Chicago Blackhawks Assistant GM Mark Eaton took a shot at prospects who willingly left the organization.
The Chicago Blackhawks have had a couple of prospects leave the organization ahead of their rights expiring. In particular, Dominic James and Jack Pridham made it clear that they didn’t want Chicago, and now they are gone.
When the Blackhawks first landed each of them, they believed that they had a chance to develop into regular NHL players in their lineup. Since then, the prospect farm has become deeper, and jobs have become harder to attain.
Before competing to win those jobs, those guys forced their way out. It is likely a smart move for their careers, but the Blackhawks organization is not going to like it.
In fact, Assistant General Manager Mark Eaton was asked about it during development camp. His answer took a bit of a shot at those who have recently departed:
"We want guys that want to be here, battling for spots,” Eaton said. “If guys want to shy away from that, maybe they weren’t who we thought they were anyway."
That’s a bold and truthful comment from the Chicago assistant GM. Players have to do what they feel is right for themselves sometimes, but the teams that they leave behind are going to harsh comments like this sometimes.
The Blackhawks have a lot of great young players in the pipeline, and those who have chosen to leave likely won’t be missed badly. The team has made 11 first-round picks over the last four years, along with some successful-looking mid-round picks.
The organization, despite some shortcomings at the NHL level recently, is excited about the prospects that still exist in their ecosystem and believes in their current development.
Visit The Hockey News Chicago Blackhawks team site to stay up to date on the latest news, game-day coverage, player features, and more.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting on the article below on THN.com or by creating your own post in our community forum.
