Blackhawks Luke Richardson may be the first head coach in the NHL to set his lineup this way
Luke Richardson's plans for the lineups don't make much sense lately, as he's placed Joey Anderson on the same line as Connor Bedard.
Bedard has legitimate chemistry with someone like Jason Dickinson but lacks chemistry with someone like Anderson, who is typically a third-line for the Hawks.
More and more, Richardson's used the line blender in order to give the lineup a new look when it shouldn't.
Instead of building chemistry, he's prioritized gameday changes, and today another change to the core has been made.
Rockford IceHog's defenseman Louis Crevier will draw into the lineup today according to Luke Richardson.
It seems like with a win against the Stanley Cup champions, he should optimize the lineup with very few changes. However, he will make another drastic move it seems.
How are we to understand if the lineup will be any different than the above if he issues a blanket statement regarding "Healthy players"? It's difficult to discern Richardson's goals as a coach when it's obvious he's making irrational decisions.
Crevier played 24 games in the NHL last season with the Blackhawks, scoring only 3 points.
His last game played in 2023-2024 was against the Colorado Avalanche, where he played 14:49 TOI, with 3 shots on goal, 20 shifts played, and a -1 rating.
Today he'll draw into the lineup against the Philadelphia Flyers, another rebuilding squad.
It'd be helpful for Crevier if he could he can shut down any of the Flyers' offensive weapons like Travis Konecny or Matvei Michkov.
Today, Crevier will slot in on the bottom-pairing with T.J. Brodie.
