Maybe they feel Davidson will accept some other kind of contract. Or maybe they just don't care if he leaves. It's a shame because I like this idea of building our own depth and Davidson looks like a competitive fellow with an outside shot at becoming an NHLer. However, if they feel the numbers game at fwd isn't working out (too crowded), I guess I could understand why they would decide to go with more vets above a fringe prospect.
Edit: or maybe they will sign ulhik before the deadline. That option is still out there...