Gerry Thomas/NHLI via Getty Images

NHL Rumors: Blackhawks' HC Search 'Remains Fluid,' No Decision Has Been Made

Scott Polacek

The Chicago Blackhawks haven't made a decision on their head coaching position just yet.

NHL insider Kevin Weekes reported the "situation remains fluid" but no decision has been made to this point. Weekes previously reported Chicago was "close to hiring" Calgary Flames assistant coach Ryan Huska and issued something of a correction with the follow-up:

Charlie Roumeliotis of NBC Sports Chicago reported the indication Huska was headed to the Blackhawks as of Monday was "inaccurate" since "no decision has been made yet on a permanent head coach."

The Blackhawks fired head coach Jeremy Colliton in November following a 1-9-2 start to the season and finished the 2021-22 campaign with Derek King serving in the interim role.

Chicago went 27-33-10 under King and missed the playoffs for the second season in a row. It hasn't won a postseason series since the 2014-15 campaign, which is a far cry from the stretch when the franchise won three Stanley Cup titles in a six-year span from 2009-10 through 2014-15.

Colliton had been the head coach since taking over during the 2018-19 season after the Blackhawks fired Joel Quenneville.

Whichever coach the franchise hires will be joining a team with plenty of immediate uncertainty after a disappointing campaign. Chicago notably added defenseman Seth Jones and goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury last offseason but ended up trading the latter and failed to live up to higher expectations with the new pieces in place.

Decisions will need to be made at the goaltender position as well as with a number of notable names as the team decides how much of a rebuild it will undertake.

Whether that means moving on from Blackhawks legends Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews remains to be seen. Chicago could even look to trade forward Alex DeBrincat, which would only serve to facilitate a rebuild even more for a team that may still be multiple seasons away from true contender status.

Huska has plenty of coaching experience as a four-year assistant for the Flames after he was the head coach of the team's affiliate in Stockton and Adirondack.

He also has Blackhawks connections considering the organization drafted him in 1993, although he appeared in just one NHL game during the 1997-98 season.

   

Read 0 Comments

Download the app for comments Get the B/R app to join the conversation

Install the App
×
Bleacher Report
(120K+)