On June 27 of last year, GM Kyle Davidson made a decision that cost him in the draft lottery. Had he gone in a different direction, his team would have been dispirited, laying down for other teams to walk all over as the season came to an end. They would have been perfectly positioned to have the highest odds of selecting Connor Bedard and be guaranteed a top-three pick.
He didn’t do that. Instead, he chose to hire Luke Richardson as his new head coach. The 40th head coach in franchise history knew what he was signing up for. The team that had won three Stanley Cups in the early 2010s had been on a slow decline, and Davidson had them set up for complete roster destruction, with no part of those rosters remaining on the team by the end of this season. But instead of allowing his team to barely show up every night and give a half-hearted effort, he inspired them to do more. Players said he made the game fun again and made them compete to be the best hockey players they could be. It didn’t take long to notice the effects Richardson had on the group. Forward Tyler Johnson, who came to the team in 2021, was singing his praises all the way back in October:
“It’s a lot more fun this year. Guys have smiles on their faces. They want to come to the rink every day and compete and work… I think No. 1 is system. I think everyone’s playing the right way, playing the style that, you know, he wants us to play.”
– Blackhawks forward Tyler Johnson on head coach Luke Richardson
Richardson seemed to be a perfect fit for the roster that Davidson had constructed, even if many thought of it as simply a placeholder while they built from the ground up. Richardson likes his players to play hard and fast; Davidson supplied him with a group of forwards to do that. Andreas Athanasiou, Mackenzie Entwistle, and Philipp Kurashev are just a few members of that group. That isn’t a trait that’s going away anytime soon, as practically every prospect Davidson signed this season is known for their speed and energy on the ice.
Clearly, Richardson wasn’t brought in as a temporary solution, but instead, he’s expected to be with the team through their rebuilding years and when the Blackhawks are competitive again. When the news broke that Richardson would be the new head coach last year, Davidson confirmed those sentiments.
“We want someone that’s going to come in and grow with the team. We don’t want any stopgap options. We’re looking to bring someone in that’s going to come and be a part of this for a long time.”
– GM Kyle Davidson
Head coach Luke Richardson knew this Blackhawks team wouldn’t be a quick fix when he took the job last summer. Nevertheless, he attacked it, giving his all to the team and its fans, expecting his players to do the same. Looking back on his season now, he made his team respectable, despite their record. Blowouts were few and far between, and despite the somewhat ragtag bunch he was asked to lead, he had his team performing like one that wanted to win. Although it can be disappointing on the surface to see the Blackhawks, who have likely the worst roster in hockey, not have the highest odds at the top pick, the long-term benefits of hiring Luke Richardson make it feasible for this team to eventually be a championship contender. It’s clear the Blackhawks have their coach of the future.
