After another ugly loss that was followed by Seth Jones basically saying the team sucks in the postgame, the Blackhawks wake up to The Athletic publishing a poll of agents that doesn’t do an organization already struggling in the court of public opinion many favors.
The biggest one that got my eyeballs:
The Blackhawks being mentioned in this area as frequently as they were is a full departure from where they were a decade ago. I’m sure there are some fringe elements — like the television debacle — that played into the answers, but the most consistent rationale is not doing enough to support Connor Bedard and improve around him.
“When you got it all, you’ve got to run it like you do. I don’t think they have a plan,” one agent said. “It should be getting done right. For what they’ve been given, Chicago and Detroit are the biggest letdowns. They’ve been given the keys to the kingdom, but my gosh.”
Somewhat interestingly, Danny Wirtz was not named in either the best or worst owner categories. So the agents polled don’t necessarily see this as an ownership problem…
The Blackhawks received one vote to “What is the most difficult front office to deal with in the league?” They also received a vote in the “What is the best front office to deal with?” category. It likely depends on the agent/clients to shape that perspective. And I’m not shocked they’re in both camps considering their place in the standings again this year.
One other response that doesn’t help the Blackhawks: among the eight teams named to “Which is the best-run franchise in the league?” three are in the Central Division. Dallas (4), Winnipeg (1) and Minnesota (1) received votes.
What does this say about the Blackhawks?
I’m going to comfortably say fan sentiment isn’t very good right now. Between the CHSN dumpster fire and the on-ice product being among the worst in the league again, “unwatchable” might be the ultimate word to describe the 2024-25 Blackhawks.
When Danny Wirtz’s grandfather was running the organ-I-zation, perception was rock bottom. The Blackhawks were named the worst-run franchise in all of professional sports, not just the NHL. His father changed that with remarkable speed. But Rocky is gone. It’s Danny’s show now.
Not everything is doom and gloom. I think we all need to be reminded of that on morning like this after another tough loss. The Blackhawks have a truckload of cap space with which they can approach a potentially attractive free agent market. They have one of the best prospect pipelines in the league and a lot of future draft capital. If you close your eyes and make a wish, you can see the upward trajectory.
That’s where the pressure on the entire organ-I-zation becomes immediate.
In the coming months, the Blackhawks will be in the market for a new head coach. They can’t get that wrong. Cannot.
And I cannot stress enough that the coaching hire likely will impact the next decade of the franchise. Get the wrong guy, free agents will balk at coming to Chicago. Get the wrong guy and continue losing and, as much as he’ll deny it now, at some point 98 will have second thoughts about his loyalty to the franchise that drafted him.
After the coaching hire, the Blackhawks at minimum have to be super aggressive in free agency. Don’t settle for throwing too much money at third-tier guys again this summer because the crop of prospects has the full belief of the organization. It’s time to go big game hunting. Spend money — or at least try to spend money. None of us, Kyle Davidson included, can force a player to take a massive amount of money to come to Chicago. But that cannot keep him from offering it.
We don’t talk enough about how important the perception of agents is in sports. And this poll doesn’t do the Blackhawks many favors in that regard — which is going to pour a little gas on the matches fans already have lit. This summer has massive implications on the future of the Blackhawks.
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