The Chicago Blackhawks are still searching for a head coach to lead Connor Bedard and the rest of their young core into the 2024-25 NHL season. As teams around the league announce new hires behind the bench, General Manager Kyle Davidson made a bold statement regarding the candidates to replace interim coach Anders Sorensen.
Although last season was tough for Blackhawks fans in Chi-town, the silver lining is that it’s hard to imagine things getting worse—setting the stage for a slow but steady climb back up the NHL ranks.
Having Connor Bedard on the roster makes the head coaching job in the Windy City all the more appealing, but the 19-year-old isn’t the only bright spot—several rising talents contribute to a promising situation for any incoming coach. In the short term, it’s a low-risk, high-reward opportunity for whoever takes the reins behind the bench.
Though the organization has yet to announce a new head coach, and a strong frontrunner is yet to be revealed in the race, GM Davidson dropped a powerful statement about the vacancy to coach Bedard and the young Blackhawks, as Sorensen is not expected to stay on his interim role.
“Based on the reaction in my phone every day, it’s an appealing job,” Davidson said during his end-of-season press conference. “We feel that and we know that, but we’ve got to find the right person that fits what we’re doing and that’s kind of the course we’re running right now.”
Not rushing into decisions
While fans and players may feel anxious with no head coach named yet for the upcoming NHL season, Davidson and the front office know it’s better to measure twice and cut once.
“No real timeline. We’re going through the process right now,” Davidson added. “We’re really excited about the people we’ve gotten to talk to, and will get to talk to. It’s not necessarily about timeline, we just want to get this right, and we want to make sure we have all the information to get it right, and that’s what we’re going through right now.“
Lottery Draft results
Despite having the second-best odds to claim the first overall pick in the 2025 NHL entry Draft, the Blackhawks winded up with the third overall selection in the upcoming draft, which isn’t bad by any means, as the upcoming draft class doens’t feature a clear-cut No. 1 prospect.
“Everyone has different opinions, different thoughts on what makes players successful. And so, ours versus against any other team’s is going to be different and is going to be different from public,” Davidson said. “It’s exciting to get behind the curtain and really hammer away at what those tiers are, or [what] the rankings are for the Blackhawks and what our staff believes and how we see things lining up. Excited to do that, but we’re not quite at that point yet.”
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The mantra for the NHL offseason in Chicago is crystal clear: the Blackhawks are taking things one step at a time, carefully measuring every move. First, a head coach must be named—only then can the organization shift its focus to surrounding Bedard and company with the best talent in the draft class.