The Chicago Blackhawks are not a great team but Luke Richardson is absolutely not on the hot seat.

The Chicago Blackhawks are 5-7-1. It’s certainly not a good record but it could be much worse. Their goaltenders led them to two wins over the weekend which made their record appear to be that much better.

There is some debate on whether or not Luke Richardson should be the head coach going forward. The truth of the matter is that he’s not on the hot seat at this time. It would really have to turn south for them to fire him.

Over the last two seasons, the Hawks have been a legit lottery team. They won it both times with the first overall pick in 2023 and the second overall pick in 2024. It is a franchise trying to build through the draft.

No coach would have the team as currently constructed in a better position. You can argue that 5-7-1 is good for the roster that the team has. There is some young talent developing and a few veterans who are being relied on to help bring the group forward.

Kyle Davidson laid out a plan when he was first named to be the full-time GM of the Blackhawks. He wanted to tear this team down instead of adding guys to keep them in the middle. Doing a painful rebuild is the best path to sustained success.

Because of that logic, the coach is hardly to blame for struggles. It’s not like this team came in with playoff aspirations. Their goal is to develop talent and build a winner.

Is Luke Richardson going to be the guy that leads them to playoff success when the time is right? It is too early to tell. The team does play hard for him so you can't help but wonder what happens when there is more talent on the roster. 

As of now, Richardson shouldn't be worried about his job. This isn't a winning situation and he won't be punished for that. Davidson will see where the team is at the end of the year and evaluate it from there.

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