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Blackhawks working with Derek King to keep him in the fold

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When the Blackhawks hired Luke Richardson on Monday to be their next head coach, you couldn't help but wonder what the future might hold for Derek King, who took over a fragile hockey team on an interim basis in November after a 1-9-2 start and guided Chicago to a 27-33-10 record the rest of the way.

King wasn't just in the running for the permanent gig when the Blackhawks opened up their head coaching search. He was considered a "serious" candidate, according to GM Kyle Davidson, and rightfully so.

Davidson said in May that he thinks "the world of Derek" and acknowledged the need for "those types of people in your organization." And even though he lost out on the permanent position, the Blackhawks are working with King to keep him around the organization in some capacity.

"Derek was put in a pretty tough spot this year," Davidson said during Wednesday's introductory press conference for Richardson. "There was a lot going on with the team and the success on the ice just wasn’t there. So it was a tough spot for Derek to step into and into his first foray as a head coach in the NHL. We thought he did excellent. He really helped calm things down and solidify things in the locker room.

"He was a serious candidate and Derek’s someone we really appreciate and we really value, so I think there’s going to be a process moving forward where we do try to keep Derek people in the fold because we’re looking to bring high-character people into the organization and Derek is that. And so it’s going to be a discussion as we head into the summer but we’re hopeful that something will be there for him."

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