LAS VEGAS — chairman Danny Wirtz spent the first round of the NHL draft Friday sitting at the Hawks’ table on the floor of the Sphere, not because he needed to but because he finds the draft process fascinating. For the second day Saturday, he returned to a more conventional vantage point, looking down from above in a suite. And from that high vantage point, assessing the state of the franchise as he approaches his one-year mark , 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 right capabilities that we need to have to be effective but also acquire the assets and players, build our pipeline and create the environment for development [will help us] ultimately field a team that’s competitive,” Wirtz told the Sun-Times. “That will continue to bear fruit over the years. It’s hard to be patient.
We’re all antsy to see us shoot back up the standings. But I know if we’re doing the things I’ve seen, that will come. And when it comes, our goal is to get there in a really sustainable fashion.
” Wirtz has done plenty of work on the business side of the franchise since taking over, and he’s expected to share more information about that later this summer. He’s more hands-off toward the hockey operations side, instead trusting those responsibilities to Davidson and his staff. For example, he stands behind Davidson.
