The Chicago Blackhawks are at a critical junction for the future of the franchise. They have missed the Stanley Cup playoffs in seven of the past eight seasons, and despite landing phenom Connor Bedard in the 2023 NHL Draft, the team has languished at the bottom of the Central Division.
In December, the Blackhawks fired Luke Richardson as their coach. Chicago won just 57 of the 190 games with Richardson behind the bench. The team fared slightly better under interim coach Anders Sorensen, who is being considered for the permanent gig.
As the Blackhawks front office goes through its list of candidates, IllinoisBet.com has developed odds for whom the team will hire. These odds are for infotainment purposes only, and you will not find them at any licensed Illinois sports betting operator, such as BetMGM Illinois Sportsbook.
| Candidate | Position | Hypothetical Odds | Implied Probability |
| Anders Sorensen | Interim Blackhawks Coach | +300 | 25% |
| Dan Bylsma | Former Kraken Coach | +400 | 20% |
| Jay Woodcroft | Former Oilers Coach | +550 | 15.4% |
| Rick Tocchet | Former Canucks Coach | +700 | 12.5% |
| Todd Nelson | Hershey Bears (AHL) Coach | +900 | 10% |
| Brad Shaw | Flyers Assistant Coach | +1200 | 7.7% |
| Field | Any Other Candidate | +960 | 9.4% |
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The Blackhawks won only 17 of the 56 games they played under Sorensen – but perhaps more important, the team’s younger players seemed to respond well under him. He also made several changes that appealed to the players’ skills. Under Sorensen, Chicago averaged 2.9 goals per game. That was slightly below the leaguewide average of 3.0 goals per game, and nearly a half-goal better than the team performed under Richardson.
This week, ChiCitySports.com reported that Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson gave comments to the media that would suggest Sorensen, who coached the Blackhawks AHL franchise before being promoted, is being seriously considered for the role. One thing Davidson wants is a coach that has had success with coaching younger players. Toward the end of the season, the Blackhawks had as many as 14 players aged 23 or younger.
Chicago finally rewarded backers at Illinois sports betting apps a bit in the final weeks of the season, winning four of their final six games and gaining a point for an overtime loss in another.
If Chicago plans to bring in a former head coach, Dan Bylsma would seem to me the most likely choice. He went 252-117-32 as coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins from 2009 to 2014. Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin were in their early 20s at that point, and after being brought on in the final quarter of the 2008-09 season, he led that Pens team to the Stanley Cup.
Experienced coaches such as Rick Tocchet and Jay Woodcroft also merit consideration. However, Tocchet might be more inclined to take a job with a more experienced team that’s expected to make the playoffs sooner rather than later, such as the Boston Bruins.
Despite finishing with the league’s second-worst record, the Blackhawks will pick third in next month’s NHL Draft. That’s because the New York Islanders, who finished 35-35-12, won the lottery to get the first pick. Still, several players are considered candidates to be the top overall pick, so the Blackhawks have the chance to land someone to complement Bedard and help the team rise in the standings.
At BetMGM Illinois Sportsbook, the Edmonton Oilers are the new favorite to win the Stanley Cup, at +300 odds as of May 9.
USA Today photo by Matt Marton
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Steve is an accomplished, award-winning reporter with more than 20 years of experience covering gaming, sports, politics and business. He has written for the Associated Press, Reuters, The Louisville Courier Journal, The Center Square and numerous other publications. Based in Louisville, Ky., Steve has covered the expansion of sports betting in the U.S. and other gaming matters.
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