Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson reached a breaking point after a 4-2 loss to Boston on Wednesday night.
That’s when he decided to replace head coach Luke Richardson.
“I don’t think once you cross that threshold in your own mind, you can go back,” Davidson said. “And so I crossed that point after the Boston game the other night.”
The results of that decision began on Friday, when Chicago practiced for the first time under interim coach Anders Sorensen, just one day after the Richardson firing was announced by the team.
Sorensen’s main challenge is turning around a team that wasn’t built for a playoff run this season but one Davidson believes is better than its current 8-16-2 record, which is the worst in the NHL. The Blackhawks, who struggle offensively, have lost four straight games and eight of their last ten, heading into Saturday’s game against Winnipeg.
“I don’t believe this is a last-place group. And that’s where we find ourselves,” Davidson said during his first media session since Richardson was fired. “Do I believe we deserve better in some games that we didn’t get a point or two points out of this year? Yes. But dissect that.
Why didn’t we get those points? I feel like there were things that could be cleaned up. And maybe some things kept popping up here and there that, again, probably should have been improved upon.”
Richardson, 55, had a 57-118-15 record in his two-plus seasons with the Blackhawks. The coaching change comes with Chicago preparing to host the Winter Classic on Dec. 31 against the St. Louis Blues at Wrigley Field.
In a statement released by the team, Richardson said he was grateful for the chance to coach the Blackhawks and wished the team and fans the best for the rest of the season.
Sorensen, 49, was previously the head coach of the Rockford IceHogs in the AHL, making him a familiar face to many Blackhawks players. He was hired by the organization as a development coach before the 2013-14 season and became an assistant coach with the IceHogs in 2018-19.
Sorensen becomes the first Swedish-born head coach in NHL history.
“I think for me, I’ve been a big believer in where my two feet are is where I’m going to work and try to get better and we’ll see what happens,” Sorensen said. “Obviously, like you said, you want to strive to improve and get up to higher levels. It’s surreal right now, trying to digest.”
When asked what he needs to do to secure the job long-term, Sorensen laughed and responded, “Win games.”
“We want to see progress with a lot of our younger players,” he continued. “We want to make sure we’re kind of building off this and progressing and that’s the biggest thing.”
Connor Bedard’s development has been the key focus for Chicago this season, and it seemed like his progress had slowed a bit with Richardson as coach, especially offensively. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 draft has five goals and 14 assists in 26 games, compared to 11 goals and 10 assists at this point last season.
Although he has improved defensively, Bedard and the Blackhawks were hoping for more offensive output from him in his second season.
“He’s one of those guys we have to get him up the ice and get skating,” Sorensen said. “That’s when he’s at his best. We all see what he can do when the puck’s on his stick. We have to get a way for him to get the puck in motion. That’s the biggest thing right now.”
Bedard called Richardson “a really good guy” and said he was sad to see him go, but he’s also looking forward to working with Sorensen.
“It’s good to have the first skate and get comfortable and talk to him,” Bedard said. “It’s good we all know him a little bit from being at training camps and stuff like that, so it was a good first day.”
While Bedard is the main focus, Chicago’s offensive struggles go deeper than just their young center. The Blackhawks signed Tyler Bertuzzi and Teuvo Teravainen in free agency, but the two forwards have combined for just 11 goals and 11 assists.
Chicago is averaging 2.42 goals per game, ranking No. 31 in the NHL, ahead of only Nashville, heading into Friday’s games. The Blackhawks finished last season with a league-low 178 goals.
“Everyone needs to take ownership of this,” captain Nick Foligno said. “The sad part is one person maybe takes the fall, but it’s all of us that need to be better in here. We’re excited to get to work with Anders, and I think Luke would want us to forge ahead, too. He cares a lot about this group and this organization, so the best we can do is get moving ahead here and show we can be that team.”
