get back next, next year, because they can feel that there’s momentum … We sat in there with half the team so far today, and you can feel that they’re excited. And we’ve gone through these the last number of years where, it’s a little more skeptical. This felt different. This felt a lot more excitement and positivity, and ‘we can’t wait to get back’ next year.

It sounds like this is a young and hungry group. They see light at the end of the tunnel, and they consider themselves contributors of that. Despite a rough season, this mindset is a very positive sign.

On Adding a Big Splash to the Roster

A big bone of contention with the fans is why Davidson seems to refuse to go out and pick up a big fish in free agency, someone to supplement Bedard and this young team. An experienced talent to help accelerate the rebuild. Here was Davidson’s response to that question.

That’s something that has always been asked, being in Chicago and with our history. It’s, when you’re going to get your Marian Hossa? I don’t think it’s that simple, right? We are always trying to explore options to improve. And we have, and it hasn’t occurred. I think we’re far more active in our attempts than people may think. But it has to be right. It has to make sense, and it can’t compromise the makeup of our group, or the core of our group that we’ve got here. It has to support it. It has to be additive, and not something that’s going to move us sideways, but backwards long term.

We’ll look at UFA (unrestricted free agency). But the UFA market’s been well documented as not maybe the fruitful ground that it once was. But sometimes there are pieces out there that could be appealing. So we’ll evaluate that over the next couple months. It seems to be the constant theme, see what’s actually out there once things open up in July.

The Blackhawks’ GM says he understands he has a huge prospect pool of players that could be valuable in this kind of trade for an impactful NHL player. But again, he says they’ve tried that route, and it’ just never worked out.

Who knows, maybe the Hossa-type trade will come to fruition either this offseason or the next. But for now, it appears all the eggs are in the basket of the incremental steps the existing youngsters.

On Blashill’s 1^st Year as Head Coach

Davidson had nothing but good things to say about Jeff Blashill’s first year behind the bench for the Blackhawks.

I think Blash has been dynamite. The feedback from the players, and that’s a big part of it too. They were all very, very excited about Blash and the coaching staff and the work that they did. I think the way he handled the young players, while letting them go out and make mistakes, but also weaving accountability and teaching moments into that was extremely impressive. I just liked working with him. He’s a really smart guy. He gets where we’re at. He understands the project here, understands the strengths and weaknesses of our players, and is involved in their development, and cares about it. Cares about understanding the players in our pipeline, to understand where they’re at, and where they may fit.

I was excited when we hired him. After year one, it’s given me even more confidence that that was the right choice for us.

Blashill’s Assessment of the Season

Speaking of Blashill, he had some insightful things to say during his turn at the podium. First, he explained why he thought this season was a step in the right direction.

We took more steps in the right direction than wrong. I know we’ve taken more steps in the right direction, I would say, by a lot. Now that doesn’t always show in wins and losses. When you have to go through a stretch of some games where you’re struggling, it feels like those steps backwards have wiped out all the steps forwards. But that’s not the case. Like, let’s say you took 100 steps forwards, and 20 steps backwards. Even though those 20 feel bad, it doesn’t wipe out the other 80. You know, you still took steps forward. So I know for sure that we’ve done that, and we got to continue to do it. So I feel good about the fact that I know we’re heading the right direction.

Secondly, he gave some insight into how he conducts exit interviews with the players.

I think the biggest focus right now is what each guy can do this summer. For us to give them guidance in terms of what we think is most important for them to maximize their improvement over the course of the summer, and come back a better player. Ultimately, we talked about the growth of our team. The growth of our team comes from the growth of the individuals, and most of that, in order to get to where we want to go has to be internally done. So I think, like every summer, this summer is critical. I think everybody in the NHL works hard. Some guys work extraordinarily hard, and harder than others. We need as many of our guys to do this as possible.

Blashill indicated he wishes the players would all stay in Chicago and work with their staff. But that’s not how it works, and not always good from a mental perspective either. Guys need to get away from hockey, regroup, and enjoy some time with family and friends.

The coaching staff follows up with each player’s respective strength and skills coaches throughout the summer to make sure they’re on the right track. But ultimately, success falls on the player. Said Blashill,

One of the biggest factors in individual success is inner drive. It ultimately falls on each individual to have that type of inner drive, to want to work beyond what others are willing to do. We just got to make sure that there’s great intent in what they’re doing, that they’re not just working, but they’re working with great intent on specific areas. So that’s where that communication is critical.

Finally, Blashill cited gaining more depth to absorb injuries, like the ones they had mid-season to two key players in Bedard and Frank Nazar. He also felt finding ways to win more close games was another key area the team needed to do to find more success next season.

Connor Holds Court

Obviously, everyone wanted to hear what the face of the franchise and likely future captain of this team has to say. Bedard spent 15 full minutes with the press, patiently answering all their questions. Here’s some of the highlights.

On His Upcoming Contract Extension

Bedard’s agent might not be too happy with how laid back he’s being about contract negotiations. What’s it’s probably a pretty good attitude, considering he’s going to get paid handsomely no matter what (or when) it gets done.

I’m easy. We kind of just said, I’ll play and focus on the day day-by-day (throughout the season).  I don’t need to be talking about it in between games. So I kind of just wanted to play the year. I’m not worried for a second. Honestly, I haven’t thought about it once this year.

I know I want to be here, and I think we’ll get it done soon.

When asked about whether he’s thinking long term or short term, Bedard sounded open to working with what the team wanted. “At the end of the day, just seeing what fits the team best, what fits me best, and just going from there kind of thing. I’m very open to however they see it, and what they have to say.”

Going back to Davidson’s comments up above, it seems like Bedard is on the same page. The young superstar understands he’s just one piece of the puzzle. Albeit a big piece; but just one piece nonetheless. It takes a team to win hockey championships, and Bedard wants to win. It appears he’s willing to work with the organization to ensure there’s plenty of money and talent to go around.

On Being a Future Captain

It’d be an honor. It’d be extremely special. We have a lot of guys in this room that can lead and take on those kind of roles. If I’m the one that is chosen for that, I’d be extremely grateful. And that’s not something anyone would take for granted. Obviously this is a special organization. It’s been around for 100 years now. So, you just see the names that have gotten that honor.

Bedard also feels he’s ready to be a captain, but was also quick to defer to the leadership qualities in all his teammates.  

I think how tight our room is, how close everyone is off the ice. I think it makes it so easy for anyone to be in that role. If I did get the C I’m not gonna change who I am and become something different just because of that letter. But obviously it’s an added responsibility that I do think I’d be ready for. But like I said, a lot of guys could be ready for that in our room. But it would be a special honor, for sure.

On Wanting to Win

I talk about wanting to win. We all want to win here, for as long as I’m playing. But the end of the day, I have so much faith in the management, the coaching, and also our players. We get to see each other every day. How we approach the game, how guys practice, how much skill there is. I would go to bat for any single guy in that room, and argue that they’re going to reach their full potential just because the mindset and work ethic that we have in our group. I couldn’t be more confident that we are going to get to where we want to get to. And it’s going to be fun journey. I think that’s what people say they look back on, is kind of growing up together and then getting better and better. And we’re motivated to do that.

Bedard on Coach Blashill’s Impact

He was great. From day one. I think he flew out to a bunch of places to have dinner in the summer, like he was in Van (Vancouver) and had dinner with me. That’s not a quick trip for him. But just that, his commitment. Just from day one, I think he made it obvious what we needed to do as a team and also as individuals. And I think that’s all you can really ask for, is a defined role and what’s needed for you, what’s expected from you. Then if you’re not doing that, then you’ll play less. But I think he did a great job, and that goes a long way in the room.

Bedard was given an alternate captain role when the veteran leadership group Nick Foligno, Connor Murphy and Jason Dickinson were all moved at the trade deadline. He’s already stepped up as a leader, and this leader seems pretty happy with where he and the Blackhawks are headed.

Vlasic Takes Leadership Inspiration From Murphy

Let’s end with some notes from the blue line. Defenseman Vlasic is the most tenured Blackhawk, having been with the team since the 2021-22 season. He’s been an everyday NHL defenseman now for the last three seasons. At just 24 years old, he has more NHL experience than the majority of his teammates. Davidson jokingly referred to him as a “grizzled veteran”.

Vlasic has talked before about taking on more of a leadership role, and he has an opportunity to do so now that the former group is gone. I asked Vlasic what his leadership style was, and he threw some major kudos to a former teammate.

I’m pretty loud, but in terms of my leadership style I wouldn’t say I’m like overly talkative. So I kind of want to be somebody who, when I speak up and when I talk that it means that I’m genuinely trying to convey a message to the group of guys. But first and foremost I think for me, it’s just kind of lead by example; how I carry myself, at the rink, away from the rink. I honestly think Murph (Connor Murphy) was such a good example for me to look up to. One of the nicest people you ever meet. It felt like he kind of knew how to do everything right, and how he treated people. And that goes a long way with how people are able to look up to you, and that carries itself throughout the team.

Ironically, Murphy was the most tenured Blackhawk before he was traded to the Edmonton Oilers, to chase a Stanley Cup. He must be one proud “Papa Bear”, as Blashill would say, to see Vlasic carrying on where he left off.

All in all, there were a lot of positive vibes coming from the season-ending meetings for the Blackhawks. Management, coaches and players alike feel they’re headed in the right direction. There’s much more from locker cleanout day to cover. Many specific players talked about how they thought their seasons went, team camaraderie, summer plans and excitement to continue building on what they’ve started. But we have plenty of time to get to that in the days and weeks ahead.

Stay tuned for Part 2 of locker cleanout day, coming soon! We’ll also be handing out player awards and player grades to fill the days before the Draft Lottery on May 5 and the NHL Draft on June 26 and June 27.

Keep it here at The Hockey Writers for more news, analysis, updates and more!