While the Blackhawks are 1-1 with interim head coach Anders Sorensen at the helm, things are already looking a little bit better in Chicago. Players have taken Sorensen’s teachings to heart and implemented them, with changes being clearly implemented on the ice. Chicago’s defensemen have gotten in on the scoring and Connor Bedard is looking more effective, so Sorensen is at least doing something to help right the ship.
On the other hand, things couldn’t be plummeting faster in Rockford. The IceHogs were an admittedly middle-of-the-pack team with Sorensen, but the offense looked like it was picking up – Sorensen’s final two games there were 6-3 and 7-3 wins. Since assistant general manager Mark Eaton took over as interim head coach, however, the team has been outscored by a whopping 11-1 margin, with the offense completely disappearing.
It’s not necessarily Eaton’s fault, but the fact remains that he has virtually no coaching experience anywhere. It might seem at first glance that the IceHogs’ fate doesn’t exactly matter to the big club, but continuing the Eaton experiment could be a disaster for the franchise down the road.
The Blackhawks are a team built on the future, and almost all of that future is currently playing for the IceHogs. No player has been building more confidence than Frank Nazar, who has been lighting up the league and earned a shot at the NHL. He’s joined by future Blackhawks like Colton Dach and Landon Slaggert up front, as well as a talented defensive group including Artyom Levshunov, Kevin Korchinski and Ethan Del Mastro (until Korchinski was recalled to Chicago). Keeping Eaton at the helm could have disastrous effects on the confidence and swagger that those players have been building all season.
Luckily for the Blackhawks, they’re currently employing a coach that would be the perfect guide for Chicago’s most valuable assets. Derek King, an assistant coach who was one of the top options for the Blackhawks’ interim job, was once a terrific head coach in Rockford. Despite once serving as Chicago’s interim head coach, King has expressed hesitancy about taking an NHL role, instead thriving in developmental roles.
With so much emphasis on the future in Chicago, the Blackhawks need to act now to give those players as much confidence as possible. Developing a strong AHL program has its perks, and Eaton’s lack of coaching experience has shown. With Sorensen now in the interim role (with a real shot at earning the full-time gig), the Blackhawks have their fair share of development in the NHL for youngsters like Bedard. As a result, King’s services would be more useful elsewhere – as head coach of the IceHogs.
