Hawks' Davidson: 'Lots of talk, calls' ahead of NHL Draft originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
MONTREAL — The 2022 NHL Draft is roughly 24 hours away, as of this writing, which means trade discussions are probably starting to intensify behind the scenes. We're entering pressure point territory for teams looking to make a splash or shed some salary.
Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson has no doubt been working the phones over the last few weeks and appears to be right in the middle of things.
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"Lots of talk, lots of calls and due diligence," Davidson said on Wednesday in his pre-draft media availability in Montreal. "But as of right now, that's kind of it. Just lots of fact-finding, lots of questions. We'll see if anything materializes, but we're not really there yet."
The Blackhawks, of course, currently don't have a first-round selection in 2022 after the previous management group traded it to Columbus last offseason in the Seth Jones deal. That's not an ideal way to start a rebuild.
The one player who would be able to fetch a first-rounder this year — and much more, obviously — is Alex DeBrincat, whose name has been in the rumor mill for weeks. There's significant interest in the two-time 40-goal sniper, who's only 24 years old and has one year left on his contract which carries a $6.4 million cap hit.
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It'd be surprising at this point if DeBrincat isn't dealt by Thursday night, because there's certainly motivation from Chicago's perspective to try getting into the first round without subtracting from their own draft capital in the second or third rounds. But Davidson, speaking generally, is adamant that he won't pull the trigger on any deal if his price isn't met.
Here was his response when I asked him whether it'd be a disappointment if he isn't able to land a first-round selection on Thursday:
"I don't want to say it'd be a disappointment," Davidson said. "I'd like to. But again, if there's nothing that makes sense, I'm not going to do it just to do it. I'd preferably like to get in the first round, but if there's nothing there that makes sense for us, then I'm not going to be disappointed about it. But we're looking."
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