Moves The Blackhawks Need To Make This Offseason
Now that the draft lottery has passed, we can begin to take a look at the Blackhawks' best opportunities to make some rebuilding headway. Chicago has officially now given up its first-round pick to CBJ, as a result of the Seth Jones trade�and quite frankly I believe that is for the best, despite a short term letdown. Beyond the first two picks in this years draft, there is a clear lack of depth and not one team has a synonymous «big board» to choose from. Alternatively, the 2023 draft looks to be far more promising in terms of talent, a larger pool of «sure» players, and the fact that the Hawks have another chance at a lottery pick considering they won't be competitive this coming season.
To kick off a rebuild the right way, all considerations must be made from the front office and down to the on-ice product. Executives, scouts, coaching staff, and certainly most contracted players are NOT safe. In this piece, I'll be analyzing who I believe should take the helm as head coach, any roster decisions/contracts that need to be made or not made, as well as determining whether the front office and scouting teams are headed in the right direction.
Head Coach:
Surprisingly, there is quite a large pool of high-caliber coaches available in the market today. John Tortorella, Paul Maurice, David Quinn and Mike Yeo, to name a few. Furthermore, Joel Quinneville has expressed interest in returning behind the bench somewhere in the NHL, if the league allows of course. On top of these seasoned candidates, former player's are now receiving attention�Rick Tocchet for example. All of these coaches have their own strengths and weaknesses, however I envision one who should be at the top of the Blackhawks' list.
David Quinn's last NHL coaching job was with the New York Rangers, where his stint lasted about two full seasons (May 2018 through May 2021). Although he was fired for not reaching the playoffs, he played a significant and impactful role in the development of that young team in his short time there. GM moves aside, Quinn was able to develop his team enough to turn a rough-sighted rebuild into being playoff contenders within two years. I feel that Quinn could bring a similar experience to the young guns in Chicago. Maybe it won't take two years, but perhaps he can expedite the process down to 3-4 years.
Obviously I'd love to have a name like Rick Tocchet behind the bench, but he�along with the likes of Maurice, Torts, and Yeo�is the type of guy you want WHEN the team is ready to contend. Coaches who know how to win are very different than those who are strong with developing their young players.
Contract Decisions:
There are a few important RFA/UFA players going into the 2021-22 offseason, with names such as Dominik Kubalik, Philip Kurashev, and Kirby Dach on the list. Quite honestly, there's no reason the organization can't resign them all�and for a very affordable price tag. The largest questions now sits in the crease, as both Kevin Lankinen and Collin Delia will be UFA's going into the offseason. To stay consistent with the rebuild, the Blackhawks should just resign both or bring a mid-tier free agent from elsewhere (i.e. Cam Ward years ago). At least in this scenario, the organization will get a clear look at the strengths and weaknesses of the team�and the defensive side won't be pretty�without the clutch performance of a star like Fleury.
Front Office:
Hiring Jeff Greenberg was a fantastic move by Kyle Davidson and the organization. I'm glad that Greenberg wasn't able to land the head GM position over Davidson, but he has an immense analytical skillset to offer and propel the Blackhawks moving into the future. The strategy of the team has lost traction and has fallen behind the standard of the league, surprisingly a strength of the Hawks in the early 2010's. With an extensive background in advanced baseball analytics and proven expertise, Greenberg should prove to pay off ten-fold for the organization.
| POLL | ||
Who would you like to see coaching the Blackhawk's next season? | ||
| Joel Quinneville | 126 | 49.6 % |
| Derek King | 31 | 12.2 % |
| David Quinn | 44 | 17.3 % |
| Rick Tocchet | 53 | 20.9 % |
| List of polls | ||
