The Chicago Blackhawks’ clock hinges on Alex DeBrincat

Luke Richardson must be enjoying the moment.

He had his big day, his coronation as the 40th head coach of the Chicago Blackhawks at the team store downtown and was on his welcome-to-Chicago tour, appearing on the radio and throwing out the ceremonial first pitch at Wrigley Field.

It’s a wining and dining period that every new coach gets, and according to many reports, it couldn’t happen to a better person.

So no one wants to throw cold water on Richardson’s big shot, but reality lurks around the corner for the first-time head coach.

Alex DeBrincat.

The future of the Hawks’ star has dominated the team’s offseason talk, and it certainly loomed large in the background of Wednesday’s introductory press conference.

Will Richardson begin the rebuild without his leading scorer? DeBrincat accounted for 19% of the Hawks’ goals and nearly 30% of their powerplay goals.

General manager Kyle Davidson said in March that he “doesn’t necessarily subscribe to the untouchables theory” when it comes to trading players, and when asked Wednesday if that position applies to DeBrincat, he doubled down.

“I don’t necessarily agree with the untouchable theory because there’s always a situation where someone is going to offer you, whether it’s realistic or not … something you can’t refuse,” Davidson said. “I suppose in reality, apart from those who are contractually bound to be untouchable, no one is. But we’re not in a position where we can hold anything back.”

Davidson also said the Blackhawks won’t “necessarily” be “proactive in every sense,” but — there’s always a but.

“When you announce something like a redevelopment, it’s only natural that people come to you with a lot of different ideas,” he said. “So we’re open to listening and we’ll evaluate from there.”

Reports point to the Los Angeles Kings, Philadelphia Flyers and New York Islanders among the candidates for DeBrincat.

The rebuild is motivation enough to pursue trade talks, but the lack of a first-round pick in Thursday’s draft only adds to the Hawks’ incentive.

“I haven’t been shy about stating my desire to acquire some future assets,” Davidson said. “That’s something we’re going to try to do. But I don’t want to force anything. … We have some ideas and thoughts as we head into Montreal next week, but until we have more specific discussions with the teams, we’ll see where they go.”

The impact of DeBrincat leaving Chicago would be monumental, both short-term and long-term.

The effect will obviously be immediate. Besides hearing from Richardson about what he has offensively and defensively — you can only go by what the Hawks put on film last season — it’s not pretentious to say the offense revolves around DeBrincat and the 92-point producer Patrick Kane.

To highlight what DeBrincat means to the Hawks, he ranks 22nd in the league in goals-against-the-job (20) and tied for 21st in wins-against-the-job (3.5), according to evolving-hockey.com .

Who can even begin to approach that role? Kirby Dach, Lucas Reichel or Taylor Radish?

Anyone?

Trading DeBrincat could also cause a domino effect on the roster.

Kane will have to assess how patient he can be with his recovery or waive his no-movement clause and request to be traded to a playoff contender, as the Hawks did with point guard Marc-Andre Fleury last season. Otherwise, Kane will have to assess how much staying with one franchise through his Hall of Fame career means to his legacy.

Jonathan Toews is already talking about the prospect of moving on after the Hawks traded future forward Brandon Hagel to the Tampa Bay Lightning.

“In that case, you can’t help but imagine yourself and what it would be like to play for another team and what that experience would bring. It pops into your mind,” Toews said in March.

The Hawks have said they won’t be willing to commit money during free agency this summer, so without DeBrincat, how much appetite would they have to keep Dylan Strome and Dominik Kubalik, both of whom have arbitration rights and are likely due significant raises?

Speaking of which, DeBrincat will be a restricted free agent with arbitration rights after next season, and a qualifying offer of $9 million might be too rich for the Hawks’ blood at this early stage in the rebuilding process.

DeBrincat said he was “open to anything” when asked last season about an extension.

In the long run, trading DeBrincat could bring a windfall for the Hawks.

Hagel scored two future first-round picks and young forwards Radish and Boris Kachuk.

Imagine what DeBrincat can bring. Davidson won’t trade DeBrincat for anything short of a king’s ransom, not if he wants to show his face anywhere near Madison Street.

The Hawks have five picks between the second and third rounds this year, a protected first-round pick from the Lightning in 2023 (potentially four picks in the first two rounds) and another protected first-round pick from the Bolts in 2024 (potentially two freshmen ).

If DeBrincat lands a first-rounder or two and an elite prospect or two, it would be quite a stretch for Davidson and Richardson to shape the roster the way they want.

In four or five years, the Hawks need to have a core solid enough to loosen the free agent purse and catapult the team into contention — with enough prospects still in the pipeline to continue developing — or else in case something goes horribly wrong in the draft or locker rooms.

At this point, Richardson is likely to be the first to welcome the Villas if his team is not competitive.

But for now, he has more to worry about than a lack of playmakers.

At a critical time when he is trying to build a culture in his own image, he may have fewer of the kind of players he needs.

DeBrincat isn’t just revered for his skills — as Hagel was — he’s loved for the example he sets.

The 5-foot-7 wing harasses bigger opponents on defense, often putting pucks in the Hawks’ possession, and he’s as ferocious on the penalty kill as he is on the power play. He’s one of the Hawks’ signature guys, the ones who playfully torment a young skater like Mackenzie Entwistle at practice. Like any practice.

And based on many of DeBrincat’s postgame interviews, personal accomplishments can’t dull the feeling of losing.

DeBrincat checks a lot of boxes, and that type of player won’t be very easy for Davidson and Richardson to replace — no matter how many prospects they get in return.