Pros & Cons of the Blackhawks Keeping Anders Sorensen as Head Coach

This might be one of the most important offseasons for the Chicago Blackhawks in quite some time. After finishing 31^st in the league for the second season in a row, some different choices need to be made. It’s true that rebuilding takes time, but the organization was adamant last season that the progression from bad to better was going to happen. Looking at it purely from a rankings standpoint, that wasn’t the case.

This offseason, the 2025 NHL Entry Draft is looming, where the Blackhawks have the third overall selection and nine total picks, including four in the first two rounds. But the draft is more about implications for the future. More immediately, we know the organization needs to lure some lucrative free agents to Chicago to complement their youth movement. But one of the most important decisions will be determining a head coach.

This brings me to the recent development that last season’s interim head coach, Anders Sorensen, might be more of a legitimate candidate than we first suspected. Let’s delve into this, and what the pros and cons might be for Sorensen continuing as head coach.

Sorensen’s Stock Has Risen

On CHSN’s The Chicago Lead show on May 7, Blackhawks’ pre-game and post-game host Pat Boyle discussed the coaching situation. To start, we now know David Carle decided to stay at Denver University, while Mike Sullivan signed on with the New York Rangers. These were arguably the top two candidates for the Blackhawks’ job. Boyle spoke of a few other candidates, and then brought up Sorensen’s name.

When the season ended I, for one, did not expect Sorensen to be in serious consideration for the job. I thought general manager Kyle Davidson was just giving the appropriate lip service to the situation before letting him down easy. Davidson did, however, say Sorensen would be staying with the organization in some capacity; showing the Blackhawks value Sorensen’s contributions.

But as Boyle refers to, now that the top two candidates are out of the picture, Sorensen’s stock has risen. Does this just mean the Blackhawks are settling for Sorensen with limited other options? Even with that being the case, should they be hiring someone else just for the sake of making a change? Before we come to any knee-jerk conclusions, let’s attempt to objectively examine some of the pros and cons of Sorensen staying on as head coach.

Pros of Sorensen Staying as Head Coach

Let’s start with some positives we already know from Sorensen coaching last season. He joined the team on Dec. 6 and was behind the bench through 56 games.

Development of Young Players

In the above clip, Boyle mentions that the Blackhawks’ head coach, whoever it may be, should have the ability to work with and develop young players. We already know Sorensen has done just that in Rockford when he was the head coach of the IceHogs. As a matter of fact, he was the head coach in Rockford from 2018-2025, and served as a development coach before that, starting in 2014. Sorensen also coached the Chicago Mission, an elite Tier 1 junior hockey program, where he worked with players such as Ryan Hartman, Vinnie Hinostroza and Nick Schmaltz before they entered the NHL. (from ‘IceHogs interim coach Anders Sorensen is pairing development and winning for Blackhawks prospects’, The AthleticCHI – 5/12/2022)

A recent example of positive development is defenseman Alex Vlasic. Vlasic ripened with the IceHogs for one full season, playing tons of minutes and in all situations. When he did join the Blackhawks as an everyday player in the 2023-24 season, he was in a really good position and thrived right away. Vlasic’s development was overseen by Sorensen.

Defenseman Alex Vlasic of the Chicago Blackhawks. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

Another more immediate success story is Frank Nazar. The 21-year-old didn’t have the best training camp ahead of the 2024-25 season, so he started out in Rockford. Under the tutelage of Sorensen, Nazar flourished, posting 11 goals and 24 points in 21 games to earn a call up to Chicago (where Sorensen had preceded him). I think we can all agree Nazar was one of the best success stories to come out of this past season. It took him a while to find his stride, but he ended the campaign on a high note, with five goals and nine points in the last eight games.

Plus, numerous players spoke highly of Sorensen in their exit interviews. Connor Bedard said they had really positive one-on-one conversations. Nazar indicated Sorensen “helped a ton” with video and discussion on how to be more predictable in his play. Captain Nick Foligno credited Sorensen as being a “great communicator” and somebody that “made us better as a team.”

Lots of Adversity Already Over

It wasn’t an easy situation that Sorensen walked into. He started in the middle of the season, inheriting a losing record and a discouraged roster. He had to implement new ideas and tweak systems slowly, trying to eliminate bad habits while still keeping morale up.

We don’t know the full story, but it appears there was some underlying tension in the locker room. Players such as Seth Jones and Taylor Hall, who were supposed to be leaders and mentors, didn’t really want to be there. We know that much now that they were dealt to other franchises.

If Sorenson were to remain as head coach, he would have a full training camp to implement his systems. He’s already a known entity with the players, so they wouldn’t be starting from scratch. Hopefully, they could continue their momentum from their success at the end of the season (4-1-1 in their final six games).

Plus, let’s remember this was all new to Sorensen last season as well. He now has 56 NHL games under his belt. I’m sure he’s learned a lot, and would likely have a different approach to things moving forward. He’s most certainly now more familiar with all the nuances of the NHL, as well as having a better familiarity with the strengths and weaknesses of opposing teams. Maybe next season he knows when to challenge the referees. Would he have the option to pick different assistant coaches; ones of his choosing? Well, we don’t know that for sure (or if Sorensen would want to), but it could be a factor.

Sorensen a Good Short-Term Fix?

There is also the argument for keeping Sorensen in the short-term, to continue what he’s started and maintain the development of the plethora of young players on the team. He would be a placeholder of sorts, until a coach more experienced with winning at the NHL level became available.

Former Rockford IceHogs’ head coach Anders Sorensen is currently the interim head coach for the Chicago Blackhawks. (Photo by Chase Agnello-Dean/NHLI via Getty Images)

After all, perhaps David Carle is ready to make the jump to the NHL next year, or the year after that. Maybe Jon Cooper and the Tampa Bay Lightning are ready to part ways down the road. Those are just two examples of many different scenarios that could transpire; but you get the idea. This goes along with not just making a change for the sake of making a change. Stick with the status quo until a more desirable situation presents itself.

Cons of Sorensen Staying as Head Coach

All right, let’s get to the cons. Because if you’ve gotten this far into this article, I know you have plenty of arguments to the contrary of what I’ve said above! Why would Sorensen NOT be a good choice to stay on as the head coach of the Blackhawks? Let’s discuss.

Sorensen Has Limited NHL Experience

It’s true, Sorensen never played in the NHL and he’s only coached 56 games in the league so far. Granted, I did point out above that he’s had some time to acclimate, so this experience could be beneficial in the future. But its still only 56 games, and not even one full season.

A coach who’s been around for many years would definitely be an asset. An experienced coach could jump right in with their previous knowledge about the tendencies of the opponent, the referees and all the different matchups. They would be able to immediately adjust for the faster pace, speed and strength that comes with players in the NHL, giving the Blackhawks a leg up that Sorensen probably can’t provide right now.  

Obviously, a coach with some winning experience would be a huge positive as well. The future goal for the Blackhawks is to make it to the postseason. Once you get there you need a coach that knows how to win in that heightened environment. Someone with experience in matching up and adjusting their lineups accordingly.

Sorensen’s lack of experience with all of the above would definitely be a reason to find someone who does have that experience. It could certainly give the Blackhawks a boost in taking it to the next level.

Lack of Passion From Sorensen

This was a big complaint among the fan base at numerous times this season. When the referees made a questionable call that seemed unfair towards Chicago, Sorensen always just accepted it. He never stuck up for his players by challenging the refs. Players certainly want to know that their coach has their back, and it didn’t appear Sorensen was willing to put himself out of a limb for them. I’m sure that must have been frustrating and demoralizing for the players.

The players want to know their coach has their back, and there are plenty of times Anders Sorensen didn’t support them regarding questionable calls on the ice. (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

We as fans & the media might not be too thrilled with Sorensen’s mild-mannered personality. Does a head coach just need that innate passion to be successful? If Sorensen does continue as the head coach of the Blackhawks, he would need to learn how to stand up for the team more in certain situations.

Holding Players Accountable?

As mentioned above, the players gave Sorensen positive reviews in their exit interviews. But we still don’t really have a pulse on whether the Swedish bench boss can hold his players accountable.

When the Blackhawks played badly, Sorensen always seemed to give platitudes about what they did right. Which is a positive attribute; don’t get me wrong! Coaching should be about focusing on the good more than the bad.

But sometimes the bad needs to be called out and addressed. Did Sorensen do this enough, or did he just gloss over it? Did he give excuses for his players instead? There’s a fine line between being the good guy and the bad guy, and finding a way to push the right buttons for every player to reach their potential. Does Sorensen have what it takes to do that?

I’m honestly not sure whether Sorensen would be a good choice as head coach next season. And of course, it all revolves around who else is available, and how much they are excited about what’s going on in Chicago. But we should all brace ourselves for the possibility that Sorensen could remain as the head coach. And to accept that might not be such a bad thing, at least in the short-term.