There hasn’t been much noise from the Chicago Blackhawks’ front office regarding their search for the team’s next head coach this offseason. Five openings have been filled across the league, making Chicago one of just four jobs left on the market in this hiring cycle. Fans have been on edge with the front office not jumping on any of the candidates who have been hired so far, but this now appears to be the second wave of this off-season’s hiring cycle.
While it might be frustrating to some that the Blackhawks haven’t been able to land a coach so far, others could view this process as the front office being patient. If there isn’t a candidate they are totally sold on yet, they shouldn’t just hire someone because everybody else is. Management wants to make sure they have the right guy for the job and their process should be trusted more than anything.
With the exception of David Carle, there haven’t been many names directly linked to the Chicago opening. However, a report came out on Thursday about general manager Kyle Davidson meeting with a potential option to take over as the Blackhawks’ bench boss this season.
Chicago Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson met with Jeff Blashill
Davidson meeting with Jeff Blashill got the attention of Chicago fans online on Thursday. Similar to a few other strong candidates available right now, the 51-year-old has plenty of head coaching experience at the NHL level. Blashill spent seven seasons as the lead man in Detroit, and he posted a 204-261-72 record in 537 games. He got a tough draw with his first head coaching job in the NHL, as the Red Wings were rebuilding for a handful of years while he was at the helm.
Blashill is also well-known for his success in the AHL prior to getting the Detroit job. He led the Grand Rapids Griffins to their first Calder Cup in 2013, and was named the AHL’s most outstanding coach in the 2013-14 campaign. Blashill’s best season at the NHL level was in his first year with the Red Wings, where he went 41-30-11 leading that group in 2015-16.
Jeff Blashill might be one of the better coaching options left
Blashill and Jay Woodcroft could very well be the best two options remaining for the Blackhawks in this hiring cycle. Unless they want to stay in-house and remove the interim tag from Anders Sorensen, one of these two coaches has a decent shot to be the organization’s next bench boss. Woodcroft has spent parts of three seasons as the head coach of the Oilers and had a stellar 2022-23 campaign. It was his only full year at the helm in Edmonton, and it he made it count with his 50-23-9 record and 109 points.
Both Blashill and Woodcroft have NHL experience, which bodes well for the Blackhawks’ front office. If they truly want to decide between those two, they will have to determine whether they value long or short term success more in their resumes.
Chicago Blackhawks’ veteran winger made history at the IIHF World Championships on Thursday
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