FEATURE: Davidson Ready to Hit Ground Running in General Manager Role

Tuesday might've been the official coronation of Kyle Davidson as the 10th general manager in the nearly 100-year history of the Chicago Blackhawks, but it's a job the 33-year-old has been doing the leg work for day in and day out over the last four months.
Headed by CEO Danny Wirtz, the franchise embarked on a wide-ranging search to find the right person -- a strategic mind and forward-thinking leader -- to carry the organization into a new era. The interim title gave Davidson the inside track on the day-to-day work out of the gate, but in the end, it was his vision for the future of the Original Six franchise that set him apart from a deep field of suitors for the role.

RELATED LINKS
RELEASE: Davidson Named 10th General Manager in Blackhawks History
WATCH: Full Davidson Introductory Press Conference
"We were looking for traditional and non-traditional candidates from inside and outside of hockey," Wirtz explained as Davidson was formally introduced at the United Center. "There were a number of incredibly strong candidates that made this a very tough decision. What we learned is that out of the box did not have to be synonymous with outside of these walls and time of service in the NHL was not the only qualification to be a general manager in this league.
"Kyle has everything we were looking for. And he's demonstrated that every day over the last four months with the changes he has initiated and the decisions he's made… Kyle represents high character and high values. I've seen Kyle step up as a visible and vocal leader both on and off the ice in some of our organization's toughest moments. He's already well-respected within this organization and is seen as a true partner to both the hockey and the business side. Throughout the process, it became clear, without a doubt, that Kyle was the answer."

In his interim role, the permanent general manager's job was not simply his for the taking, but Davidson operated every day to show that he was the person for the job.
"The whole time I was under the interim tag, I never treated it as such," he said. "I always tried to operate as if I was going to get the full-time job, and I thought that was going to serve not only myself, but the hockey operations department moving forward. We'll be able to hit the ground running and I'm not worried about any stumbling blocks because we've been ready for this day. I'm glad it's here and ready to get going."
"Right off the bat, he was assuring, confident, and I think since then has approached the role like that," Wirtz said. "Great communicator. Very clear, whether it's an assessment of last night's game or a transaction we have to go do. Kyle is very clear about what needs to get done. He solicits great feedback and input from others and, especially when he communicates up to us, presents a very clear path for the road we want to go."

Davidson started almost immediately making the moves he deemed as necessary to start setting the franchise on the right course. Just 12 days into the interim role, he dismissed Jeremy Colliton as head coach and brought up Derek King from the AHL's Rockford IceHogs to take the reins.
"We're not beholden to anything that's happened in the past," he said shortly after the coaching change. "Now that I'm in the role, I'm going to make the decisions that I think are the best for the organization."
In the weeks to follow, he continued to act where he saw the need. Malcolm Subban was sent to Buffalo, allowing young up-and-comers Arvid Soderblom and Cale Morris to share a larger portion of the workload in Rockford. Sam Lafferty, who was being pushed out of the equation in Pittsburgh, was deftly acquired in exchange for the often up-and-down Alex Nylander, and has provided a consistent option throughout the bottom-nine up front in 18 appearances since.
They're smaller moves at the end of the day, but it's a small indication of what's to come.
"He's not married or tied to anything from the past or any preconceived notions coming into the job, which is quite an advantage to be both a fresh thinker and an open-minded thinker, but also understand our starting point very expertly," Wirtz said. "You kind of get the best of both worlds in that sense. His starting point will be well-versed and I think he can hit the ground running, but with that open-minded (approach) and open to possibilities."

For the last four months, Davidson has been evaluating his team from top to bottom -- both on the ice and off it.
On Tuesday, he spoke with confidence about his path forward. It will start with building his staff in the front office, whom he can rely on to discuss new ideas, but also putting the processes in place to evaluate everything on the table. There is no timeline on the path back to the top, but the new general manager made it clear that it would be done the right way from start to finish.
"It's clear that we need to be better. The standings tell us that every single day," Davidson said. "We're a long way from where we want to be and where we need to be as a team, and we intend to rebuild this both on and off the ice, no matter if it takes three years, five years, to get the level of success that we're looking to achieve… I promise to ensure respect, dignity and professionalism are reflected in everything we do. Winning is hard. Thirty-one teams are trying to do exactly what we're trying to do. We will get back to playoff hockey. We will have success. And the work starts today."