Blackhawks hire Jeff Blashill as head coach

A former NHL bench boss is getting a second chance.

As reported by Daily Faceoff insider Frank Seravalli, the Chicago Blackhawks are set to name Jeff Blashill as the team’s next head coach.

Blashill is being tasked with trying to revitalize a struggling Original Six franchise that has the upside of a lot of young talent, including 2024 Calder Trophy Connor Bedard, as well as Frank Nazar III and Artyom Levshunov. The Blackhawks have missed the playoffs in each of the past five seasons and seven of the last nine years, finishing last in the Central Division three years in a row.

Blashill comes to the Windy City after spending the last three years as an assistant coach with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Working under Jon Cooper, Blashill helped guide the Lightning to the Stanley Cup Playoffs each year, though the team never made it beyond the first round.

Before that, the Ferris State University graduate served as head coach of the Detroit Red Wings for seven seasons. Unfortunately, he didn’t have much success in Hockeytown. Though he coached the team to a 25th consecutive playoff appearance in the 2015-16 season, his first on the job, Blashill couldn’t get the Red Wings to the postseason after that, missing the playoffs in each of the subsequent six campaigns. That includes an abysmal 2019-20 season when Detroit went 17-49-5 in the COVID-shortened campaign, with the team’s .275 winning percentage being the third-worst in franchise history.

The Sault Ste. Marie native posted a 204-261-72 record during his tenure with the Wings. He was also an assistant in Detroit under Mike Babcock during the 2011-12 season.

On top of his NHL experience, Blashill also spent three years behind the bench for the Red Wings’ American Hockey League affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins, leading the team to the franchise’s first Calder Cup in 2013.