What Happened
Chicago Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson publicly backed head coach Jeff Blashill on Wednesday, taking responsibility for a season that has gone badly off course. The Blackhawks are 4-13-1 after losing six in a row and nine of their past 10, including a 9-2 defeat at Carolina on Saturday. Davidson said assistant general manager Mark Eaton, a former NHL defenseman who oversees player development, will be embedded with the coaching staff for the foreseeable future to work on individual defensive skills. "Simply put, we've not been good enough," Davidson said. "This isn't what we told our fans to expect. And, you know, I take responsibility in this and I'm not going to come up here today and make any excuses." On Blashill, he added: "Blash is our head coach. I have full confidence in him. The players believe in him. He's made them better."
"Simply put, we've not been good enough. This isn't what we told our fans to expect. And, you know, I take responsibility in this and I'm not going to come up here today and make any excuses." — GM Kyle Davidson
"Blash is our head coach. I have full confidence in him. The players believe in him. He's made them better." — GM Kyle Davidson
Key Details
- Chicago is 4-13-1 and has lost six straight and nine of 10.
- The Blackhawks closed a three-game road trip with a 9-2 loss at Carolina on Saturday.
- Davidson said Mark Eaton will be embedded with the coaching staff for the foreseeable future.
- Eaton is the assistant GM for player development and a former NHL defenseman.
- Blashill, 52, is in his second season as Blackhawks head coach.
- Davidson took over as interim GM in October 2021 and had the interim tag removed on March 1, 2022.
- Chicago finished 31st in the NHL in each of the past three seasons.
- The franchise has not reached the playoffs since the 2019-20 expanded format.
What It Means
Davidson is keeping the coaching staff intact rather than making a midseason change, but the Eaton assignment signals concern about a defense that has been among the league's worst. Eaton's development role puts added focus on individual defensive habits while Blashill retains the bench. The 4-13-1 record already undercuts preseason playoff talk, and another extended slide would increase pressure on a rebuild that has produced three straight 31st-place finishes.
What's Next
Chicago returns to game action following the four-day break, with the coaching staff unchanged and Eaton now working alongside it. The coming stretch will show whether the added defensive instruction produces results as the Blackhawks try to halt a six-game losing streak.