Danny Wirtz ‘very happy’ with Blackhawks rebuild, ready to spend when the time comes

LAS VEGAS — Blackhawks president Danny Wirtz spent the first round of the NHL draft Friday sitting at the Hawks’ table on the Sphere floor, not because he needed to, but because he found the fascinating draft process.

For the second day Saturday, he returned to a more conventional vantage point, looking down from above into a suite.

And from that lofty vantage point, assessing the state of the franchise as he approaches his first year as president, he feels “very pleased” with the progress of the rebuild that general manager Kyle Davidson is orchestrating.

“The care and steps that (Kyle) has taken to not only rebuild internally and build the capabilities we need to be effective, but also to acquire the assets and players, build our pipeline and create the development environment (will help us) ultimately field a competitive team,” Wirtz told the Sun-Times.

“This will continue to bear fruit over the years. It’s hard to be patient. We are all looking forward to seeing ourselves move up the rankings. But I know if we do the things I’ve seen, it will come. And when that happens, our goal is to do it in a truly sustainable way.

Wirtz has worked extensively on the business side of the franchise since taking over, and he is expected to share more information on that later this summer.

He’s more hands-off on hockey operations, instead handing those responsibilities over to Davidson and his staff. For example, he supports Davidson’s decision to move on from Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews last summer and not reopen the door to Kane this summer.

“These are (cases) where my deference (is) to Kyle for making the right decision,” Wirtz said. “These players mean everything to our fans and our organization, but we also have to do what it takes to build the team. Our day will come to celebrate these players in the best possible way.

However, Wirtz is the one writing the checks, so his permission will be needed when Davidson intends to spend up to the salary cap, which could be close to $100 million by 2026-27.

And that permission will be granted. Wirtz has made it clear that the current rebuild is not about saving money and that the Hawks are prepared to spend as much as any other club when the time comes.

“It’s a league where you have to be willing to spend as much as you can to be able to win the Stanley Cup,” Wirtz said. “But we must not do it out of desperation. It must be done with logic and planning. »

“Even those financial decisions around salaries are now rooted in not only roster construction, but analytics and value assessments, (so) I feel a lot better that Kyle is making those financial decisions with really good information founded.”

Spending on player salaries could start to increase — though probably not to the salary cap — once free agency opens Monday. Wirtz was pleased to hear Davidson say a few months ago that he finally wanted the team to start “stepping on the gas a little bit more,” as Wirtz put it.

This should help appease the part of the fan base that is growing impatient, although Wirtz feels the majority of fans remain fully on board with the slow and steady approach.

“The other day I received a note from a fan emphasizing: ‘Don’t rush. I love what they do,” he said. “(It was) a really empowering thing that they want it done right. But I think all fans want to see better success on the ice. A mixture of that and…developing our players the right way is the right way.”

Wirtz enjoyed watching Alex Vlasic emerge as an unexpected star last season, and he continues to be impressed by Calder Trophy winner Connor Bedard’s “sheer desire, work ethic and commitment to his game.”

Those individual positives do little to ease the pain of losing 59 games last season and 56 the season before that, but when more young players — including some of the Hawks’ recently drafted prospects — make similar strides over the next few seasons, he is confident those loss totals will drop significantly.

“Losing is not fun, but if it’s part of the process or an unfortunate byproduct of where we’re at, and you know it’s part of a plan, it makes it a little easier,” Wirtz said.

“I know that better days are ahead. It’s not just a hope and a dream; it’s because I believe in the plan we have in place.