Brandon Davidson had ten different professional tryout options including one with the Edmonton Oilers, but according to Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal will sign and attend Chicago Blackhawks training camp. Matheson reports that there is a one-year one-way contract offer waiting for Davidson with the Blackhawks if they “like what they see” in camp.
Davidson, 27, split last season between the Oilers, Montreal Canadiens and New York Islanders playing in 51 games and recording seven points. The defenseman hasn’t found much success since an impressive run during the 2015-16 season, but still could be a depth option for the Blackhawks if they want to add to the blue line. Chicago currently has just six defensemen on one-way contracts for this season, though younger options like Gustav Forsling and Henri Jokiharju should push for spots in camp.
It’s tough to project the Chicago defense as anything more than average this season though, which could give Davidson a chance to impress. After a down year from Duncan Keith in 2017-18, the team will need him to bounce back to his All-Star form or else could be looking at a group of underwhelming options on the blue line. The team does have quite a bit of cap space available after moving Marian Hossa’s contract out, and could easily afford to sign Davidson to a one-way deal. Whether that comes to pass will be decided during training camp, like it was for Cody Franson last season.