FEATURE: Davidson chose the Blackhawks and they returned the favor

Brandon Davidson was in a unique spot this summer.
For the first time since turning pro, the defenseman had no idea where he'd play in the upcoming season.
A "handful of teams, if not more" reached out to Davidson and he quickly realized a Professional Tryout (PTO) was his best option.
"Over the course of the summer, not getting qualified and kind of moving into later in the summer and seeing that was the course I was going to go through this year, I thought that I had to pick the best opportunity that kind of came up," he said.

Davidson wanted to go a team that was willing to give him a chance to establish himself again in the NHL. His journey has taken him to Chicago, where he signed a one-yeardeal on Thursday after a Training Camp PTO.
The 27-year-old has had an under-the-radar career, but those who have watched him develop and fight through some lows know he belongs in the NHL.
Davidson's mentally and physically challenging battle with cancer in his first professional season tested his resolve and dedication to the sport. Upon returning, he won the Fred T. Hunt Memorial Award as the American Hockey League player who best exemplifies the qualities of sportsmanship determination and dedication to hockey. He conquered the disease and the uphill climb that comes with it.
After that, no challenge was too big - and he'd have more to come.
Davidson continued to prove himself in the AHL, developing a steady presence on the blueline in 2013-14. In 2014-15, he earned 12 games of NHL action for the Edmonton Oilers.
As his development curve continued upward, Davidson proved himself at the highest level of competition and became a full-time NHL defenseman. In 2015-16, Davidson skated in 51 games for the Oilers. Later in the season, Davidson took on an even bigger role on the team and often played 22 minutes a night - and sometimes more.
In 2016-17, Davidson continued to showcase his steady play when called upon for an Oilers team on the brink of ending a long playoff drought. His skill set made him a valuable trade chip at the deadline, and so the Oilers moved him to Montreal in exchange for a depth center they needed to fill out their forward lineup.
It was just another challenge for Davidson, who was leaving his home province and the only NHL system he knew. He returned to the Canadiens in 2017-18, but they chose to place him on waivers after his play and confidence dipped. The Oilers missed his contributions enough that they claimed their former player off waivers on December 2, 2017. He once again raised his level of play and began contributing for Edmonton.
Now sellers at the deadline, with playoffs out of sight, Edmonton once again recognized the value of Davidson as a trade asset and moved him to the New York Islanders for a third-round pick.

After not signing this offseason with the Islanders, Davidson needed to assess his options - ready for the next challenge and unwilling to let his promising NHL career falter. Thus, the courtship with Chicago began.
"You look at the staff, the personnel in the locker room and where you're going to have the most success, and when I looked at joining the Chicago Blackhawks I looked at that winning essence that they have and all the key pieces that are still in this locker room that have won before," he said. "It was a pretty easy choice after you look through all those things. I definitely took my time and chose wisely."
Following his first Blackhawks preseason game in Columbus, Davidson earned praise from around the locker room and from Head Coach Joel Quenneville. Davidson's strong play and versatility to play on the right or left side were already proving valuable to a club with injuries and uncertainties on their blueline.
And after the game on Tuesday night against Detroit, Quenneville once again praised Davidson.
"I think he's one of those defensemen I appreciate because he's real steady and predictable," the coach said. "A little bit of everything, in every area, he's not bad in. I think that consistency is something and knowing what you're going to get out of a guy on the back end is usually a good sign."
As it turns out, that consistency was key to Davidson earning a spot - which is what he always intended to do.
"I felt like this was the greatest opportunity for me to not only re-establish myself but also look toward the future and try to build something even further than that."