The Chicago Blackhawks are mired in their worst start to a season in decades, with their most recent loss coming in the form of a lopsided 9-2 embarrassment at the hands of the defending Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes.
At 4-13-1 through 18 games, they’re in last place in the NHL’s Central Division standings by a considerable margin, and things don’t appear to be getting any better any time soon.
General manager Kyle Davidson, who has been facing increased heat and scrutiny from the fan base, held a press conference on Wednesday afternoon in which he admitted that things aren’t going the way they thought they would this season, while also conveying a message to the frustrated fan base.
Chicago Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson Makes Rough Admission During Wednesday Press Conference
To begin his press conference on Wednesday, Davidson stated the obvious – the club simply isin’t playing well enough right now.
“Simply put, we’ve not been good enough,” he said via Blackhawks writer Ben Pope. “This isn’t what we told our fans to expect, and I take responsibility for this. We’re not defending well enough.” Mentions giving up too many odd-man rushes and high-danger chances….I still believe in these young players; however, we may be asking too much of them.”
He also made it sound as though the club isn’t planning any rash player personnel decisions that they could later regret.
“I’ve made it clear around the league that we’re intent on improving the playing roster,” he said. “This is a precarious time where you don’t want to do something to do something and make a mistake you’ll regret later.”
Davidson then spoke directly to the fans, saying that he understands their frustration and that the club is working intently to get themselves out of the current funk.
“We know that they’ve stuck with us through this rebuild,” he said via Kaitlin Sharkey. “They deserve more than what we provided this year, but they can be rest assured that every single day we are making our way out of this… we’re all committed and very motivated to get this right.”
As far as what he feels about how forward Kevin Korchinski has been deployed by the coaching staff in a reduced role, Davidson said that it’s not something he’s upset about, and that the onus is on the players to show they’re deserving of more ice time and responsibility.
“It’s up to the players to work themselves into the lineup and keep grinding at it, and when they are out, working hard to get back in and knock the door down when the opportunity is there, and maybe he hasn’t done that yet,” he said via CHGO Blackhawks.
The Blackhawks Are Off To A Dismal Start
The last time the Blackhawks started a season as poorly as they’ve started the current campaign was nearly 100 years ago in 1928-29.
That goes to show the historical magnitude of just how rough things are for the franchise right now. Whether or not the team is able to pull themselves out of the current funk reamins to be seen.
Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson Makes Rough Admission