When the Blackhawks were swept as the No. 1 seed in the first round of the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the organization promised change. It came in the form of two controversial trades that involved three-time Stanley Cup-winning defensive stalwart Niklas Hjalmarsson and rising superstar Artemi Panarin, as well as the firing of assistant coach Mike Kitchen, which was ordered from upper management.
Despite missing the postseason altogether the following season, the Blackhawks kept everyone in place and pointed to Corey Crawford’s injury as the reason things went sideways. At the time, it was justifiable.
But it only took one month into the 2018-19 campaign for the Blackhawks to make a major shake-up when they pulled the plug on the second-winningest coach of all time in Joel Quenneville in favor of 33-year-old Jeremy Colliton, who was quickly gaining respect in the coaching industry but had no NHL experience.
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First it was the roster. Then it was the coach. The next domino to fall if things didn’t improve would likely occur in the front office, and that’s exactly what happened on Monday when the Blackhawks unexpectedly relieved President & CEO John McDonough of his duties.
The move clearly signals the desire for a change in mindset starting at the top. But what remains unclear is what’s next.
McDonough repeatedly endorsed Bowman, who has continually expressed confidence in Colliton. Now that McDonough is no longer part of the equation, are both of their jobs in jeopardy? That's the first question.
The second question is, what could the new front office structure look like? McDonough's primary role was to run the business side, but what the Blackhawks really need is a fresh set of eyes in the hockey operations department. Will the next president specialize in both of those categories, or could there be a separation of titles inside the organization that models the Cubs' blueprint — Jed Hoyer as the GM, Theo Epstein as the president of baseball ops and Crane Kenney making the business decisions?
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The third question is, what's the potential timeline on ... well, everything? It's unclear when the NHL will resume play due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the next leader deserves an opportunity to evaluate the organization as a whole and should be given the proper amount of time to do so before making important decisions.
And finally, what is the future of the franchise? McDonough was committed to "One Goal" and never once uttered the words "rebuild." While the logistics of a full tear-down seems impractical, anything is on the table at this point.
The firing of McDonough immediately raised questions about the direction of the Blackhawks in every aspect. The question isn't whether there will be ripple effects; it's how big they will be.
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