Luke Richardson was fired as coach of the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday.
Anders Sorensen, the coach of Chicago's American Hockey League affiliate in Rockford, was named interim coach. The 49-year-old is the first Sweden-born coach in NHL history, according to NHL Stats.
General manager Kyle Davidson said Friday that Sorensen will coach Chicago for the remainder of the season and he doesn't forsee any more changes to the coaching staff.
"Our plan here is to see out the year and then run a thorough process after that," Davidson said, "but it is an opportunity for him to show what he’s got."
Richardson was 57-118-15 in three seasons with the Blackhawks, who are last in the NHL this season at 8-16-2.
The Blackhawks, who rank 31st in the League in goals per game (2.42), have lost four games in row and are 3-9-1 in their past 13 games. Two of those wins came against the Florida Panthers on Nov. 21 and the Dallas Stars on Nov. 27, but they haven't won since. Richardson's last game was a 4-2 loss to the Boston Bruins on Wednesday.
"I was hopeful that the little stretch we had when we beat Dallas and Florida that it was going to be a bit of a turning point for us," Davidson said. "I think we had five out of six points in that stretch and I felt we beat some pretty darn good teams and it felt like something was happening. Then we’ve lost a couple in a row.
"When I came to the conclusion that I wanted to make a change, you make it. I don’t think once you cross that threshold in your own mind, you can go back. So I crossed that point after the Boston game the other night. But you’re always evaluating, right? You’re always considering what could be and how you want to change what’s going on. Again, not just before the Boston game, like the results haven’t been what we’ve wanted. But in terms of making that final determination, decision, it was after that point that it was, OK, it’s time to step in and make a change."
Though Davidson said the move wasn't made with the sole purpose of getting Connor Bedard going, he hopes it will help the No. 1 pick in the 2023 Draft, who has struggled this season, with 19 points (five goals, 14 assists) in 26 games.
"I think when you make a change like this it’s not about one player or anything. Obviously, Connor is essential to what we're doing now and in the future, but it's more of a big-picture number of different things than just one specific player," Davidson said. "And having said that, I believe Anders is experienced with some of our high-end players now, and then, some of the players he's got experience with from other organizations, and his time in the game of hockey will be really beneficial for Connor.
Sorensen will make his NHL coaching debut for the Blackhawks when they play the Winnipeg Jets at United Center on Saturday (4 p.m. ET; CHSN, TSN3).
