Chicago Blackhawks Fire Luke Richardson After 3 Seasons With the Team

Former head coach Luke Richardson was fired on Thursday morning after the Blackhawks have another unsatisfactory start to the season.

Richardson finished with a record of 57-118-15 in three seasons with the Blackhawks, who are currently last in the NHL standings this season at 8-16-2.

Anders Sorensen, the coach of Chicago's American Hockey League affiliate in Rockford, was named interim coach. The 49-year-old is the first Sweden-born coach in NHL history.

Richardson first came into the organization in the 2022 season as the Hawks were in full rebuild mode. With a below average roster at his hands, the former head coach was tasked with creating as good as an atmosphere as possible and to try to win games. The Blackhawks finished with the second to worst record that season which eventually led them to receiving the first overall pick in the 2023 NHL draft. With the first pick in the draft the Blackhawks selected phenom Connor Bedard, giving hope to fans that the Hawks could start winning games and become potential contenders again in the coming seasons. Even with Bedard winning Rookie of the Year that season, the Hawks finished with a miserable 26-49-7 season which eventually landed them with the second overall pick in the 2024 draft. During the offseason, General Manager Kyle Davidson made big acquisitions to help Bedard and Richardson such as Tyler Bertuzzi, Tuevo Teravinen, Craig Smith, Pat Maroon, Ilya Mikheyev, TJ Brodie, and Alec Martinez. In the same offseason the Blackhawks named Nick Foligno captain of the team, giving the notion that the Hawks finally had a well constructed team ready to win games.

After a disappointing start to the season with a well constructed roster, it was only a matter of time that Richardson would be fired.

It is very frustratng for fans and players of the team when you have a well constructed roster and are not seeing any progress to what you have had in previous years. When you are constantly upgrading your roster with trades, free agency signings, and draft picks while still being one of the worst teams in the league, you have to find the common denominator of losing, which in the past three years has been Richardson. Richardson was a good person to bring into the organization as a person to help the rebuild process, but now that the Hawks have a competitive roster to work with it was time to change direction and start winning games.

Captain Nick Foligno shared his thoughts on the current situation the Blackhawks are in right now.

“It’s frustrating for us because we know where we’re sitting and where we’re trying to get to. I think our style of play, we’re doing a lot of good things, but you’re not reaping the benefits because those little ones. The momentums, the understanding of what it takes to win, are not as detailed as they need to be right now.”

Kyle Davidson said Friday that Sorensen will coach Chicago for the remainder of the season and he doesn't forsee any more changes to the coaching staff.

"When I came to the conclusion that I wanted to make a change, you make it. I don’t think once you cross that threshold in your own mind, you can go back. So I crossed that point after the Boston game the other night. But you’re always evaluating, right? You’re always considering what could be and how you want to change what’s going on. Again, not just before the Boston game, like the results haven’t been what we’ve wanted. But in terms of making that final determination, decision, it was after that point that it was, OK, it’s time to step in and make a change." - Kyle Davidson

With no further coaching changes to happen this season, whoever the Blackhawks decide to hire as the head coach in the 2025 season will have big expectations to fill. As an original six team with one of the leagues biggest names on your roster, next years season will be a big implication on how the future of the organization will look.