Blackhawks GM: Trading players away is 'not a fun thing'
CHICAGO (CBS) – The Chicago Blackhawks are finally done making deals as the NHL trade deadline passes.
The Hawks made most of their moves before the deadline, including sending star Patrick Kane to the New York Rangers on Tuesday.
They did have one more deal, adding forward Austin Wagner from the Los Angeles Kings.
All in all, general manager Kyle Davidson made nine trades and the Hawks have 19 picks in the first three rounds of the next three drafts.
"Moving players out, especially the ones we did and the people they are and the players that they are, it's," Davidson said. "It's not a fun thing. It's not easy. Once you get past, and you look back and have the assets you do, you know it's what needs to be done. Once I talked to Patrick, it was heavy. You're sitting in the eye of the hurricane, but you know what's going on is some serious stuff and you feel it for sure."
So with so many draft picks in the coming years, when can we expect the team to be competitive again?
"The players will dictate that and the job that we do in bringing in the talent," Davidson said. "That'll dictate what the timeline is and I know everyone is hoping for sooner rather than later. But we've got one draft under our belt. Hopefully we'll have another great one this summer. And we'll figure out a timeline in the next year or two in terms of how some of these guys develop. It's a little too early for that."
