It’s only fitting that it was a brisk, rainy day outside in Chicago as Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson addressed the media to discuss his team’s bitter 4-13-1 start to the 2026-27 season.

Wednesday’s dark, gloomy weather reflects the current state of affairs at 1901 W. Madison, without much warmth surrounding the Blackhawks and their bleak situation. Instead, there’s a somber greyness lingering in the air.

Since Oct. 16, the Blackhawks have lost nine of 10 games, with only three points accrued during that stretch. They’re in the midst of a six-game losing streak and have been outscored 32-13 on the current skid. The Hawks are also the only NHL team still without a road win this year (0-8-1).

Their minus-37 goal differential is the worst in the league, behind even the Vancouver Canucks, and ranks among the worst in 18 games in modern NHL history. Even with two extra games this season, the Blackhawks are on pace for just 42 points, which would be their fewest in a full season since 1953-1954.

With internal expectations of contending for a playoff spot in Year 5 of the rebuild, set by everyone in the organization, from the players, the coaching staff, and even Davidson himself, what’s transpired on the ice through nearly a quarter of the campaign is excruciatingly disappointing.

The Blackhawks have been putrid in all facets, ranking dead last in goals per game and power-play percentage and 31st out of 32 teams in goals against per game. TNT studio analyst Paul Bissonnette called watching the Hawks play hockey “torturous” and lambasted them on national TV for lacking an identity and “soft” characteristics.

Less than a quarter into the campaign, the team has called a players-only meeting, and the general manager held a state-of-the-union press conference on Wednesday regarding his floundering rebuild.

Not very much sunshine on Chicago’s West Side right now.

Davidson touched on various topics during his nearly 45-minute media availability, but he first opened by taking accountability for the Blackhawks falling exceedingly short of preseason expectations.

“We’re obviously extremely disappointed with how the season has gotten off,” Davidson said. “Simply put, we’ve not been good enough. This isn’t what we told our fans to expect, and I take responsibility in this. I’m not going to come up here today and make any excuses.”

Davidson said he and the coaching staff have been assessing where the team is for the last couple of weeks now, but after Saturday’s jarring 9-2 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes, there was clearly a need for a more substantial call-to-action plan moving forward.

He specifically mentioned the Blackhawks’ defensive struggles and the amount of odd-man rushes against being a significant issue a few times. Like head coach Jeff Blashill earlier this week, Davidson talked about a “renewed emphasis” on defensive fundamentals at practice.

“We’re not defending well enough. We give up odd-man rushes at a rate that’s one of the highest in the league. As well as the high-danger chances that we’re giving up at too high a rate in our defensive zone, which then leads to goals against.”

One change the Blackhawks are making to hopefully improve defensively is moving assistant general manager Mark Eaton to the coaching staff to provide extra support for the defensemen. Davidson described his new role as “akin to something you see in the NFL with a position coach”.

Eaton, who played over 600 NHL games as a defenseman, has worked in several development roles with the Blackhawks since 2014. He was also called upon to serve as interim coach for the Rockford IceHogs in 2024-25 when Anders Sorensen replaced Luke Richardson in Chicago.

“A lot of what [Eaton] built his career on are things that our players need to get better at. He’s uniquely qualified from that perspective, as well as the fact he’s worked with almost every one of our defensemen since they’ve been drafted… Not that he’s the savior, but he can certainly support and provide an extra set of eyes for the players to get some more in-depth coaching.”

The trade market is another avenue Davidson is pursuing to help his defense. After returning from the NHL’s GM meetings, he said he made it clear to other teams that he’s wanting to upgrade his current roster and is open for business.

While recent trade speculation around the Blackhawks suggests Davidson is searching for scoring wingers with size, he seems to be on the hunt for a veteran defenseman, too. An experienced right-hander makes the most sense.

“Given the youth in our roster, I believe there’s some level of experience that would be beneficial for our group. [Someone] that’s comfortable in this league and can manage through situations on the ice, should things be chaotic, as a little bit of a calming influence… Given our struggles, if it’s a defenseman, we want someone who’s proficient at defending. That doesn’t mean they’re not able to pitch in on the offensive side of things, but they have to be proficient in that.”

Davidson admitted the young defensemen might not have enough veteran support within the group, especially without Bowen Byram. Since Byram has played in only six of 18 games this season, the Blackhawks have essentially replaced Connor Murphy, Matt Grzelcyk, and Louis Crevier with Ian Cole, who was initially expected to be the team’s No. 6 defenseman.

“I don’t want to say we took (it) for granted, but perhaps miscalculated a little bit on where we would look if we had one of our relied-upon defensemen go down. “Again, injuries happen. That’s not an excuse, but it is a reality when you have young players. Could we have benefitted from one more veteran? It’s very possible we may have.”

Byram’s return would also unquestionably help the Blackhawks’ blue line, not only with his offensive and skating abilities, but by knocking everyone else down a peg in the lineup. Davidson didn’t offer much on Byram’s status, other than confirming he’s not dealing with a concussion and saying his injury isn’t concerning long-term.

Byram is back skating with his teammates at practice but remains in a non-contact jersey. Both Davidson and Blashill have remained tight-lipped on the situation, and Byram somehow is still considered day-to-day.

As for Blashill, Davidson reiterated several times that he still trusts him as the head coach, and the players in the locker room feel the same way.

“Blash is our head coach. I have full confidence in him. Players believe in him. He’s made them better. I believe that. I’ve seen this perception out there that he’s stubborn and doesn’t want to change. I contradict that based on my experience. He’s someone who seeks out feedback and wants alternate opinions. We’re very much on the same page on how we assess the team and how we think we can be better moving forward.”

Davidson also gave a message to the frustrated fanbase, saying everyone involved with the organization is committed to changing the tide. He knows his rebuild is testing their patience.

“They’ve stuck with us through this rebuild. They deserve more than what we’ve provided this year. But they can rest assured every single day we’re coming here with the intent of making our way out of this, improving, and getting to where we want to go.”