If Not Derek King, The Next Blackhawks Head Coach Could Come From Overseas

The Chicago Blackhawks have plenty of decisions to make over the course of the next few months. First, they need to find someone for the permanent role as General Manager and a leader of the Hockey Operations department. While Kyle Davidson is operating in the interim as if he is going to be that permanent person as GM, the organization is already looking outside of the box when it comes to their front office structure and potential personnel.

They’ll likely get the front office squared-away before anything else, since the team would likely want that permanent person/people in those positions to make the long-term decisions for the club, for example, like what will happen with Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews’ next contracts.

Another long-term decision that will likely be made after the front office moves will be what happens behind the bench in Chicago. Davidson was the one to make the call to fire Jeremy Colliton on November 6 and replace him in the interim with Derek King. It is a move that has paid-off so far. Coming into the position, King took over a 1-9-2 Blackhawks team and has gone (as of this writing) 10-6-2 since November 7 to put Chicago at 11-15-4 on the year. It’s still not great, but much better than where Chicago was heading.

King, along with his assistants Marc Crawford and Rob Cookson, have done a pretty decent job turning the Blackhawks from a directionless club lacking an identity into a team that can respond to adversity and knows how they want to try to win games. It doesn’t hurt that Marc-André Fleury has started to play like his old self again, as has Jonathan Toews in recent games.

When he took over the position, Derek King was never thought to be the long-term solution as head coach in Chicago. Even he would admit that. But after helping turn the team around, even just a little bit, and get them out of the cellar of the league, King is starting to make a stronger case to be the head coach of the Blackhawks beyond just this season. Chicago has said they will not be making a decision on King or the future of the head coaching role while in-season, unlike other teams in the league who have fired and hired new coaches already this year. But there are some decent candidates available now, and some that could likely be available once the season is over, if  Chicago doesn’t retain King in the role.

In going along with the organization’s direction of thinking “outside of the box” when it comes to their front office decisions, whomever is in the position to hire the permanent head coach might also consider going “outside of the box.” Granted, the last time the Blackhawks went that route, it was hiring Jeremy Colliton to be the head coach in Rockford and then pushing him into the NHL head coaching role after ousting Joel Quenneville when Colliton was not ready to assume that role. But that was Stan Bowman’s move, so maybe this will be different.

The outside of the box thinking could lead to one of the most prominent hockey coaches in Europe, Rikard Grönborg.

Yes, another coach from Europe, like Colliton. But this is much, much different. For starters, Grönborg is a well-established winner in Europe. He has led Sweden’s national team to two World Championship Gold medals as an assistant coach and one as a head coach, along with another Gold at the World Junior Championship in 2012, and an Olympic Gold as an assistant at the 2014 Winter Olympics.

Along with his stellar record as an assistant and head coach with Team Sweden across numerous international competitions, Grönborg has been the head coach of ZSC Lions in the Swiss National League for the past three seasons. Prior to COVID shutting down the 2019-20 season, Grönborg had his team atop the NLA standings with a 31-13-6 record, improving them from a .550 winning-percentage in 2018-19, to a .680 in the shortened season. Last season, ZSC Lions finished fifth in the NLA with a 30-16-6 record and lost in the Semifinals of the NLA Playoffs. So far for the 2021-22 season, Grönborg’s Lions are 15-11-4 and in sixth-place in the NLA standings.

Grönborg’s name has popped up a number of times over the past few seasons as someone NHL teams could look at to shake-up the usual merry-go-round of NHL coaches interchanging jobs constantly, but no team has been brave enough to be the one to break that mold. He’s had the support from Swedish NHL legends like Daniel and Henrik Sedin, Niklas Lidstrom, and Mats Sundin in the past, so it theoretically wouldn’t take much convincing for players to take him seriously in a fresh role in the NHL.

Maybe the Blackhawks, looking to change so much about the culture around the organization after the past couple of months both on and off the ice, would look to a long-successful coach like Grönborg to bring a new perspective to the NHL game.

written by

Mario Tirabassi is a writer for Bleacher Nation. You can follow him on Twitter @Mario_Tirabassi.

more blackhawks news

NHL Notes: Penguins Paradox, Torts Apologizes, Doan’s Dazzling Debut, Rangers Punch Ticket, More

It's a mid-week edition of NHL Notes and we have plenty to cover around the league. The Penguins find themselves with a tricky decision as their season draws to a close. John Tortorella dished out an apology to one of...

We Need to Talk About Jason Dickinson As a Selke Trophy Candidate — Again

Back in early February as the Blackhawks wrapped their pre-All-Star Game schedule, I wrote about Jason Dickinson's case for Selke Trophy votes. We're now ten games away from the end of Chicago's regular season, and with Dickinson reaching 20 goals...

Slaggert’s Big Night, Bedard’s Tape, Felcman to Rockford, Anderson, Tinordi, and Other Blackhawks Bullets

I'm gonna continue to smile, just like Landon Slaggert, because of his performance in last night's Blackhawks win. The former Notre Dame captain had his parents and young brother in the stands and he had one helluva game last night....

Blackhawks 3, Flames 1 — Three Stars, Key Takeaways

The message Blackhawks head coach Luke Richardson was trying to get across with Monday's bag skate clearly landed. The start Chicago had on Tuesday night was a polar opposite of what they showed in the three games in California. They...

Blackhawks vs Flames – Lineups, Broadcast Info, Game Thread

After a disappointing road trip that saw the Blackhawks get smoked for 7 of 9 periods, the team got a bag skate on Monday to think about their effort. They'll get back on the ice tonight in front of a...

Happy Birthday Luke, Bag Skate Monday, Bedard vs. Faber, Saturday Cartoons, and Other Blackhawks Bullets

Chicago Blackhawks head coach Luke Richardson is celebrating a birthday today. He's celebrating his Korchinski year; today is his 55th birthday. Happy birthday, Luke! Hope you get a win tonight so you can celebrate with some wine. There have been...

Blackhawks Prospects, Draft Hopefuls Ready for OHL Playoffs

The Ontario Hockey League playoffs begin this week on Thursday. The Chicago Blackhawks will have five prospects still playing in the OHL postseason: Gavin Hayes (Sault Ste. Marie), Paul Ludwinski (Kingston), Nick Lardis (Brantford), Alex Pharand (Sudbury) and Martin Misiak...

When Do Blackhawks Prospects Play in the NCAA Tournament?

On Sunday we learned the Chicago Blackhawks will have six prospects playing in the NCAA men's ice hockey tournament this year. Games on the road to the Frozen Four begin on Thursday. Here's the schedule of games including Blackhawks' prospects...

Lottery Odds, Draft Rankings, Frozen Four, the Plan on Defense, Bedard’s Passing, and Other Blackhawks Bullets

This weekend was filled with amazing comebacks, both on college basketball courts and on the ice in San Jose. The Blackhawks erased a four-goal deficit in the second half of their game to stun the Sharks... or did they? The...

Six Blackhawks Prospects Will Play in the Frozen Four Field

On Sunday evening, the NCAA announced the 16 universities that will compete for this year's Frozen Four championship. And the Chicago Blackhawks will be very well represented with five prospects heading to the dance. Boston College is the No. 1...

Latest News

WAKE UP, BASEBALL IS BACK

The day has arrived. Opening Day. The most glorious day on the baseball calendar, save for the day of each Chicago Cubs World Series win, of course. See, I get to say things like that on Opening Day. Maybe the...

Pac-12 Basketball Predictions, Computer Picks and Best Bets | March 28

There is one game featuring a Pac-12 teams on the Thursday postseason college basketball schedule, the Clemson Tigers versus the Arizona Wildcats. Make sure you check out below for today's best bets!How to Bet on Pac-12 Games[lasso rel="draftkings-promo-1" id="299003"]Best Pac-12...

Rays vs. Blue Jays Prediction: Expert Picks, Odds, Stats & Best Bets – Thursday, March 28, 2024

The Tampa Bay Rays look to start their season with a win as home favorites (-135) in a season-opening matchup with the Toronto Blue Jays. First pitch is on Thursday at 4:10 PM ET on MLB Network, live from Tropicana...

Astros vs. Yankees Prediction: Expert Picks, Odds, Stats & Best Bets – Thursday, March 28, 2024

The Houston Astros look to start their season with a win as home favorites (-156) in a season-opening matchup with the New York Yankees. First pitch is on Thursday at 4:10 PM ET on YES, live from Minute Maid Park.Houston's...

Tigers vs. White Sox Prediction: Expert Picks, Odds, Stats & Best Bets – Thursday, March 28, 2024

The Detroit Tigers begin their season as -181 favorites in a road tilt against the Chicago White Sox on Thursday at 4:10 PM ET, live on BSDET.Tarik Skubal starts for Detroit while Garrett Crochet is Chicago's starter for the contest.Tigers...

Reds vs. Nationals Prediction: Expert Picks, Odds, Stats & Best Bets – Thursday, March 28, 2024

The Cincinnati Reds begin their season as -154 favorites in a home tilt against the Washington Nationals on Thursday at 4:10 PM ET, live on MASN2.Cincinnati's Frankie Montas gets the start, and he'll go against Washington's Josiah Gray.Reds vs. Nationals...

Dodgers vs. Cardinals Prediction: Expert Picks, Odds, Stats & Best Bets – Thursday, March 28, 2024

The Los Angeles Dodgers (1-1) will look to Will Smith, red hot after a four-hit game, to lead them in a matchup with the St. Louis Cardinals (0-0) on Thursday at 4:10 PM ET on BSMW. The Dodgers are -232...

Marlins vs. Pirates Prediction: Expert Picks, Odds, Stats & Best Bets – Thursday, March 28, 2024

The Miami Marlins look to start their season with a win as home favorites (-133) in a season-opening matchup with the Pittsburgh Pirates. First pitch is on Thursday at 4:10 PM ET on Sportsnet PT, live from LoanDepot park.Miami's Jesus...

Padres vs. Giants Prediction: Expert Picks, Odds, Stats & Best Bets – Thursday, March 28, 2024

The San Francisco Giants (0-0) are the underdogs on the moneyline (-106) in Thursday's contest against the San Diego Padres (1-1). Game time is set for 4:10 PM ET on NBCS-BA. The Giants are favored against the spread in this...

Twins vs. Royals Prediction: Expert Picks, Odds, Stats & Best Bets – Thursday, March 28, 2024

The Minnesota Twins look to start their season with a win as road favorites (-122) in a season-opening matchup with the Kansas City Royals. First pitch is on Thursday at 4:10 PM ET on BSN, live from Kauffman Stadium.Pablo Lopez...

more blackhawks news