Chicago Blackhawks head coach Jeff Blashill was introduced to media on Tuesday, preaching both patience and high expectations.
Blashill is taking over a team that hasn’t reached the playoffs since the COVID-shortened 2019-20 season and who has finished at the bottom of the Central Division standings in three consecutive seasons.
Despite those challenges, Blashill said that he fully expects to be able to create a culture that can help the Blackhawks become a winning franchise once again.
“In time, (for) this great city of Chicago and our great Blackhawks fans, we can deliver a championship-level team, and I look forward to getting to that moment,” he said.
Blashill comes to the Blackhawks after previously serving as an assistant coach with the Tampa Bay Lightning for three straight seasons. He has NHL head coaching experience, guiding the Detroit Red Wings to a 204-261-72 record over season seasons before leaving the organization in 2022.
Knowing the enormity of the task in front of him, Blashill is urging fans to be patient as the team tries to pivot into a period where they can contend for playoff berths and eventually Stanley Cup titles.
“I’ll never put a timeline on (getting back to the playoffs),” he said. “I know what it’s going to take, and I know process is the most importance piece of that. So what I will say is I won’t rush the process for a timeline.”
His inspiration is Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell, who famously turned around the moribund franchise and made them into one of the NFL’s top teams.
“When I was in Detroit and watched Dan Campbell in his first year have very, very little success, I watched him continue and stay strong and build a culture. Once you get that culture in place, the winning takes care of itself.”
General manager Kyle Davidson echoed those sentiments.
“We wanted someone that would grow with this team, someone that would instill, teach and hold our players accountable to the fundamental habits required to winning in the NHL,” he said.
Still, Blackhawks fans can hardly be blamed for impatience. The team is coming off a season in which they had the second-worst record in the league for the second consecutive season. They had the third-worst record in the league in the 2022-season, allowing them to win the NHL Draft Lottery and to draft star forward Connor Bedard.
Bedard is entering the final season of his entry-level contract with the Blackhawks, and while the team will still have exclusive negotiating rights for his services, there is an expectation for signs of process as he enters his third full season in the league.
The Blackhawks have not reached the playoffs in their last seven full seasons, and have won just one playoff series in the 10 seasons since they last won the Stanley Cup in 2010.
As things stand, the Blackhawks have nearly $30 million in salary cap space heading into the offseason and only have one significant pending free agent as Ryan Donato’s contract expires. Players like Mitch Marner, Sam Bennett and Aaron Ekblad are all hitting free agency, giving the Blackhawks some options if they decide to aim for a big splash on the market.
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