It has been quite the offseason thus far for the Chicago Blackhawks as they made headlines right before the first day of free agency that they would not be resigning two-time Stanley Cup goaltender Corey Crawford to a new deal.

Just two days later the Hawks traded away another two-time Stanley Cup winner in forward Brandon Saad. Many fans and hockey insiders questioned the moves at the time. Even Hawks Captain Jonathan Toews seemed perplexed by them at the time. This all lead to the Chicago Blackhawks releasing a public statement on their website yesterday addressing the direction of the team and for the first time ever the term rebuild was used.

This public acknowledgement of some possible lean seasons ahead was used by the New York Rangers just a few seasons ago as a way to prepare the fans for results they may not be used to. In the Hawks statement they start by acknowledging the departures of Saad and Crawford without mentioning them by name. The Hawks then proceed to state “We’re committed to developing young players and rebuilding our roster. We want more than another window to win; we want to reach the summit again, and stay there — an effort that will require a stockpile of emerging talent to complement our top players.

The influx of youth and their progression will provide roster flexibility and depth throughout our lineup.” If that is in fact the case why did they sign a couple of veterans in their mid to late 20’s for depth? If you want a youth movement on the team open those roster spots up to young players. Granted the contracts that Lucas Wallmark and Mattias Janmark signed with the Hawks are just one year deals but still if they are just going to be a stop gap what is the point. Also you already have an abundance of young defenseman you are trying to work into the lineup and you add to that logjam by trading for Nikita Zadorov.

I appreciate the Hawks attempt at transparency but what they are saying and what they are currently doing just don’t seem to mesh well. The Hawks close the open letter by saying “As our young players develop and learn how to win consistently, they’ll make some mistakes. Inevitably, we’ll miss the mark sometimes, too, but we’ll communicate openly with you on this journey together.

We know that what comes next must be more than just words, and that inspires us.” What doesn’t inspire me is a follow through from your words into your