Top Coaching Candidates for the Hawks
Despite general manager Kyle Davidson saying yesterday that head coach Derek King will remain a candidate going forth for the head coaching job, the writing is on the wall. With the firing of assistant coaches Marc Crawford and Rob Cookson, it's clear the Hawks are going to be looking elsewhere for a new head coach for the 2022-23 season.
There are a few obvious candidates for the position that the Hawks should interview. Remember they haven't done a coaching search outside the organization since 2001. It's time for a fresh, outside perspective.
At the top of the list should be Islanders assistant coach Lane Lambert who would bring some much-needed experience to Chicago. Since 2011, he's worked alongside two-time Jack Adams Award-winner Barry Trotz, one of the smartest and well-respected head coaches in the NHL today. He started with him in Nashville, followed him to Washington where they won the 2018 Stanley Cup and then on to the Islanders.
In Washington, Lambert helped develop players like Evgeny Kuznetsov and Tom Wilson, while helping guide franchise centerpieces Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom. The downside to Lambert is he's never been a head coach before, but he's been with Trotz for 10 years and would bring a tougher style of play to the Windy City.
Another name that has been gaining traction is current NHL on TNT analyst and former Tampa (2008-10) and Arizona (2017-21) head coach Rick Tocchet.
Tocchet was also an assistant coach with the Penguins from 2014-17 and won back-to-back Stanley Cups over his final two seasons. He has experience with rebuilding and inexperienced teams in Tampa and Arizona and would also bring great discipline to Chicago, something the Blackhawks need even as they rebuild.
If loads of NHL head coaching experience is what the Hawks are looking for, there are no shortage of candidates. Claude Julien, John Tortorella, Alain Vigneault, Paul Maurice or Dan Bylsma should be given serious consideration. There is no substitute for experience and knowing what it takes to win in the NHL.
Former Hawks coach Joel Quenneville could be looking to get behind the bench in the right opportunity, but he needs to be reinstated first.
Expect Vegas to take a run at him if they move on from Pete DeBoer. They are no strangers to drama.
It should be an interesting offseason in the coaching landscape and hopefully the Hawks make the right decision for the future of the franchise.
| POLL | ||
Who would you like to see as the next coach of the Hawks? | ||
| Lambert | 84 | 24.6 % |
| Tocchet | 112 | 32.8 % |
| One of the old vets (Julien, Torts, etc) | 145 | 42.5 % |
| List of polls | ||
