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The Hawks season will end in 19 games, and the focus can shift to what this team will look like next year. From talking with friends and reading fan opinions here, on Reddit, and on Twitter, it almost seems like a good chunk of the fanbase needs a reality check on their expectations. It has been a little concerning to see the amount of frustration being projected by the fan base. I am not taking about the fans, who, even though they know this team isn’t expected to do much, just want to see them put up a fight. The fans I am talking about are the ones who don’t understand why this team isn’t fighting for a playoff spot now. Comments I hear a lot are, "We have Bedard, why aren’t they winning?” or “Why aren’t they spending money on players?”. Minus the terrible luck with injuries, everything about this season is happening for a reason and is being done by design.
We are in a new era of Hawks Hockey; gone are the days of Stan Bowman, who throws money at players for what they have done and not their potential, and then tosses a full no-movement clause on top of it. Kyle Davidson has said since day one of taking the GM job that the moves he makes are going to be with the long term in mind and not a quick fix or mortgaging the future for a small window to win. This plan didn’t change when the Hawks won the right to draft Connor Bedard last April. It might have taken a few years off the original rebuild plan, but KD has been staying true to his word and building this team through the draft. I know it's easy to get lost in the excitement when you land a generational talent like Bedard, but not all talent is going to step up and make the jump to the NHL right away. These players are going to need time to develop, discover their game, and learn what kind of role they can play going forward. Building your team this way means you are going to be in for a few rough years. The team will be filled with players who aren’t going to be here long-term but long enough to help reach that rebuilding finish line. When you build your roster with players like that, you aren’t going to typically get the best players in the league. You might get lucky like the Hawks did with Foligno, who is the type of player you want to mentor the next generation of Hawks players and help mold what it means to be a Hawk. It might be painful to watch—well, it clearly has been this year—but knowing that you sacrificed a few seasons of bad hockey for the chance at getting your next potential dynasty is going to make the victories so much easier.
This team has been bad for a long time, but realistically, this is year one of the rebuild. You have to have patience and let things play out. This team has been torn down to the studs, and now it's time for KD to build it to the vision he has. Now, what does that look like? It's still too early to tell. What I can assume is that we have another year of rebuild hockey, but I don’t believe it's going to be a repeat of this season. There needs to be a step taken forward, and there needs to be additions made to this team to give not only Bedard support but also give this team an offensive identity, which is clearly missing this year. If we come to training camp next September and there haven’t been a few decent pieces added to this roster, then frustration is more realistic. This team still won't be a playoff team next year, but there is no reason why they can step up and become a 25-30 win team and give a few bubble teams a run for their money.
Becoming a top team again is going to take time; it's a marathon, not a sprint, and whatever cliché you want to throw out there. I know most of you will read this and say, “Yeah, no duh” to everything I talk about on here, but if you need to be talked off the ledge, I’m here for you.
The deadline is coming up fast, and so far the only move from the Hawks has been Anthony Beauvillier to Nashville for a 2024 5th round pick. I still expect the Hawks to be a third-party team for a trade or two with all their cap space, but those moves will more than likely come down to the wire. I'll be back Saturday to preview the game against the Capitals and break down any moves the Hawks might make.
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