On Thursday, the Chicago Blackhawks made official a secret that hadn't been protected very tightly: Jeff Blashill is now the franchise's 42nd head coach. Blashill is of course a familiar name to Detroit Red Wings fans, having served in the same role in Detroit from 2015 (replacing the infamous Mike Babcock) until 2022 (when he was replaced by Derek Lalonde).
Mar 5, 2019; Denver, CO, USA; Detroit Red Wings head coach Jeff Blashill reacts during the second period against the Colorado Avalanche at the Pepsi Center. (Ron Chenoy, Imagn Images)
Blashill has coached the fifth most games (537) in Red Wings franchise history. He arrived at the head gig in Detroit having already coached the Grand Rapids Griffins to their first Calder Cup in franchise history in 2013. His tenure behind the Red Wings bench was a difficult one: the playoff streak died, and the worst of the rebuild kicked in. It's hard to pin much of that on Blashill considering the rosters he was dealt, but the record isn't pretty at 204-261-72.
So, can Blashill help the Blackhawks out of their extended rebuild in his second go-round behind an NHL bench?
The Blackhawks job Blashill walks into is certainly an alluring one, but also one with obvious difficulties. 2023 first overall pick Connor Bedard is the obvious source of that allure: billed as a talismanic, franchise-altering prospect heading into his draft, but also coming off a relative sophomore slump with 23 goals and 67 points. Bedard isn't the only intriguing prospect in Chicago. The likes of Frank Nazar, Oliver Moore, Sam Rinzel, and Artyom Levshunov are also budding NHLers with ample potential.
At the same time, like most teams coming out of a rebuild, the Hawks are desperately short on depth up front and on the blue line. Spencer Knight (acquired in the deal that sent Seth Jones to the Florida Panthers this season) could well prove to be a reliable number one option in net, but he doesn't yet have the track record to support that outcome. Chicago hasn't made it to even 30 wins since 2019-20. That's a lot of organizational malaise to overcome.
Then comes the tricky question of expectations. As Lalonde reminded the world in a recent interview, the vast majority of modern NHL coaches are hired just to be fired. The Blackhawks can't reasonably expect to contend any time soon, but with Bedard entering the final year of his entry-level contract, there is also a sense of urgency and a ticking clock.
While so-called 're-tread' coaches often draw frustration from fans, there is legitimate reason to believe that Blashill will be a better head coach for the experience he earned in Detroit (and for having worked as an assistant under Jon Cooper in Tampa in the seasons following his Red Wings exit). Despite rosters generally bereft of talent, Blashill did seem to have a knack for maximizing players like Anthony Mantha and Tyler Bertuzzi, whose best NHL seasons came under his watch.
At the same time, he's walked into another job where the roster isn't on his side, and that's a major hurdle to overcome in a market not so dissimilar from Detroit in that the fan base has vivid memories of championship success, yet those memories are increasingly distant.
