Richardson reveals plan for Lukas Reichel and exposed his weakness as a NHL coach

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Joshua Deeds
October 14, 2024 (6:22 PM)

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Is Luke Richardson a loose cannon at this point in the rebuilding process?

He has scratched Nolan Allan in the last two games and has held Lukas Reichel out of the lineup.

And today he has taken Ryan Donato out of the lineup as well, usually when this happens, a player is down in the dumps. But in the case of Allan, against Utah, he did go full-bagel against the "Hockey Club".

But is smart to take a rookie out of the lineup, when he's been deemed NHL-ready?

It seems, like Allan needs more time on the ice to develop his NHL game, yet has only accumulated 10:26 TOI against Utah.

Why does this former-first-round pick have a shorter leash than Korchinski?

He was being sheltered by Connor Murphy, and we'd expect Murphy to learn from his errors last season with Korchinski, but apparently, that isn't enough.

What exactly is Richardson's plan for Allan?

Allan's statistics won't inspire you, but he is a 6-foot-2 defenseman who can kill a lot of rushes with his gap control, physicality, and reach and can kill penalties well. He can make a pro-caliber first pass but his game lacks offense due to a lack of puck skill and creativity

What About Reichel

Reichel is another pain point the Blackhawks and Luke Richardson will need to find a solution to.

Reichel has been held out of the lineup due to his inability to find his game once again,

Luke Richardson on Lukas Reichel being on the outside looking in ahead of Opening Night: "I thought he played better in Milwaukee, but he still needs to have a little more production. I don't mean goals and assists; it just means opportunities on the net. He skated and tracked defensively and got some pucks back; it's just creating a little more with that speed and at the right times. We can try to show players as much as we can. He's had a great attitude this year, he's working hard and even today, he's listening and he's trying to better his game. We're trying to help him, but right now, just might not be there yet for the opening lineup."

Does Richardson even have a plan to help the winger who lacks confidence find his game again? Or will he have to work his way up from the bottom six? At this point, it's time to question what Richardson's goals are with these two players after today.

Remember it wasn't too long ago, after training camp that Richardson was still unsure of his lines.

What of his ability to scout talent correctly? Is there a reason for GM Kyle Davidson to step in and take the reins?