Things took a turn for the Chicago Blackhawks when they decided to let go of their head coach, Luke Richardson, after yet another rough start that landed them at the bottom of the NHL standings. The very next day, general manager Kyle Davidson faced the media and explained why he made this decision, but in doing so, he might have unknowingly put himself in a tricky spot. If things don’t improve quickly, people might start pointing fingers at him instead.
Davidson mentioned that simple goals weren’t being achieved and suggested that many of the team’s problems could be solved with a new coach. Maybe he’s right; perhaps Richardson wasn’t suited for this job and interim coach Anders Sorensen can fix some issues. For Davidson’s sake, Sorensen better succeed because if he doesn’t, all eyes will turn to Davidson—the man who assembled this team.
Team Struggles:
Davidson became the general manager during the 2021-22 season after Stan Bowman stepped down due to a scandal involving Kyle Beach. Even though Davidson was new as GM then, he’d been part of the Blackhawks for a while and helped build this roster alongside Bowman. His influence is everywhere on this team.
The current roster isn’t particularly strong. While they have Connor Bedard—picked first overall in 2023—he’s facing challenges as a young player on a struggling team. There are other promising players like Alex Vlasic and Lukas Reichel , but not enough to make a big impact. Most of their players are mid-level veterans meant to be traded or help in rebuilding efforts—which hasn’t worked out well so far.
Fans may wonder if changing coaches will really help or if it’s just another temporary fix.
The Blackhawks haven’t made it to the playoffs five seasons in a row now; they’ve only reached once in eight years—and even then it was because more teams were allowed due to an expanded playoff format! It’s almost been ten years since they’ve been competitive in hockey without any signs of improvement soon.
In hopes of turning things around quickly, Davidson believes bringing in fresh coaching could lead to some short-term wins by energizing an otherwise lackluster squad. However, when comparing talent across other teams within league circles—it becomes obvious where major shortcomings lie: skill level itself! Blaming previous coaching staff won’t divert attention away from these glaring deficiencies if new leadership fails too…and chances are high they might not achieve what Davidson envisions happening here either way!
Do you think changing coaches will make much difference?
