Blackhawks Updates From Kyle Davidson Presser & Practice

The Chicago Blackhawks decided to fire head coach Luke Richardson on Wednesday. They named Rockford IceHogs HC Anders Sorensen to be the interim while moving assistant GM and head of player development Mark Eaton to be the guy in Rockford.

This is a big move for the Hawks who are 32nd in the NHL in both points and points percentage. Connor Bedard also hasn’t taken a step in year two which is the worst-case scenario. They made a change that they feel will help get things turned around.

On Friday, General Manager Kyle Davidson held a presser to address the most recent move. He had a lot to say about the direction of the team and some nice words about Luke Richardson the person:

As you can see, Richardson is a bit saddened by the fact that he had to fire Richardson. He did defend it from a hockey point of view and made some good points.

The key thing that Davidson pointed out was his opinion that a new voice was needed and that they would be getting that starting today. That sends the message that he doesn't like the way the team has played and he is committed to getting them back on track.

The lack of offense is a key to this move for Davidson as well. Connor Bedard hasn't been himself for most of this year and that is not what the Blackhawks need. If they want to become a contender again soon, Bedard needs to develop to his full potential.

Once this presser was over, they moved into the first practice under head coach Anders Sorensen. There was a heavy emphasis on effort and how it is going to be the key to fixing a lot of the issues. The pace is being pushed offensively which is something that was lacking under Richardson.

The first lineup under Sorensen looked a lot different than anything we've seen from them over the last couple of weeks.

Kurashev-Bedard-Teravainen

Hall-Donato-Bertuzzi

Foligno-Dickinson-Mikheyev/Anderson

Maroon-Reichel-Smith

Vlasic-Murphy

Allan-Martinez

Kaiser-Brodie/Crevier

Mrazek

Söderblom

Getting Connor Bedard with Kurashev and Teravainen is new after a few games of him playing with Taylor Hall. The rest of the lineup will work itself out after a few games with the new coach.

After the practice was over, we heard from a few players:

It seems as if there is a bittersweet feeling after hearing these guys talk. Luke Richardson was a well-liked individual but it is clear that a change was needed for this group. They must push the pace and bring a better effort offensively if they are going to turn this around.

Anders Sorensen also hit the podium after practice for the first time as Chicago Blackhawks head coach.

The first Swedish head coach in NHL history did a great job breaking down things that he wants to see from the group going forward. This came after talking about what the last 24 hours were like for him.

Change is good for teams in pro sports sometimes. That will be no different here. The timing of this move is surprising but the vibes are already different around the team. We'll see how they come out and play against an elite Winnipeg Jets team on Saturday afternoon.

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