Confirmed with Link: Luke Richardson Fired

[ColbyChaos]

To the Davidson critics, what is is that you want from him?

He finally made the choice to actively rebuild, after Bowman waddling in and out and around the problem for years. Then, by a stroke of luck, they won the Bedard lottery after their *first* season tanking. We're literally in year 3 of the rebuild folks. None of the players Davidson's drafted outside of Bedard have even arrived in the NHL yet (I'm not counting Korchinski last year). He's accumulated a ton of young players and draft picks. He went out this summer and brought in a lot more NHL talent -- a summer, I think, by and large, people were happy with at the time. Richardson simply doesn't have the intelligence to get the most of this roster. And it's not like it is an amazing roster because it isn't. The Hawks were always going to be bad again this year. But they shouldn't be almost as bad as a year ago. That was the problem. Richardson couldn't do anything strategically or structurally to get more offense out of a group that should be scoring more than they were.

Only gripe is some of the players picked. They seem to have a speed above everything philosophy when there were guys like Artamanov, Cristall, and co that would have been worth the home run swing in the 2nd round but instead we drafted like meh players like Ludwinski, Misiak, or Gajan (who openly told people the hawks were gonna pick him weeks in advance which likely lead KD drafting higher than he should have)

We had a ton of second rounders yet never tried to take a high ceiling guy because their skating wasn’t Olympian level.

Also the pick trades last draft were moronic we traded a 2nd weeks in advance of the draft to jump 2 who spots..

He also has some mole in the org who openly leaked they were gonna take Boisvert as well. Feel like this shouldn’t even have to be said but I would like to think a pro sports team wouldn’t want their draft picks leaked to the world weeks leading up the draft.

 

[TheFridge]

My problem with KD's strategy is that for all of the draft picks and all of the players who project to be a part of the Blackhawks in the next few years, there is no definitive solution long-term for who Bedard's linemates are/will be and there is no definitive solution for any center position. Selling the idea of Taylor Hall being Bedard's primary linemate was a con from the day he was signed. He's a middle six guy who can do a few things, but the sales pitch that he was here for anything more than that--if that was an honest evaluation, then that's a horrible misjudgment. Beyond that, anyone expecting more than a middle six level of play from Bertuzzi didn't watch him in Toronto or Boston.

As for the center position, anyone can project a few guys to possibly be a solution, but would it be a big surprise if Nazar settles in here at wing? Anyone else is yet another bottom six guy who maybe is, maybe isn't a solution. Finally, the big push for more speed. Do any of these non-NHL guys in the organization play with that much speed compared to their opponents? Does it look like some wave of talent is going to show up here and be some competitive advantage against the rest of the league?

Well, they've only had 3 top-7 picks since the rebuild started and two of them were used on D, while the other was used on Bedard. Were the Hawks supposed to have drafted multiple potential 1st line wings 3 drafts into the rebuild?

As for the bolded, that's yet to be seen. Do we really have an issue with the team prioritizing guys who can skate and compete when the team was drafting guys like Beaudin, Boqvist, Schmaltz, Krys, Starrett, Iacopelli, et all prior? And trading for guys like Alex Nylander? Maybe their plan won't work in the long run but at least it will be an identity. They want to play fast. They want to guys with high compete and motors shift-to-shift.

Only gripe is some of the players picked. They seem to have a speed above everything philosophy when there were guys like Artamanov, Cristall, and co that would have been worth the home run swing in the 2nd round but instead we drafted like meh players like Ludwinski, Misiak, or Gajan (who openly told people the hawks were gonna pick him weeks in advance which likely lead KD drafting higher than he should have)

We had a ton of second rounders yet never tried to take a high ceiling guy because their skating wasn’t Olympian level.

Also the pick trades last draft were moronic we traded a 2nd weeks in advance of the draft to jump 2 who spots..

He also has some mole in the org who openly leaked they were gonna take Boisvert as well. Feel like this shouldn’t even have to be said but I would like to think a pro sports team wouldn’t want their draft picks leaked to the world weeks leading up the draft.

With multiple 2nd and 3rd round picks, I'd have taken some swings too but they obviously have hard line prioritization on certain things and they aren't willing to concede. Maybe that softens over the next few drafts. I'm not going to lose sleep on guys like Cristall until he does something in the NHL.

 

[ColbyChaos]

As I said in the post another disturbing thing about KD is that our draft plans have been leaked two years in a row.

Don’t recall anything in 2022 but we had our picks in 2023 and 2024 leaked

 

[TheFridge]

As I said in the post another disturbing thing about KD is that our draft plans have been leaked two years in a row.

Don’t recall anything in 2022 but we had our picks in 2023 and 2024 leaked

I don't remember anything definitive coming out about Lev vs. Demidov until the draft floor and then the french reporter saying the Hawks liked Boisvert wasn't really a leak.

 

[TLEH]

They've had tons of 2nd and 3rd round picks. They moved up, likely, to get into a range they believe the draft started to drop off. What's the issue there? We won't know if they were right or wrong for years anyway.

They moved from 20 to 18 months before the draft and did it for a 2nd. I'm not saying you have to agree, I'm saying I'm not a fan of that. I'm not a fan of trading a second round pick to go from 27 to 34.

They traded 18 and 50 for 20, 54, and 61. I'm not a fan of that strategy. I'm sure they have analytics that tell them its the move to make. I've seen public pick value stuff that says they lost value on both trades fairly easily. Are their models better, are they worse? We won't know.

I don't think people have a ton of ideas of what 17 and 18 year olds are going to be so more picks, especially in the Top 60 picks, are valuable.

 

[TheFridge]

They moved from 20 to 18 months before the draft and did it for a 2nd. I'm not saying you have to agree, I'm saying I'm not a fan of that. I'm not a fan of trading a second round pick to go from 27 to 34.

They traded 18 and 50 for 20, 54, and 61. I'm not a fan of that strategy. I'm sure they have analytics that tell them its the move to make. I've seen public pick value stuff that says they lost value on both trades fairly easily. Are their models better, are they worse? We won't know.

I don't think people have a ton of ideas of what 17 and 18 year olds are going to be so more picks, especially in the Top 60 picks, are valuable.

So the issue you have with their drafting "strategy" is their utilization of 2nd and 3rd round picks to make what you deem to be marginal improvements in their position?

They have a lot of lottery tickets right now. Personally, I'd rather they get the guys they most believe in with their picks. Maybe they'll work out, maybe they won't but if they really like a player that's available and getting that player or not is a mid 2nd or 3rd when they've made 30 picks in 3 drafts, I don't mind it.

 

[Clownish]

Well, they've only had 3 top-7 picks since the rebuild started and two of them were used on D, while the other was used on Bedard. Were the Hawks supposed to have drafted multiple potential 1st line wings 3 drafts into the rebuild?

As for the bolded, that's yet to be seen. Do we really have an issue with the team prioritizing guys who can skate and compete when the team was drafting guys like Beaudin, Boqvist, Schmaltz, Krys, Starrett, Iacopelli, et all prior? And trading for guys like Alex Nylander? Maybe their plan won't work in the long run but at least it will be an identity. They want to play fast. They want to guys with high compete and motors shift-to-shift.

"They didn't draft these random names who didn't pan out, they must have the right idea since look how fast these guys skate" is a strategy, we'll see how it goes. My question is does the speed come with enough skill to be an advantage compared to other options who had plus traits in other categories? At the moment, I'd like to see more physicality, better passing, and higher situational IQ at a cost of a bit of high-end speed.

 

[TheFridge]

"They didn't draft these random names who didn't pan out, they must have the right idea since look how fast these guys skate" is a strategy, we'll see how it goes. My question is does the speed come with enough skill to be an advantage compared to other options who had plus traits in other categories? At the moment, I'd like to see more physicality, better passing, and higher situational IQ at a cost of a bit of high-end speed.

Those "random names" were 1st, 2nd and 3rd round picks in drafts directly preceding Davidson's tenure. Again, I don't think their draft strategy boils down to "hE sKaTeS fAsT" but they've clearly prioritized skating. That's an issue why?

At the moment, the only player we've seen from his drafts are Bedard and Korchinski, who simply wasn't ready for the NHL last year.

 

[TLEH]

So the issue you have with their drafting "strategy" is their utilization of 2nd and 3rd round picks to make what you deem to be marginal improvements in their position?

They have a lot of lottery tickets right now. Personally, I'd rather they get the guys they most believe in with their picks. Maybe they'll work out, maybe they won't but if they really like a player that's available and getting that player or not is a mid 2nd or 3rd when they've made 30 picks in 3 drafts, I don't mind it.

Yes my issue is what I’ve stated. I’m not against trading up or down. I think they overpaid and wasted their assets.

 

[TheFridge]

Yes my issue is what I’ve stated. I’m not against trading up or down. I think they overpaid and wasted their assets.

Time will tell.

 

[Blackhawkswincup]

Do you think the way he handled Taylor Hall scratching may have something to do with this?

Mabe a final straw with many in lockerroom

 

[Hawkaholic]

Do you think the way he handled Taylor Hall scratching may have something to do with this?

Mabe a final straw with many in lockerroom

 

[WarriorofTime]

Korchinski, Nazar, Rinzel, Bedard, Moore, Levshunov, Boisvert, Vanacker are the important draft picks to determine how far this thing is capable of going.

 

[DisgruntledHawkFan]

That's exactly what I'd say if I went over my bosses head to get him fired.

 

[CallMeShaft]

 

[DisgruntledHawkFan]

It's so stupid a guy loses a seven figure gig and his response is screen capped.

 

[Styles]

It's so stupid a guy loses a seven figure gig and his response is screen capped.

 

[Beukeboom Fan]

He wasn’t. He was a former assistant in St. Louis after being fired somewhat disgracefully by the stars and he is married to a St. Louis wife.

Delete.

 

[CallMeShaft]