- The Blackhawks will not fire Jeff Blashill and he remains head coach, per Scott Powers
- Chicago is 4-13-1 after a 9-2 loss to Carolina and has not played since
- Read below for what Powers reported and what Blashill and Connor Bedard have said
Jeff Blashill is staying put in Chicago.
The Blackhawks will not make a coaching change, according to Scott Powers of The Athletic, who cited a source close to the situation speaking on condition of anonymity. Blashill remains the head coach of a team that sits at 4-13-1.
Powers wrote that Blashill’s job security had been in question because of the slow start. He also noted that there was a window for general manager Kyle Davidson to decide whether to keep or relieve his coach, since the Blackhawks lost 9-2 to the Hurricanes on Saturday and do not play again until Thursday.
That decision has now been made. Powers described expectations as higher this season after the team added a few notable veterans and counted on more player development.
The pressure had been building all week. Chicago is still looking for its first win away from the United Center, and the loss to Carolina was the sixth straight. We covered the players-only meeting that followed the blowout, and it was Connor Bedard who did not hide his frustration:
Blashill was recently asked whether he thinks about his job security.
“It’s not anything I’ve thought about,” Blashill said. “I got a lot of trust in those guys in that room. I think they have a lot of trust in me and our staff. Same thing would go with management back and forth. So it’s not anything I’ve really thought about at all.”
Bedard has also gone to bat for his coach. The Blackhawks captain was recently asked about Blashill and defended him:
Blashill is 33-52-15 in Chicago since the Blackhawks hired him. The roster is also a topic, as Elliotte Friedman said Chicago is looking around for scoring, and Blashill had already fired back at Paul Bissonnette for calling the team soft.
Chicago next plays Thursday.
