Surprised about Kyle Davidson’s Answer on Patrick Kane? Don’t Be

Chicago Sun Times beat reporter Ben Pope was able to ask Kyle Davidson the other question on the mind of Blackhawks fan outside of who they’ll take at #2.

Might the Blackhawks have a reunion with Patrick Kane? After all, who could forget the big goal he had in his return to the United Center and the nice little season he put together. Shouldn’t the timing be perfect with the Blackhawks set to rise and Kane likely seeking a new team?

The answer in Pope’s tweet:

Just talked to Kyle Davidson at the NHL Combine in Buffalo.

Notably, he shot down any possibility of a Patrick Kane reunion:

"He did have a really good year. I think we’re all really happy to see that… [But] we made some really tough decisions on some longstanding players. I…

— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) June 7, 2024

It appears that what Davidson said before is what he’ll continue to say whenever he’s asked.

Kyle Davidson Stays True To His Word

After Kane thanked Detroit for his time there, the rumor mill buzzed with the possibility of a reunion with Kane and the Blackhawks. But as written back then, it didn’t mesh with what Davidson said in the past nor the direction of the team. Nostalgia, while powerful, yearns for something that once was. But the Blackhawks rebuild pushes for a new future.

For sure there should be some consideration. But Kyle Davidson has other considerations, too. One that reconstructs a team in the likeness and image of something much different than what he saw when he started in Chicago–and certainly different from what he inherited.

That likely upsets some segment of the fanbase–and it’s fair. After all, Davidson didn’t build the last winner featured Kane and the core that would win three Stanley Cups. But that era is gone, and while a reunion with Kane would be fun for the fans, would it move the needle for the Blackhawks as they try to escape a rebuild?

That question is loaded, too. There’s no doubt that Kane would vastly improve a Blackhawks team starving for goals and production. But there’s the whole picture Davidson has to consider–just not a reunion that will soften the sting of how things ended–a trade to the Rangers in the midst of the first of consecutive bottom of the barrel seasons.

Even the most hardcore Blackhawks fan knows–while grudgingly admitting–that Davidson’s logic is sound.  He said once that the locker room had to be void of the past–allowing a chance for a new leadership group to take hold. Whether it was keeping Kane, re-signing him, or bringing him in later, that new chorus of voices still hasn’t taken hold–yet.

So that intrigue may last until Kane finally decides to hang his skates up. But as far as Kyle Davidson and his staff seem to be concerned, any future of the Chicago Blackhawks rise to contention won’t have Patrick Kane in the mix.

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