Luke Richardson admits his faults to the Chicago Blackhawks media on Monday

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Joshua Deeds
November 18, 2024 (3:34 PM)

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The Chicago Blackhawks are priming themselves for a future lottery pick in 2025 it seems, as Luke Richardson is having issues with the offense.

He's done what desperate coaches do, busted out the line blender, and destroyed chemistry within the team.

There are actually hints of that desperation in all of Richardson's recent moves. The stakes aren't terribly high yet - these shouldn't be interpreted as last-ditch efforts to save his job - but he does finally seem to be feeling some urgency and pressure.

Instead of finding optimal line combinations and building off of that foundation, he changes the lines, daily. Yet none of it seems to work, and instead of Kyle Davidson pulling him aside and showing him who works best with who, it seems like it's all purely based on eye tests.

Which, if we're honest doesn't seem to work.

It's not worth reading into them too deeply, however, because they will probably change again very soon. Richardson has shuffled the lines after all 11 regulation losses to date.

«We're at a point where we're desperate to find more offense, and we're just going to try things until we get it,» he said bluntly.

The lines have changed so much that he has shifted Connor Bedard to a wing position, with Jason Dickinson centering both himself and Joey Anderson.

One aspect of Tuesday's lines that makes sense is Connor Bedard moving to the wing; he's in such a slump that a major switch like that feels justified. Putting him next to Jason Dickinson and Joey Anderson, the anchors of the Hawks' usual checking line, is nonetheless strange.

It seems odd, well because it is. The Columbus Blue Jackets used this as a way of "developing" Kent Johnson, and it has resulted in him "doing time" in Cleveland with the Monsters.

This was after having a successful 40-point season prior, then Pascal Vincent came in and turned the team upside down.

For Richardson though, it seems like a step backward for Bedard, instead of being of benefit for anyone in the organization.