The Chicago Blackhawks are searching far and wide for a new head coach. They have mostly kept any information regarding this upcoming hire quiet. There is, however, a new report out there regarding a potential candidate.
Of course, Blashill's head coaching experience in the NHL came as Mike Babcock's replacement with the Detroit Red Wings.
Over seven seasons with Detroit, Blashill went 204-261-72. It wasn't much of a success there, but that was largely due to the rebuild forced on them after making the playoffs for 25 straight seasons. Losing all-time great stars like Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg will never be easy for any franchise to deal with.
Since being let go by Detroit in 2022, Blashill has been working his way back by paying his dues elsewhere. He is currently an assistant coach on Jon Cooper's staff with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
There is a lot that Blashill can learn from his tenure in Detroit. He's had plenty of time to reflect on what was good and what was bad. It wasn't all his fault, but adjustments will be made if he's given another shot.
One area that Blashill has done well with, even going back to his days at Western Michigan and the Grand Rapids Griffins, is coaching young players.
The Chicago Blackhawks are loaded with young talent. At forward, studs like Connor Bedard, Frank Nazar, and Oliver Moore are looking to make jumps. There is also a youthful defense core to work with, led by Sam Rinzel, Alex Vlasic, and Artyom Levshunov.
Kyle Davidson has surely talked to other candidates, but this is the first one to leak since this search began. It makes you wonder if there is something to the meeting that they had. It's certainly a report to keep an eye on going into the weekend.
