Richardson thoughts

[F86puck]

I know he's a good guy and has a pretty mediocre team, but it is amazing what a good start for a couple weeks can do for a new coach. Making all sorts of headlines about how promising he is. But it didn't last. This team is doing horribly and is last or near last in the league for several weeks now. Colliton had threads about being fired left and right, and I know he followed a 3-time champion coach, but Richardson seems to get a pass. I saw a game live just before X-mas, it just seemed the players didn't care. Good coaches get the most out of their players. Maybe Colliton didn't get the most out of say, Kirby Dach. But Richardson is not getting the most out of some also, Kane among them. Blame the player? Sure, but the coach is always partly responsible. Not here to start a war, I just want opinions and thoughts on how he is doing, and what he can do better. I will say that no coach, not matter how bad the team, should get a free pass if his team has lost 12 of 13.

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[CallMeShaft]

The expectations with this team are different than Colltion's teams.

All the models were predicting Hawks to be the worst team in the league, and they had zero knowledge of what Richardson's coaching ability was like.

Is there a coach out there that could've netted us a few more points in the standings? Sure. But who the hell cares, we're all gunning for the top pick in the draft this year anyways. And next year. Probably the year after that.

We can assess Richardson after that, when the team actually has some talent and potential.

 

[BHawk21]

The team was built to lose.

 

[JaegerDice]

The expectations with this team are different than Colltion's teams.

All the models were predicting Hawks to be the worst team in the league, and they had zero knowledge of what Richardson's coaching ability was like.

Is there a coach out there that could've netted us a few more points in the standings? Sure. But who the hell cares, we're all gunning for the top pick in the draft this year anyways. And next year. Probably the year after that.

We can assess Richardson after that, when the team actually has some talent and potential.

Most of the informed models also had the Colliton rosters toward the bottom of the league despite organizational or fan expectations.

Im indifferent towards Richardson as a coach, just as I was King and Colliton. The roster they have is simply not good enough for any coach to have a meaningful impact on beyond good habits and a meritocratic culture.

At this point, the GMs moves are what merit evaluation, the coach is incidental.

 

[Kevin Musto]

Great tank commander

 

[Behn Wilson]

Maybe small sample size but in ten games with Slalock as goalie team is .500. I think Mrazek makes a godawful team look even worse than they are. Mrazek was a perfect pickup for the tank. But it is hard to judge a coach when you have a crap goalie

 

[Hattrick Kane]

It’s the same as it was at the start of the season. This team is trash and he gets no blame. Can’t squeeze blood from a rock

 

[MarotteMarauder]

I am pretty sure LR is just a place holder until the team is stocked up and ready to compete. I see nothing in his coaching resume to indicate otherwise.

It’s the same as it was at the start of the season. This team is trash and he gets no blame. Can’t squeeze blood from a rock

Talent is definitely lacking but the team is not even sound positionally.

 

[DisgruntledHawkFan]

He's got a name and a long playing career. He's looking for extremely basic hockey. This team was nowhere near as capable as some people early were talking about two weeks into the season. It's a nothing conversation until this team has a whisper of promise.

 

[Behn Wilson]

I always loved Denis Savard but when he was coach there was no structure whatsoever. I remember thinking other teams seemed to be blindly throwing passes and there would be someone to receive it and Hawks on defense were like chickens running around with their heads cut off.

When they fired Savard and hired Q. you could see instant improvement from game 1.

Have not followed close enough to notice if Richardson is closer to Savard or Q. Probably somewhere in the middle. There is such a lack of talent it is hard to judge him,

 

[nmgrbhfn]

I've been thinking about the mental makeup of the team and a simple thought came to mind - KD didn't have to do sophisticated mental studies on who would advance the tank best. He just had to sign a few vets who would have value at the deadline. The Hawks vets mostly likely to be moved have had one foot out the door and likely don't want to alienate Hawks management on the way out by overperforming or gulp, getting injured. They will be measured by what they do for their new teams in the playoff stretch. I'm sure a few of you realized that already; I had to think about it for a while to figure out why this roster wasn't just bad, but exceptionally bad.

Sometimes I think this is payback by RW for everyone who looked the other way during that sad back story that has now clouded the first champeenship run.

 

[BobbyJet]

I am pretty sure LR is just a place holder until the team is stocked up and ready to compete. I see nothing in his coaching resume to indicate otherwise.


Talent is definitely lacking but the team is not even sound positionally.

Exactly ... and the team keeps making the same mistakes which doesn't bode well for the coaching staff.
Of course, it doesn't help Luke that the likes of T/K and Seth look to be collecting their hefty paycheques. Luke's hands are tied - he can't bench any of them.

 

[hawksfan50]

You could name any coach you like coaching now orinNHL history...and Nobody...I mean Nobody could turn these stiffs playingbon thus Hawks team into mistake-free compentence...Impossible.. its not coaching...iti talent and ability and want...none of which presents in our so-caljed NHL level players ..THEY simply stink and will keep on mistaking and getting beat ...Its tge pkayers stupid.A coach xan only do so much if the material hevis given to work with is of the necessary quality ...LR has nothing to work with..It was planned losing by design and nothing LR can do to change it ...need a whole new roster for that.

 

[Sinbad]

The only concern I have with Richardson is line-up decisions; at this point his refusal to take Jack Johnson out of the line-up occasionally and continually playing Caleb Jones while Ian Mitchell rots in the press box Is truly baffling.

JJ is the perfect #7 or 8, there is no reason or benefit for him to play 20+ minutes a game. Everyone knows what he is, he is not going to get you anything more then a late round pick or future considerations at the TDL. To waste a former 2nd pick so you can acquire a late pick for JJ is nonsensical.

Caleb Jones is just a waste of skates who was acquired for the sole purpose of inducing his brother to accept a trade to the Hawks. He is not getting better and should be sat so we can see whether some of these other young D men can develop into NHL players.

Mitchell and Phillips should be playing every game they are healthy from this point until the end of the season, let’s see what they are.

 

[hockeydoug]

I think he should get hammered to offset the ridiculous praise at the start of the season.
After the mindless King praise last year by so many media types, I thought they would have pumped the brakes on Richardson "doing a great job".
He was always going to be a place holder. If he's lucky, he'll have Yawney's fate.

 

[clydesdale line]

Blackhawks’ on-ice communication issues reflect generational trend: ‘Most teams are quiet now’

Coach Luke Richardson believes this generation of NHL players talks less than prior generations did. But why? And how does that affect the Hawks?

chicago.suntimes.com

Nice article here about Richardson preaching communication.

 

[hawksrule]

I know he's a good guy and has a pretty mediocre team, but it is amazing what a good start for a couple weeks can do for a new coach. Making all sorts of headlines about how promising he is. But it didn't last. This team is doing horribly and is last or near last in the league for several weeks now. Colliton had threads about being fired left and right, and I know he followed a 3-time champion coach, but Richardson seems to get a pass. I saw a game live just before X-mas, it just seemed the players didn't care. Good coaches get the most out of their players. Maybe Colliton didn't get the most out of say, Kirby Dach. But Richardson is not getting the most out of some also, Kane among them. Blame the player? Sure, but the coach is always partly responsible. Not here to start a war, I just want opinions and thoughts on how he is doing, and what he can do better. I will say that no coach, not matter how bad the team, should get a free pass if his team has lost 12 of 13.

There weren’t any Fire Colliton threads until he shat the bed in the playoffs.

 

[BLKHKhockey]

"One man to whom that blanket statement probably doesn’t apply is 23-year-old MacKenzie Entwistle, who is arguably the Hawks’ chattiest player around the rink and sets an example Richardson would like some of his teammates to follow — with good reason."

And there it is

 

[kmwtrucks]

I think he is a great fit for a rebuilding team. I thought Coliton would have been better but you need to be a better communicator on a young team. I was also never a fan of King. the Hogs we better without him. And his conversations with the media really made me question if he was a NHL level coach. I like Richardson.

 

[Putt Pirate]

I like Luke. I think he has done as good a job as he can with the players he has. He won't be here probably when the prospects come in 2-3 years but he will have no problem finding another gig.

 

[Hattrick Kane]

I like Luke. I think he has done as good a job as he can with the players he has. He won't be here probably when the prospects come in 2-3 years but he will have no problem finding another gig.

???? Luke isn’t getting fired any time soon. He wasn’t hired to be a sacrificial lamb during the rebuild.

 

[giza]

One could argue that he's won more (and been in more games) than expected with the current personnel. This is a long rebuild and it will center around young players so they need a coach that can work with and bring out the best in young players with a system that is easy to grasp and the expectations around it. Is Richardson a finished product? No, he's learning stuff along the way, but seems to be good for where we're at now and the immediate future.

 

[DisgruntledHawkFan]

He's got a collection of borderline NHL talent playing like their careers are on the line, which is very much the case. The roster is full of guys who got here because they work hard. It's an incomplete grade but I'm not overly impressed.