Blackhawks Double Down on Jeff Blashill as Frustration Grows

The Chicago Blackhawks are officially the laughing stock of the NHL. 

The Blackhawks, over this four-day break, had the perfect opportunity to make changes after an embarrassing 9-2 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Nov. 7 and a dreadful 4-13-1 start through 18 games, where they’ve been outscored 76 to 39 on the season. 

Instead, the Blackhawks coaching staff, team management, and members of the hockey operations department had meetings all day Sunday, and ultimately decided that no changes were going to be made. Head coach Jeff Blashill, general manager Kyle Davidson, and everyone involved with the organization are safe, and no firings were going to be made. 

This is a Huge Mistake 

Blashill — if no one else — is the one who needs to go. Every time the Blackhawks hit the ice it’s a two and a half hour long circus. Whether it’s the lineup blender during practices or switching the lines around mid-game, to the corrupt systems that the players can’t execute, to the internal analytics that somehow favor the Blackhawks after every game and then being so stubborn and not adapting to anything, it’s like every game is a new episode of a reality TV show. 

Blashill runs a 2-2-1 forecheck and a 1-3-1 neutral zone setup, and neither work. 

Starting with the forecheck, the F1 is first to the puck, and then immediately loses the battle for it before the F2 can come and support the F1. The 2-2-1 forecheck is meant for teams with big players, like the Florida Panthers and Hurricanes (who the front office strives to be like), not a young, more speedy and skill-like team without a lot of height and weight on it. Then, to make things worse, the Blackhawk defenders always pinch, which led to most of the Hurricanes’ goals on Saturday night (and previous nights) because of the sheer amount of 2-on-1 chances going the other way. All of the forwards are down the ice trying to support a forecheck that already broke down and are behind the play and can’t catch up. 

If the forecheck works, then comes the neutral zone, which is also a struggle for the Blackhawks. A 1-3-1 requires the defenders to back all the way up (if they don’t pinch) and is meant to force the puck east-to-west and make it hard for forceful zone entries, like carrying and passing the puck in. Teams are forced to dump the puck in over a 1-3-1. However, opposing teams don’t fear dumping the puck in over the Blackhawks’ defense. 

The Blackhawks’ defensemen are never the first ones to the puck, and if they are, they’re either brushed right off it or they can’t break the puck out of the zone, so either way they get hemmed in. The system hurts teams like the Blackhawks, whose strength is speed, because with the 1-3-1, it’s hard to utilize it because you’re playing a strength game in your own zone. 

All of this is obvious, and has been the story for the last month and a half, yet Blashill is stubborn and continues to run it. He also has a gripe with Kevin Korchinski for some reason, which is weird, because when he plays, he’s one of the best-looking defenders on the ice. Korchinski’s grown into his own recently and has looked much better than in previous seasons, yet he hasn’t seen too much ice time; instead, Ethan Del Mastro gets the call. 

How Davidson comes out of a 9-2 loss for the 14th one of the season and keeps Blashill is absurd. 

How This Affects the Season

Davidson, on Wednesday, will face the media for the first time since the season-opener. He’ll likely say how he believes in Blashill — believes in this group — and how he’s going to try to improve the team. 

The season, in November, is all but over. Connor Bedard, who is a great leader and the right captain for this team (and that cannot be said enough), can talk all he wants about how much the guys enjoy the grind and how much they love playing with each other, which is great, but the fact of the matter is they’re in a slump. It’s going to be very difficult to work out of them, especially with the same people who put this team in the slumps to begin with. 

The Blackhawks are already at the stage where they had a players-only meeting after the loss to the ‘Canes. Wyatt Kaiser said that it was a time for everyone to get all of their frustrations out with their recent play. They’re a tight-knit group from the outside, which is a good thing, but sitting around in a circle and venting obvious things that need to get better isn’t going to do much. Normally, when a team is at a point where player-only meetings are needed, it’s a disaster, and that’s exactly what this fiasco is. Nick Foligno, who was the captain of the Blackhawks season, called a few, but it didn’t change anything; they still finished 29th in the league. 

Per Elliotte Friedman, everything, including the kitchen sink, is on the table as Davidson works the phones. Two of the three first-rounders from this year, Edmonton’s and Florida’s, have been tossed around, including Teuvo Teravainen, Ryan Donato, Oliver Moore, and even Frank Nazar. 

Nazar has just started his seven-year contract in September, so seeing his name out there is a bit of a shock, but maybe shaking up the core is needed. The Blackhawks certainly have enough centers in Bedard, Nazar, Moore, and even Anton Frondell has taken a stab at center (although he’s better on the wing). Ryan Greene is a good third-or-fourth-line depth center, as well. Trading Nazar for the big forward (preferably a winger) with goal-scoring capability isn’t the worst idea for right now, but it’s also a strong possibility that the system Blashill has just isn’t for him; is that a risk Davidson is willing to take? 

What can’t happen is a panic trade because Davidson is trying to save his and everyone else’s job. When Blashill is let go (which should be right now), Davidson has yet to prove that he can hire a head coach. Confidence is dwindling in him fast, and some have already lost it. His seat should be warm, but he and everyone else in the organization share the same vision, and he was just given an extension, so it’s ice cold. 

This is going to be a long six months, and who knows what will happen in the next couple of weeks (it could be a scary thought depending on how you look at it). It all starts when Davidson addresses the media after he gets back from his NHL general manager’s trip on Wednesday.