After the team won just one of its first 12 games, the Chicago Blackhawks have dismissed head coach Jeremy Colliton and assistant coaches Tomas Mitell and Sheldon Brookbank. Derek King, the head coach of the Hawks' AHL affiliate in Rockford, has been named interim head coach.
The Blackhawks had high hopes of being competitive this season after adding the likes of Seth Jones and Marc-Andre Fleury to improve their defensive play. However, they enter Saturday's play with the second-highest rate of goals allowed (3.92 GA/GP). The Blackhawks have of course been in the news because of the sexual abuse scandal from their 2010 playoff run, so they've had major issues both on and off the ice this season.
Fleury's struggles were documented in our latest Ramblings. In summary, the reigning Vezina Trophy winner has some of the league's worst goaltending numbers since moving to Chicago, which is at least a reflection on the team in front of him as Fleury himself. Further proof of that is that since Colliton's hiring in the 2018-19 season, the Hawks have been one of the league's worst defensive teams.
One particular player that has been underutilized in Colliton's lineup is Dylan Strome. The 24-year-old forward has seen his point pace decline for two consecutive seasons starting in 2018-19. With just one point (an assist) in five games, Strome hasn't gotten off to a great start. He's also averaging less than 14 minutes per game with less than a minute of power-play time per game this season. Colliton's firing doesn't necessarily mean that Strome will suddenly burst out offensively, but a new coach may put him in better situations to get him on the right track. This next stretch of games will be important in determining Strome's NHL future.
Coaching changes can have a positive short-term effect on a team, so we could see that effect starting on Sunday when the Hawks face Nashville. The Blackhawks have had an absolutely disastrous start to the season, so they've got nowhere to go but up.
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Players this helps, in order:
Strome
Fleury
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Players this hurts, in order:
No one in particular
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