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The Chicago Blackhawks stumbled out of the gate in the 2024-25 NHL season in which they were expected to improve from their abysmal results in each of the two previous campaigns.
However, after a particularly brutal stretch that saw them go 3-9-1 in 13 games and stuck in 431st place in the NHL, the Blackhawks fired coach Luke Richardson and replaced him with Anders Sorensen, who was previously the head coach of their AHL affiliate Rockford Ice Hogs.
According to general manager Luke Richardson, the plan for the Blackhawks was to allow Sorensen to coach through the remainder of the season and then make a final determination after the campaign came to a close, via NHL.com.
“Our plan here is to see out the year and then run a thorough process after that,” Davidson said, “but it is an opportunity for him to show what he’s got.”
The coaching change did little to improve the fortunes of the Blackhawks. They remain in second-to-last place in the Western Conference, ahead of only the hapless San Jose Sharks.
The Blackhawks should not remove the interim tag from Anders Sorensen
Overall, Sorensen has amassed a record of 13-26-7 since he took over for Richardson behind the Blackhawks bench in December, and there has been little growth or improvement in their key players. Chicago's win percentage under Sorensen is a minute .369, which is barely above the .346 win percentage that they had under Richardson.
The struggles of Connor Bedard, the new face of the franchise after being selected with the first overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, are also of particular concern.
Sorensen recently stated that he wants to keep everyone on the same page and acknowledges that not everyone will be happy on a struggling team as the regular season winds down, via Ben Pope of The Chicago Sun-Times.
“[We’re] trying to keep everybody on the same page, and I think the guys are, for the most part, doing a decent job,” Sorensen said. “There’s always going to be frustration with certain players here and there. I don’t think you’re going to keep everybody happy this time of the year with where we’re at, right? It’s impossible.”
While it wouldn't be fair to lay the blame of Chicago's struggles solely at Sorensen's feet, the fact that they haven't improved and look just as listless under his leadership as they did prior to the coaching change is likely going to be considered an indictment on him by Chicago management.
Unfortunately, the Blackhawks are going nowhere fast under Sorensen, and an established voice with valuable experience will be needed to help Chicago begin the process of digging itself out of the NHL basement.
In order to do that, Chicago shouldn't remove the interim tag from Sorensen's name.
The good news for Sorensen is that he's already made history by becoming the very first Swedish native to serve as head coach in the NHL, and could help pave the way for future Swedish coaches to make an appearance down the road.
The Blackhawks made multiple additions to their team, but they haven't helped them win
While the Blackhawks weren't expected to contend for the Stanley Cup this season, they were expected to make a notable improvement over last season's results.
After finishing in the NHL basement in Connor Bedard's rookie season, Blackhawks management sought to insulate him by surrounding him with more established NHL experience.
Chicago was one of the busier teams in free agency, signing several veterans, including forwards Tyler Bertuzzi, Craig Smith, Pat Maroon, defensemen Alec Martinez and T.J. Brodie, and goaltender Laurent Brossoit. They also traded for forward Ilya Mikheyev and re-acquired 2015 Stanley Cup winner Teuvo Teravainen, who had spent the last several seasons with the Carolina Hurricanes.
However, these multiple additions didn't translate into wins on the ice. Smith has already been traded away, Maroon announced he was retiring at the end of this season, and Brossoit hasn't appeared in a single game this season thanks to an injury he suffered before Training Camp.
Sorenson's inability to get the most out of them is a further indictment on his abilities as an NHL head coach.
It could be said that Blackhawks management may be willing to give him an entire season on the job, which would start with implementing his own system right from the get-go during the offseason and the start of Training Camp.
But if a more established NHL head coach is available for the taking, don't be surprised to see the Blackhawks move in another direction coaching wise – again.
