The Chicago Blackhawks announced Thursday afternoon (Dec. 5) that they had relieved head coach Luke Richardson of his duties. Richardson was in his third season as bench boss in Chicago, but the team wasn’t making the strides upper management felt they should be. Now 26 games into the 2024-25 campaign, the Hawks are last in the league with a record of 8-16-2 (18 points).
General manager Kyle Davidson was adamant at the beginning of the season that the Blackhawks would be taking the next step in the rebuild this year. That wasn’t happening, and something needed to give. Let’s get to some thoughts, one both sides of the coin, about this relatively surprising move.
Blackhawks Coaching Change Implementation
Davidson issued this statement after the announcement that Richardson had been let go.
As we have begun to take steps forward in our rebuilding process, we felt that the results did not match our expectations for a higher level of execution this season and ultimately came to the decision that a change was necessary. We wish Luke and his family all the best moving forward.
On Friday morning, Davidson added, The reasons things went sideways for us were likely fixable.” He said the games were usually close, but the losses were caused by “habitual” things that he believes can be cleaned up with different coaching.
The organization further revealed that Anders Sorensen, the head coach of the Rockford IceHogs, will become the interim head coach for the Blackhawks. Blackhawks’ assistant GM Mark Eaton will take over as the head coach of the IceHogs.
NEWS 📰: Blackhawks Announce Coaching Changes
— Rockford IceHogs (@goicehogs) December 5, 2024
Rockford IceHogs head coach Anders Sorensen has been named interim head coach of the Chicago Blackhawks and will assume duties immediately. Mark Eaton, Blackhawks Assistant General Manager overseeing player development, will assume… pic.twitter.com/r8BOWo1qCP
NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman indicated that Sorensen is expected to finish out the season as the interim coach. As extensive search for a permanent head coach will be conducted in the offseason. Interestingly, the Blackhawks’ existing assistant coaches will remain (Derek King, Kevin Dean, Derek Plante, but Sorensen will have the authority to adjust their responsibilities as he sees fit.
Was it Too Soon to Let Richardson Go?
I’m not gonna lie; this was my initial reaction. Richardson came to Chicago with the tough job of navigating a rebuild. The team was stripped bare, but he still demanded accountability from his players. He had them competing despite their lack of talent. On top of that, he instilled a positive team culture; one where the players and staff were all a big family that supported each other and had each other’s backs.
The 55-year-old was also very popular with the media because he was forthright and honest, and usually was very transparent and went quite in-depth when responding to questions.
It seemed like this was a bit of a knee-jerk reaction to a bad start to the season. After all, we’re only 26 games into an 82-game season. Yes, things were supposed to be better. But Richardson DID improve things. Just not in the win-loss department, which I guess is the most important part.
Related – Blackhawks Fire Head Coach Richardson, Name Sorensen Interim
According to a graphic that was shown on the CHSN channel ahead of the Hawks/Boston Bruins game Wednesday night (Dec. 4), the Blackhawks might not be faring as bad as you think. Through 25 games last season, the club was 8-16-1. Pretty much the same as they are now (8-16-2). They’ve scored 61 goals, versus 60 goals last season. I know, I know; we want improvement, not the status quo!
Well, the next three stats on the graphic were vastly improved. The Blackhawks power play had an 11.4% success rate last season. This season? 23.5%. Last season the penalty kill had a 75.3% success rate. This season? 80.3%. Last season the Blackhawks allowed 3.37 goals per game. This season? 2.70 goals per game through the first 25 games.
My point here is that things were improving. Very slowly, but they were headed in the right direction. If Richardson were given more time, would he have turned things around? After all, rebuilds take time and patience. Firing you head coach 26 games into the season doesn’t seem to be either of these things.
Some blame could also be given to Davidson. His offseason free agent signings aren’t exactly setting the world on fire with the Blackhawks. Teuvo Teravainen is a shell of what he was with the Carolina Hurricanes. Tyler Bertuzzi only has five goals and 10 points. Ilya Mikheyev does a fine job on the defensive side, and he has killer speed. But he only has two goals and five points. So, I guess if we’re going purely off of offensive production, Mikheyev is underachieving as well.
Defenseman T.J. Brodie has been a train wreck, until he’s just recently pulled it together somewhat. Alec Martinez missed 12 games with a groin injury, but he finished a minus-4 against the Bruins, and he leads all Blackhawks’ defenseman with a minus-8 on the season. Goaltender Laurent Brossoit has yet to play for the Blackhawks due to a meniscus injury.
Pat Maroon is a grizzled veteran whose ceiling is likely that of a fourth-liner at this point in his career. So his one goal and eight points is commendable. Craig Smith is really the only success story of the free agents, exceeding everyone’s expectations with six goals and 10 points.
Sure, I guess you could blame this on Richardson and his coaching (more on this below), but he can only do so much with what’s been given to him.
Let’s also not forget that Davidson neglected to address a true second line center for this team during the offseason. Additionally, the team’s first line center, Connor Bedard is a 19-year-old in his second season in the league.
Reasons Why Richardson Wasn’t Working
Let’s look at the flipside, and argue why it just wasn’t working out with Richardson at the helm. First and foremost, 2023 first overall draft pick and new franchise cornerstone Bedard was regressing, losing confidence ad becoming more frustrated every day. Considering he won the Calder Trophy last season for best rookie, this is hard to comprehend.
Many were blaming Richardson’s constant line blending, which could be a reason all the players weren’t thriving. They were never given a chance to gel with the same linemates; to build any sort of chemistry or continuity. It didn’t seem like players were being put in the right positions for them to succeed. Which brings us back to the question; which comes first, the personnel or the deployment of the personnel?
Related – Blackhawks Increasing Kurashev’s Ice Time Can Help Spark Offense
As a former NHL defenseman, Richardson saw the game from a defensive standpoint, and his structure and systems stressed defense first. It was a low-risk, low-reward approach, but also designed to help a less talented team stay competitive in games over more talented squads. The Blackhawks have been close in most of their contests this season, so the thought process makes sense. But was the coach being too stubborn by preaching this defense-first style? Let’s face it, there has to be some sort of balance. Defense wins championships, but you have to win games to get into the postseason in the first place.
One can argue that Lukas Reichel’s development was thwarted by Richardson insisting he play on a checking line, and improve his skills away from the puck to earn his way into a top-six spot. To be fair, while it took seemingly forever, Reichel is a much more well-rounded player than he used to be. Nevertheless, was Richardson’s treatment of Bedard headed in a similar direction? Would other prospects, such as Frank Nazar and Colton Dach, eventually be stifled by being tasked with playing differently once they came up to the NHL level?
Then there was the Taylor Hall debacle. Hall was the victim of a healthy scratch by Richardson for the tilt against the Vancouver Canucks on Nov. 16. Richardson implied he thought it would be a good opportunity for a reset. But when interviewed afterward, Hall indicated the benching was completely unexpected to him. He said he had no idea he was “even close to being in that spot”, and that some conversations leading up to it would have been appreciated.
The 33-year-old veteran did indicate that he and his coach were “on the same page” after talking it through, and Richardson admitted he should have handled the situation better. But it might have been too late to repair the rift, and culminated in setting a bad example of communication between players and coaches.
Where Do the Blackhawks Go From Here?
Now the onus will be on Sorensen to coax some production out of this offensively-deprived team. In his first practice on Friday (Dec. 6), the new bench boss deployed these forward lines and defensive pairings.
Blackhawks' lines today under Sorensen (corrected):
— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) December 6, 2024
Kurashev-Bedard-Teravainen
Hall-Donato-Bertuzzi
Foligno-Dickinson-Mikheyev
Maroon-Reichel-Smith
Vlasic-Murphy
Allan-Martinez
Brodie/Crevier/Kaiser
PP1 was Bedard, Teravainen, Vlasic, Donato bumper, Bertuzzi netfront
The main changes here are putting Philipp Kurashev and Teravainen with Bedard. Let’s face it, getting Bedard going again is the primary goal, and this is Sorenson’s initial answer. Kurashev & Teravainen are both players that were victim to struggles/demotions under Richardson. But Bedard and Kurashev had great chemistry together most of last season, while Teravainen and Bedard were building chemistry earlier in the season before they were separated. Teravainen was also considered the most likely of the offseason additions to complement Bedard.
The veterans Hall and Bertuzzi, who were on the top line with Bedard for the last handful of games, are now being deployed with Ryan Donato on the second line.
These initial lines make sense, and they lean towards getting more offensive production out of the group. The real key will be the consistency of these lines so they can build chemistry. These are preliminary changes, but it’s a start.
Unlike Richardson, Sorensen isn’t a man of many words. But a few things stood out to me when he spoke with the media after practice. On getting Bedard going, “We have to find ways to get him playing with the puck in motion”.
On the forward lines as a whole he stated, “Chemistry is a big part of it, and we want to be patient with some guys. Obviously there has to be accountability… We’re trying to build some continuity in that area, for sure.”
It sounds like tempo, energy and speed are being stressed, as well as playing aggressive. Like Sorensen told the players at the end of practice, “Forwards gotta be up, defense has to be up. Effort is going to fix a lot of things.”
A different voice and a different outlook is sometimes just what’s needed for a frustrated group that feels they can be better. Sorensen is providing that right off the bat.
Related – Chicago Blackhawks’ 3 Stars of November
Whether we agree with it or not, Luke Richardson is no longer the head coach for the Blackhawks. A new chapter is upon us. Can the Blackhawks still take the next step in their rebuilding progression under Coach Sorensen? The team will have their work cut out for them, with some very good teams on the docket. They host the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday (Dec. 7) before a three-game road trip versus the New York Rangers, the New York Islanders and the New Jersey Devils next week.
Time will tell how it all plays out.
