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Chicago Blackhawks rumors suggest they have a new head coach

By Vincent Parise

MONTREAL, QUEBEC - JUNE 18: Assistant coach Luke Richardson of the Montreal Canadiens assumes head coaching responsibilities against the Vegas Golden Knights during the first period in Game Three of the Stanley Cup Semifinals of the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Bell Centre on June 18, 2021 in Montreal, Quebec. Head coach Dominique Ducharme , tested positive for COVID-19 earlier in the day. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)
MONTREAL, QUEBEC - JUNE 18: Assistant coach Luke Richardson of the Montreal Canadiens assumes head coaching responsibilities against the Vegas Golden Knights during the first period in Game Three of the Stanley Cup Semifinals of the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Bell Centre on June 18, 2021 in Montreal, Quebec. Head coach Dominique Ducharme , tested positive for COVID-19 earlier in the day. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images) /
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The Chicago Blackhawks need a new head coach. They have been bad for a long time and a new direction is much needed. Jeremy Colliton was a horrible replacement for Joel Quenneville and Derek King was clearly not the guy in the long term.

Now, there are reports out there that they are going to hire Luke Richardson to be the next head coach. Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff reported it on Twitter. This is huge news for the Blackhawks as they are headed in a new direction as a franchise.

Richardson has an impressive resume. He has played over 1400 NHL games. He also has eight years as an NHL assistant coach and four as an AHL head coach. His time to get a chance has come. It is certainly better than most retreads that are out there.

The Chicago Blackhawks seem to have a new head coach coming to town.

Richardson will be inheriting a very tough situation here. Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews, the two most successful forwards in franchise history, each have one year left on their very lucrative deals. They also have a rising star in Alex DeBrincat with a payday coming up.

Outside of that, the rest of the roster is thin with a very bad farm system backing it up. Things are bleak right now and Richardson will be relied on to help them get out of it. They are probably headed towards a rebuild so this will be his chance to shine.

If Richardson wants to be the guy when the Hawks are ready to win, he needs to have a good showing as a developmental coach.

Blackhawks fans need to have patience with this guy. They would be bad in 2022-23 if Scotty Bowman was coaching them in his prime. The roster is very flawed and that will not be Richardson’s fault. It is up to him to get the most out of them.

It will be nice to see a fresh face from outside of the organization come in and take this job. He has served as the Montreal Canadiens’ assistant coach for the last four years. That included a trip to the Stanley Cup Final in 2021. We can only hope that this hire works out for what the Hawks are trying to do.

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